Member Voices: Listen to the Children

By Ena Shelley

This article originally appeared as Ena Shelley’s monthly “Transforming Education” column; it is reposted with permission. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

“While we try to teach our children all about life, they teach us what life is all about.” – Anonymous

You are likely reading this on the brink of our national election. There have been months of bickering, insult slinging, and behavior that would not be tolerated in most of our classrooms. Certainly there are adult issues that must be addressed, yet I sometimes wonder that if we remembered more often the voices and ears of children, we might find the margins of compromise that allow debates to become more about the “us” and less about the “them.” Children truly have wisdom and perspective that adults sometimes forget or lose in the busyness of life. I am sharing three links in this column that are the voices of younger children and adolescents. What if those running for political office, as well as those who already hold a policy-making position, and the media gave more time and attention to the wisdom they have to offer?

Sharon Robinson to Retire in July 2017

By AACTE

Press Release

(October 18, 2016, Washington, DC) – The AACTE Board of Directors today announced the planned departure of President and Chief Executive Officer Sharon P. Robinson. After more than a decade at AACTE, Robinson will retire in July 2017.

“On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Dr. Robinson for her many contributions to AACTE,” said AACTE Board of Directors Chair Jane Bray. “Since 2005, Dr. Robinson has led AACTE to achievements well beyond our expectations and has challenged our profession to aspire to great heights. AACTE is met with mixed feelings as Dr. Robinson deservingly transitions into retirement. We are happy for her next phase of life and grateful for her wonderful tenure, yet we realize she leaves a cavernous hole for us to fill.”

Call for Nominations: ACSR Executive Committee

By Sungti Hsu

The AACTE Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) seeks nominations by October 24 of state chapter leaders to run in an election for the ACSR Executive Committee. The positions open for election are the Northeast Region representative, Western Region representative, and ACSR chair-elect, all to take office in March 2017.

Resources to Engage Your Campus in the Democratic Process

By Sharon Robinson

As Americans, one of our most important duties is to participate in our democracy. Although it can be challenging to get out the vote on college campuses, engaged citizenship is one of the desired outcomes of postsecondary education, and we certainly want to nurture in our students a sense of responsibility to participate.

To help students navigate residency requirements, absentee ballots and their filing deadlines, and other voting rules and options, I encourage you to consult the resources compiled by the “Your Vote, Your Voice” campaign. This effort is spearheaded by the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, which includes AACTE and nearly 50 other national higher education organizations.

AACTE Board Special Election Results

By Aaron Goldstein

Congratulations to the newest members of AACTE’s Board of Directors! In a recent online special election, AACTE members chose colleagues to fill seats representing the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU) and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU):

Alberto Ruiz, Texas A&M University-Kingsville (HACU)

Elaine Chin, San Jose State University (TECSCU)

The new directors will join the Board at its fall meeting in Tampa, Florida.

In Memoriam: Carol E. Smith

By Sharon Robinson

Carol Smith, 1949–2016

Carol E. Smith, longtime AACTE staffer who deftly guided the Association through the early standards movement and years of accreditation reforms, died June 6 in Falls Church, Virginia. She was 66.

A native of Johnson City, Tennessee, Smith gave 23 years of devoted service to AACTE. After an early career in the banking and legal fields, she joined the AACTE staff as an administrative assistant in 1985 and worked up to senior leadership as vice president for professional issues before leaving in 2008.

Her portfolio of responsibilities was vast, including orchestrating the Association’s liaison with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, contributing to the design of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, and convening the Task Force on Teacher Education as a Moral Community, among others.

Last Call for AACTE Volunteer Leaders

By Kristin McCabe

Time is running out to apply for service on one of AACTE’s standing committees or run for a seat on the Board of Directors! Submit your application (or nominate a colleague) for a 3-year term by Monday, May 9.

Board of Directors

As noted by current Board Chair Jane Bray (Old Dominion University, VA), now is an exciting time to lead AACTE. “Our profession is truly at a tipping point, and the Board of Directors at AACTE is at the forefront of our profession,” she said. The Board’s agenda includes deliberations on the Association’s overall direction, its role in the changing accreditation system, strategic leveraging of resources, and much more. The current roster can be found here.

Please Join Me in June at AACTE’s Day on the Hill

By Joen Larson

I am so fortunate to have an opportunity to share my experiences in advocacy leadership at AACTE as chair of the Committee on Government Relations and Advocacy. It is my goal as chair to facilitate educator preparation advocacy at the state and national levels. The upcoming AACTE Day on the Hill, to be held June 7-8 as part of AACTE’s 2016 Washington Week, is an excellent opportunity for us all to develop and practice our advocacy skills together.

This 2-day event includes time to learn an effective advocacy strategy and then apply the strategy in scheduled visits with elected officials from our home states. Before the culminating congressional visits, participants will engage in a day of professional development focused on the knowledge and skills needed in advocacy efforts. We will hear from AACTE experts on what’s happening in Washington related to teacher preparation and discuss key issues that need the profession’s voice on the Hill.

Town Hall Meeting Engages AACTE Members, Leaders on Hot Issues

By Kristin McCabe

Members of the AACTE Executive Committee held a Town Hall Meeting February 24 at the AACTE 68th Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, providing updates to the membership on key work of the Association and answering questions submitted by the audience on various programmatic and professional issues.

AACTE President/CEO Sharon P. Robinson opened the session with her annual “state of the Association” report. She announced that membership numbers are up to 823 institutional and 32 affiliate members and that several exciting new initiatives are under way—replacing or updating others to be more responsive to member needs. The long-operating Professional Education Data System (PEDS), for example, is now suspended in favor of a new data initiative that will aggregate and report on existing data sets, create benchmarking potential for programs, and more.

AACTE Subcommittee on CAEP Reports to Board

By Renée A. Middleton

Last week, the AACTE Board of Directors subcommittee formed to engage with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) reported back to the Board on its two primary charges. First, we shared results from our survey of AACTE members, and second, we offered guidelines and operating principles for the person selected to be the AACTE representative to the CAEP board.

Chris Koch, current president of CAEP, was in attendance at the meeting and listened to the survey results. He expressed appreciation for the engagement of the AACTE membership and said he planned to share the findings with the CAEP staff. He noted that a collaborative, mutually beneficial outcome is his goal for the information that was shared. His recognition of the efforts of the AACTE membership has set a tone for partnership as our organizations move forward.

AACTE Board, ACSR Name New Leaders

By Kristin McCabe

During their meeting February 22, members of AACTE’s Board of Directors chose officers for the coming year to serve with new Board Chair Jane Bray (see press release).

Effective today through next February, the Executive Committee includes the following leaders:

AACTE Seeks Volunteers, Nominations for Governance Roles

By Aaron Goldstein

Are you ready to step up your service to the national educator preparation community? Or do you know someone whose professional experience would bring value to an AACTE committee or the Board of Directors? Now is the time to nominate yourself or a colleague by May 9 to serve an important role in the governance of AACTE.

AACTE is currently seeking nominations for the AACTE Board of Directors and the following standing committees:

• Global Diversity
• Government Relations and Advocacy
• Innovation and Technology
• Meetings and Professional Development
• Membership Development and Capacity Building
• Professional Preparation and Accountability
• Research and Dissemination

Join the Conversation at AACTE Town Hall Meeting

By Jerrica Thurman

As you join the nationwide conversation on the future of educator preparation at the AACTE 68th Annual Meeting next week, don’t miss your chance to interact with the Association’s leadership during the Town Hall Meeting. Members of the AACTE Executive Committee will take the stage to discuss topics of interest to the field and answer your questions on Wednesday, February 24, at 11:45 a.m. PST.

“The vision for having a town hall meeting was to get the members actively involved in the issues we are facing,” said Fayneese Miller, who served as chair of the AACTE Board of Directors during 2013-14 and is now president of Hamline University (MN). “How can we as a community begin to solve some of the questions? How do we work collaboratively? How do we ensure that a variety of different voices are heard?”

Take advantage of the opportunity to ask tough questions and receive candid answers from these current AACTE leaders on how the Association is working to support members in meeting the demands of the profession:

AACTE Subcommittee Completes Accreditation Survey, Refines Liaison to CAEP Board

By Renée A. Middleton and Rodrick Lucero

The AACTE Board of Directors subcommittee formed to engage in conversation with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) has concluded surveying AACTE members regarding their perspectives related to CAEP, standards, and accreditation in general. Thanks to all who responded to our survey!

The survey, which invited feedback last fall, received responses from 176 respondents in 46 states. Members of the subcommittee met with AACTE President/CEO Sharon Robinson on January 21 to begin an initial review of the responses. This month, we will finalize our review of the data and present our findings and recommendations to the AACTE Board of Directors, which commissioned the work last spring. At this point, we can report that the standards that garnered the most desire for continued dialogue and attention were Standards 3 and 4. Following the February Board meeting, we will share more specific themes from the survey.

Reconceptualizing Teaching and Learning: The 2016 National Educational Technology Plan

By Glen Bull and Kevin Graziano

Last month, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology released the 2016 National Educational Technology Plan, titled Future Ready Learning: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education. Billed as the nation’s “flagship educational technology policy document,” the plan contains specific recommendations for teacher preparation programs relative to its “vision of equity, active use, and collaborative leadership to make everywhere-all-the-time learning possible.” For this article, AACTE asked two of our field’s leaders on the topic to reflect on the plan and its relevance for educator preparation providers.

Since 2000, the AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology has hosted an annual leadership summit for the presidents of a dozen teacher educator associations and editors of educational technology journals, who together comprise the National Technology Leadership Coalition. This summit in Washington, DC, provides a unique forum for interdisciplinary planning focused on technology and teacher preparation. Sharon Robinson, president and CEO of AACTE, recently wrote of the coalition, “Rather than reacting to new technologies, members of [the coalition] sought to shape them by partnering with developers to include discipline-specific pedagogical considerations.”