15 Oct2018
By Wendy Fothergill and Donna Cooner
This fall, AACTE will present a new webinar series called “Supporting Novice Principals on the Job,” supported by The Wallace Foundation as part of the Association’s ongoing partnership to disseminate the latest research and practice innovations in principal preparation. As moderators of the four webinars, we will explore the day-to-day work of a principal and how principal preparation programs can collaborate with districts to support new leaders.
The webinar series builds on the Wallace Foundation’s Theme from the Field that highlights the need for realistic clinical experiences in quality preparation programs. The webinars can be used to provide clinical expertise to principal preparation programs and to support new principals’ induction programs. The conversations will provide critical, timely information for pre-service principals, novice administrators, and university faculty who teach in principal preparation programs. If you are involved in school leadership, please join us!
10 Oct2018
By Mary Harrill
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has released the first public draft of its position statement on “Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators.” Feedback from AACTE members—schools, colleges, and departments of education that house many early childhood degree programs—about the content and clarity of the statement is critical! We encourage you to provide feedback through this survey.
This statement is a revision of the 2009 position statement on “NAEYC Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation,” which is a cornerstone of the early childhood profession. It serves as the standards for NAEYC’s higher education accreditation system, as well as the standards for the NAEYC SPA recognition system through the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). It also influences states’ early childhood competencies and professional development systems and informs the program content and design of most early childhood degree programs (preparing an early childhood workforce that serves young children, birth through age eight).
03 Oct2018
By Jerrica Thurman
In celebration of National Principals Month this October, AACTE joins the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA) in recognizing the important work of principals in making schools great. National and state resolutions, formal awards and recognitions, and acknowledgments from U.S. senators and representatives and other top government officials mark this broad celebration of the principalship. It is an opportunity to say “thank you” to principals across the nation, and to reflect on the roles of school leaders and the importance of preparing them well.
26 Sep2018
By Alicia Diaz
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) across the country have just concluded another successful observance of National HSIs Week, celebrated this year from September 17-23. The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) joined the celebration by releasing a Resource Page dedicated to its new legislative initiative, the PK-12 and Higher Ed Collaboration. This initiative would create a new Part C under Title V of the Higher Education Act for a grant program to support partnerships and collaboration between HSIs and Hispanic-Serving School Districts (HSSDs) that educate the majority of Hispanic students.
On the Resource Page, you will also find a recently launched interactive map that shows the geographic relationship between HSIs, HSSDs, Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Emerging Hispanic-Serving School Districts. Click on this link for details on our PK-12 and Higher Education Collaboration initiative and to view our interactive maps.
19 Sep2018
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE has partnered with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) on the new Diverse and Learner-Ready Teachers Initiative. The Initiative is a network of nine states that will connect with each other and experts in the field to receive individualized support as they address challenges to increase the racial diversity of the teacher workforce in their states. Participating states are Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, and New York. Through this work, these states hope to revise, enact or remove state policies that will address specific challenges for both diversifying the educator workforce and ensuring all educators are culturally responsive in practice by 2020.
“CCSSO is proud to launch the Diverse and Learner-Ready Teachers Initiative as we strive to better prepare all teachers to meet the needs of every learner in their classroom,” said Carissa Moffat Miller, executive director of CCSSO. “This work is firmly rooted in CCSSO’s commitment to providing an equitable education to all students.”
19 Sep2018
By Jerrica Thurman
The new 2018 Data Quality Campaign (DQC) National Poll report shows teachers value education data and they see it as critical to effective pedagogical strategies that enhance student learning. The findings indicate 95% of teachers say they use a combination of academic and nonacademic information to understand their students’ performance. This information can range from test scores and graduation rates to attendance and classroom behavior. The poll report released on September 12 found teachers and parents trust and rely on education data as a tool to support students.
Partnerships between teachers and parents are also strengthened when student data are available. Eighty-six percent of the teacher respondents say the information helps facilitate communication with parents about their children’s performance because it gives an objective place to start conversations. Ninety-three percent of parents want data so they can help their children do their best.
14 Sep2018
By Katrina Norfleet
The Learning First Alliance’s (LFA) newest report, “Community in Education: Bringing Businesses and Schools Together,” provides a compilation of recommendations to help foster more meaningful, real-life educational experiences for students. The report is the result of nearly 30 executives and key staff members convening to address ways to build better relationships and find common ground for advancing public education. The participants represent various sectors ranging from technology, manufacturing, and media companies to local government agencies, nonprofits, and LFA organizations.
AACTE, an LFA member organization along with 12 other national education associations, was represented by President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone, who participated in the daylong discussions that led to the published report.
30 Aug2018
By Jerrica Thurman
While most Americans have high trust and confidence in teachers, a majority also draw the line at wanting their own children to join a profession they see as undervalued and low-paid, according to a report released August 27 on the 50th annual PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. For the first time since 1969, a majority of respondents (54%) indicate they would not like their children to take up teaching in public schools as a career.
17 Aug2018
By Erisel Cruz and Kristin McCabe
The start of the fall term can be an ideal time to restock supplies and gather fresh resources for the year ahead. If your work includes preparing and supporting school leaders, here are some helpful links to visit, bookmark, and share as you head back to campus.
24 Jul2018
By Amanda Lester and Kristin McCabe
A new study of The Wallace Foundation’s Principal Supervisor Initiative (PSI) identifies successful ways for principal supervisors’ jobs to be refocused to more effectively support principals’ instructional leadership.
Typically, principal supervisors in large, urban districts are assigned to oversee too many principals, in addition to numerous district tasks, to be able to have an impact on principals’ effectiveness as educational leaders. The PSI aimed to improve this situation by addressing five core components: (a) revising supervisors’ job description to focus on instructional leadership, (b) reducing the number of principals in each supervisor’s case load, (c) developing supervisors’ capacity so support principals, (d) developing systems to identify and train new supervisors, and (e) strengthening central office structures to support and sustain these changes.
23 Jul2018
By Samuel Santos
On July 16, AACTE President/CEO Lynn M. Gangone met with Richard Long, executive director of the Learning First Alliance (LFA), for an interview about the challenges facing the teaching profession and where the field needs to go moving forward. Their conversation aired on Facebook Live and can be viewed at this link.
AACTE is a member of LFA, a partnership of leading education organizations dedicated to improving learning outcomes in America’s public schools. A recent report with contributions from LFA members, Elements of Success: 10 Million Speak on Schools That Work, outlines six elements that are vital for success in the classroom and provided the springboard for last week’s interview.
06 Jul2018
By Meghan Grenda
Applications are now available for the new partnership program of AACTE and the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP). Community colleges that offer educator preparation programs are welcome to apply!
AACTE and NACCTEP launched the partnership for 2018-2019 to foster collaboration among our memberships through the common goals of advocating for, advancing, and diversifying educator preparation programs. This pilot partnership connects 4-year degree-granting institutions and community college educator preparation programs to grow and strengthen the teacher pipeline, bring diversity to the field, and advance the preparation of educators.
26 Jun2018
By Sara Hiller
This event is cancelled until further notice.
AACTE is excited to announce a series of sessions at the 2018 AACTE Quality Support Workshop focused on inquiry-based implementation of edTPA. This strand of sessions, facilitated by an edTPA representative and an experienced user of the assessment, is among several choices of concurrent workshops on offer August 2-4 in Columbus, Ohio.
The three edTPA sessions will be led by Mel Horton, associate dean at Sacred Heart University (CT), along with Kellie Crawford from Evaluation Systems Group of Pearson. Part 1 is for experienced edTPA users as well as those who are new to or interested in learning about edTPA. Parts 2 and 3 build on the first session and are designed for more experienced edTPA users.
The first interactive workshop will begin with an overview of edTPA constructs as sources of candidate evidence related to equitable teaching practices within a multiple measurement assessment system. You will get to:
04 Jun2018
By AACTE
(June 4, 2018, Washington, D.C.) – Teacher educators and other members from colleges and schools of education across the nation are convening June 3-6 for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) 2018 Washington Week. This national advocacy event for educator preparation, themed “Your Voice Matters,” is taking place at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, and on Capitol Hill.
“Washington Week is one of our premier programs, and AACTE is very proud to gather our colleagues and students from throughout the states to focus on policy and advocacy. I strongly encourage all of our members–administrators, faculty and staff—to attend and to make their voices heard,” said Dr. Lynn M. Gangone, president and CEO of AACTE. “Washington Week also showcases many of AACTE’s partnerships and highlights the importance of coalition and collaboration, particularly among education organizations here in Washington, to advocate for educator preparation at the federal and state levels.”
21 May2018
By Kristin McCabe
A new website aims to equip state education agencies to support principals for better serving students with disabilities. AACTE is among nearly two dozen organizations convened by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to develop the site’s content.
The resulting online guide, Supporting Inclusive Schools for the Success of Each Child: A Guide for States on Principal Leadership, outlines eight strategies for states to embed expectations for inclusive principal leadership in policy and practice:
