Gangone, Alliance Leader Hold Video Interview

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.

Applications Now Available for AACTE–NACCTEP Partnership

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.

Engage With edTPA at Quality Support Workshop

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:

AACTE Convenes 2018 Washington Week, June 3-6

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.”

New Resource Aids States in Developing Principals for Inclusive Schools

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:

Engage With Technology Competencies for Teacher Educators

By Kevin Graziano, Teresa Foulger, Denise Schmidt-Crawford and David Slykhuis

The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

The Teacher Educator Technology Competencies (TETCs) have been finalized, thanks to feedback from many of you, and we are excited to invite you to put them to use–and to tell us about them!

The Need for Technology Competencies for Teacher Educators

Last year, we reported to you on our progress developing the TETCs, which aim to address the “digital use gap” among teacher educators and their ability to prepare PK-12 teachers to teach with technology.

AACTE Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7-11

By Jerrica Thurman

AACTE joins the National Education Association (NEA) and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in celebrating excellent teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7-11, and National Teacher Day, May 8.

The NEA and National PTA invite you to get involved by thanking a teacher in the following ways:

Thank a Teacher on Social Media May 7-11

Report Explores Economics of Funding Teacher Residencies

By Kristin McCabe

Last month, AACTE cosponsored an event organized by PREPARED TO TEACH: Sustainable Funding for Quality Teacher Preparation at Bank Street College of Education to present its new report on the economics of teacher residencies. AACTE Director of Programs and Professional Learning Amanda Lester served as a panelist at the event along with New York Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education John D’Agati and Prepared To Teach Director (and report author) Karen DeMoss.

The report, Following the Money: Exploring Residency Funding Through the Lens of Economics, dives into the realities of funding high-quality teacher preparation and calls on policy makers to understand the financial barriers candidates face.

Teacher of Refugee, Immigrant Students Named 2018 National Teacher of the Year

By Zachary VanHouten

The 2018 National Teacher of the Year was announced today on CBS This Morning: Mandy Manning, a National Board Certified Teacher of high school English and math in Spokane, Washington, has been named to the honor, following the announcement of four finalists earlier this year.

Manning began her teaching career almost two decades ago working with the Peace Corps in Armenia. Since then, she has taught in Japan and in classrooms throughout the United States. Manning’s global perspective has been instrumental in her current classroom in the Newcomer Center at Ferris High School in Spokane, a place where immigrant and refugee students are provided the opportunity to study English, foundational reading skills, mathematics, and computers.

April 18 Webinar to Explore Mental Health Supports for Principals

By Donna Cooner and Wendy Fothergill

This article has been updated to reflect new presenter information.

On Wednesday, April 18, AACTE will host a free webinar on principal leadership, supported by The Wallace Foundation as part of the Association’s ongoing partnership to disseminate the latest research and practice innovations in principal preparation. Please join us from 3:00-3:45 p.m. EDT for Leveraging Community Resources to Strengthen Clinical Practice: Mental Health Support for School Leaders.

New principals must not only learn to seamlessly integrate curriculum, lead change, and manage personnel; they must also become first responders in times of tragedy and grief counselors, while supporting their own mental health in high-stress jobs. This webinar will discuss –

Educational Leadership Preconference Focuses on Interaction of Policy, Practice

By Amanda Lester

On February 28, AACTE hosted a daylong preconference workshop titled “Strengthening the Pipeline to Transform the Principalship,” sponsored by The Wallace Foundation. The event, held just prior to the 70th AACTE Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, was attended by PK-12 and higher education leaders from across the nation and engaged participants in presentations and conversation on educational leadership through the lenses of policy and practice.

The agenda was broken into two thematic segments. The first segment highlighted how policy, partnerships, and resources influence strategies to renew principal preparation programs. The second included presentations about key policies that influence the renewal of principal preparation programs.

Join AACTE in Support of Public Schools Week, March 12-16

By Jerrica Thurman

Today kicks off national Public Schools Week, March 12-16, celebrating the success of public schools around the country. AACTE is among the 50 national education groups representing teachers, principals, superintendents, parents, and other civic organizations that have issued a joint statement in support of public education and are celebrating the critical roles for public schools in developing future generations of successful citizens.

Sponsored by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, the weeklong event provides opportunities for supporters to speak out about the value of public education. Using the hashtags #PublicSchoolsWeek and #LovePublicEducation, participants are encouraged to express their own feelings toward public education and why the success of public schools is essential to the future of education in America.

Webinar to Discuss Preparing Principals to Partner With Legal, Social Services

By Donna Cooner and Wendy Fothergill

On Wednesday, March 21, AACTE will host a free webinar on principal leadership, supported by The Wallace Foundation as part of the Association’s ongoing partnership to disseminate the latest research and practice innovations in principal preparation. Please join us from 3:00-3:45 p.m. EDT for Leveraging Community Resources to Strengthen Clinical Practice for New Principals: Partnering with Legal and Social Services.

Difficult and changing situations with students and their families require principals to broaden their support network beyond school resources. The panelists on this webinar will discuss scenarios and possible resources available within the community. They will also share ideas for making intentional connections with community partners.

National Superintendent of the Year Is UW-Madison Alumnus

By Kristin McCabe

Congratulations to 2018 National Superintendent of the Year David Schuler of Township High School District 214 in Arlington Heights, Illinois!

Schuler, who heads the state’s second-largest high school district, was Illinois’ finalist for the honor given by AASA, the School Superintendents Association. He is also an alumnus of an AACTE member institution, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he received a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.

JUSTEC 2018 Proposals Due March 15

By Kristin McCabe

Participants in the 2017 JUSTEC annual conference in Hawaii

The 30th annual conference of the Japan-U.S. Teacher Education Consortium (JUSTEC) will be held September 14-17 at Bukkyo University in Kyoto, Japan. Conference organizers invite proposals for paper and poster presentations by March 15 under the theme “Next Steps in Teacher Education in the U.S. and Japan: Celebrating 30 Years of JUSTEC.”

To commemorate the milestone anniversary, participants in this year’s conference will reflect on past collaborations and accomplishments, assess the current changing landscape of teacher education, and look ahead to the new approaches, frameworks, technologies, and international relationships to support teacher learning and educational research.