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.

New Partnership Pilots Inclusion of Community Colleges in AACTE Membership

By Kristin McCabe

The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) and AACTE are partnering in a new effort to better align their members around common work. In this pilot initiative, the organizations will explore and develop collaborative membership and governance structures, joint programming at the AACTE Annual Meeting, and other offerings.

Currently, 2-year colleges are eligible only for “affiliate” membership with AACTE, but a recent survey of AACTE members revealed an openness to incorporating community colleges more explicitly in the Association’s membership structure. About 800 community colleges nationwide offer some type of teacher preparation, including many programs that lead to bachelor’s degrees and licensure as well as others that prepare candidates to move on to 4-year institutions. Approximately 120 of these community colleges are members of NACCTEP.

Connect in the #AACTE18 Conference Community Center

By Matthew Wales

The AACTE Annual Meeting is just 3 weeks away, and in order to maximize your time in Baltimore, you will want to do some advance preparation. With over 250 sessions covering a wide variety of topics of interest, you are guaranteed to find sessions and content that fits your needs. Be sure to check out the AACTE Event Planner, where you can search the Annual Meeting offerings by keywords, topics, conference strands, and other criteria to locate sessions and create your personalized conference itinerary.

One place you most certainly don’t want to miss is the Conference Community Center. Located on the second floor of the Hilton Baltimore, the center is the place for you to connect with colleagues in a dynamic, engaging environment. Conveniently situated in the Key Ballroom Foyer, adjacent to many of AACTE’s Learning Labs, the center offers you a place to take a break and network, while also engaging with our Annual Meeting sponsors in the following booths:

Jolanda M. Westerhof of AASCU to Receive AACTE’s Imig Award

By Kristin McCabe

AACTE’s Committee on Professional Preparation and Accountability has selected Jolanda M. Westerhof, associate vice president and director of teacher education for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), to receive the 2018 AACTE David G. Imig Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teacher Education. The award will be presented at the 70th AACTE Annual Meeting Opening Keynote session, March 1 in Baltimore, Maryland.

The Imig Award, named for AACTE President and CEO Emeritus David G. Imig, recognizes distinguished achievement in the formulation, implementation, or analysis of teacher education policy, or in the performance of distinguished scholarship in educator preparation.

Visit #AACTE18 Gallery for Innovative Initiatives, Networking

By Amanda Lester

Interested in learning more about what’s been happening at AACTE this year? Looking for information about innovative initiatives being led by AACTE members and partners? For all of this and more, be sure to add the AACTE Gallery time blocks to your personalized 2018 Annual Meeting Online Event Planner schedule. Returning to the Annual Meeting for a second year, the Gallery will offer opportunities to network while learning about promising innovations in educator preparation.

In addition to offering interactive presentations, this year’s Gallery will feature a dedicated coffee and conversation space where Annual Meeting participants can chat with representatives from AACTE member and partner initiatives, as well as AACTE staff, to learn more about programs and opportunities of interest. The AACTE membership booth will also be located nearby, and staff will be on hand to share information and answer questions.

New Compendium Identifies 6 Elements of Successful Schools

By Kristin McCabe

What makes a public school successful? A new report from the Learning First Alliance (LFA) identifies six common elements critical to success – while also emphasizing that each school must tailor its programs to the specific goals and challenges of its setting. In other words, all successful schools share key characteristics, but how these elements are implemented and integrated depends greatly on context.

LFA members, which include AACTE and collectively represent more than 10 million educators, parents, and local policy makers, contributed their sectors’ best practices and research to the compendium to advance a collective vision of how and why public schools flourish. In addition to AACTE, LFA members include AASA, The School Superintendents Association; American Federation of Teachers; American School Counselor Association; Consortium for School Networking; Learning Forward; National Association of Elementary School Principals; National Association of Secondary School Principals; National Education Association; National PTA; National School Boards Association; and National School Public Relations Association.