Register by June 2 for AACTE’s Leadership Academy

By Christine Tambini

The registration and hotel deadline for this year’s AACTE Leadership Academy is fast approaching. Reserve your spot by June 2 for this unique and engaging professional development opportunity in Portland, Oregon, June 26-30 at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower! As always, the program will be led by a roster of faculty who are experts in various aspects of educator preparation and administration. This year’s passionate team includes both new and veteran academy faculty (click here to learn more about each one):

Kandi Hill-Clarke

Walter H. Gmelch

John Henning

Patricia McHatton

Jennifer Roth

Angela
Maynard Sewall

AACTE Leadership Academy Adding Focus on Exceptional Learners

By Rodrick Lucero

I am excited to announce that this year’s Leadership Academy will feature new programming related to preparing teachers for exceptional learners. Enhancing an already robust leadership curriculum being offered June 26-30 in Portland, Oregon, we’ve planned a special set of new sessions to engage participants on how to lead programs that prepare teachers to educate every child.

Members of the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center at the University of Florida and the Ohio Deans Compact on Exceptional Children are collaborating with AACTE to bring this new dimension to the Leadership Academy. Together, we hope to elevate awareness and interest in serving exceptional learners among decision-makers in teacher preparation. The presentations and conversations with guest experts will create a space in which new and aspiring leaders can learn and gather ideas that can be operationalized in their home colleges and programs.

Second Project LEAD Summit Brings Faculty, Candidates Together to Share Progress

By Alicia Okpareke and Cris Chacon

Lisa LaDonna Cooper and Linda Mitchell of State Farm present funds to the ACI Center to support Project LEAD during the spring summit in Chicago.

In April, faculty and teacher candidate “ambassadors” representing institutions in the Associated Colleges of Illinois (ACI) convened in Chicago to take part in the Project LEAD (Leaders in Education Advocating for Diversity) Spring Summit. The summit, conducted by the ACI Center for Success in High-Need Schools, followed up on the inaugural Project LEAD meeting that took place last fall. (Read more about that meeting here.)

The day began with a welcome and celebration of the ACI Center and the initial successes of Project LEAD by its sponsor, State Farm. This included a brief talk by Community Relations Specialist Lisa LaDonna Cooper as well as an exciting presentation of funds to support participating institutions.

Comment by May 22 on New School Leader Preparation Standards

By Rodrick Lucero

The National Policy Board for Education Administration (NPBEA) seeks comment by May 22 on new draft standards for leadership preparation programs. Once approved, these preparation standards will replace the Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC) standards and be used to guide the educational leadership program design, accreditation review, and state approval of preparation programs for principals and superintendents.

The proposed National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) Standards specify what novice leaders should know and be able to do, at the building and district level, after completing a high-quality educational leadership preparation program. The new draft aligns the standards for preparation programs with the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) approved by NPBEA last fall. Formerly known as the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) standards, the PSEL standards articulate the knowledge and skills expected of school leaders broadly.

ECS Explores Teacher Shortage Solutions

By Aaron Goldstein

The Education Commission of the States (ECS), a national state policy organization that partners with education policy leaders including AACTE, has released six reports that provide guidance to state policy makers seeking to address teacher shortages.

An introductory report, Teacher Shortages: What We Know, examines the teacher labor market and highlights recent findings from state task forces that have addressed policies related to teacher shortages.

Five additional reports consider different state strategies to tackle shortages: alternative certification, financial incentives, induction and mentorship, evaluation and feedback, teacher leadership.

Preparing Teachers to Serve Military-Connected Students: Progress and Promise

By Sharon Robinson

I had the honor of attending a half-day conference at the White House last month celebrating the Operation Educate the Educators program, a joint initiative of AACTE and the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) to better prepare school personnel to meet the needs of military-connected children.

The April 13 event marked not only the Month of the Military Child but also the 5-year anniversary of Joining Forces, a critical initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden to support military families’ health, education, and employment. Operation Educate the Educators is a key player in the education component, comprising an impressive array of programming at more than 100 AACTE member institutions and others across the country. Biden also spoke on a related panel earlier in the week at the American Educational Research Association conference.

Grant to Support State Leaders Institute Sessions

By Jerrica Thurman

Please join AACTE for a free policy discussion and reception June 6! RSVP here.

Each summer, AACTE’s State Leaders Institute (SLI) brings together leaders of the Association’s state chapters to discuss important trends in state policies and to advocate for the profession. This year, the institute will be held June 5-6 as part of AACTE’s 2016 Washington Week, themed “Diverse Perspectives, Deep Partnerships, One Profession,” at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA.

Thanks to a grant from the Learning First Alliance’s Get It Right campaign, the 2016 SLI will offer interactive sessions highlighting how state policy for college- and career-ready standards will be affected by the recently passed Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the implications for educator preparation. Participants will gain a deeper understanding about the uniqueness of individual states, find ways in which they are similar, and discover how those similarities can help frame a common message.

Arts Education Partnerships Seeks Session Proposals

By Aaron Goldstein

The Arts Education Partnership seeks concurrent session proposals for its 2016 National Forum, to be held October 5-7 in Denver, Colorado. Proposals are due by Friday, June 17, at 5:00 p.m. PDT.

The Arts Education Partnership is a center within the Education Commission of the States, a national state policy organization that partners with education policy leaders, including AACTE. For the 2016 National Forum, partners and leaders from around the nation are invited to share their exemplary work supporting the role and contribution of the arts to prepare all students for the “next America.”

Jahana Hayes Named 2016 National Teacher of the Year

By Michelle Kotek

AACTE congratulates 2016 National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes, who teaches history at John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury, Connecticut.

The Council of Chief State School Officers announced Hayes’ selection last week following a rigorous selection process. She will be honored Tuesday, along with the other three finalists and all of the state teachers of the year, by President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House.

Hayes, who has been in the classroom for more than 12 years, earned her bachelor’s degree in history and social science from Southern Connecticut State University and her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Saint Joseph (CT).

AACTE Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week

By Kristin McCabe

AACTE joins the National Education Association (NEA) and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in celebrating terrific teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2-6, and National Teacher Day, May 3.

Tune in to the White House tomorrow as President Obama recognizes this year’s national and state teachers of the year, and don’t forget to reach out to congratulate any honorees who are alumni of your programs!

How can you get involved in the teacher celebration? In addition to holding events for your alumni or simply thanking teachers in person, here are some easy ways to engage on social media:

New Principles to Help Secure Student, Teacher Privacy in Performance Assessment

By AACTE

A set of principles released this month gives educators and policy makers new guidance on the secure and ethical use of video and other classroom materials gathered as part of preservice teacher preparation. A task force of educators led by AACTE created the principles to ensure the privacy of those whose images and work are captured in the performance assessment of aspiring teachers.

The 27-member task force began convening last fall, meeting several times to develop the principles and supporting documents. Their brief brochure, “Securing Personal Information in Performance Assessment of Teacher Candidates,” explains the importance of videos and other artifacts in teacher performance assessment and introduces nine principles to guide those involved in creating or reviewing materials that include student images or identifying information.

Global Learning Colloquia Coming to Denver

By Sungti Hsu

AACTE is proud to support two daylong colloquia at the annual conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators in Denver, Colorado, May 31 and June 3.

On Tuesday, May 31, the Global Learning Colloquium on Teacher Education will focus on the theme “High-Impact Global Learning Experiences and Curricular Design.” The program runs 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. and will address how to prepare preservice teachers to work with diverse populations, understand how their practice affects both local and global communities, and be culturally responsive in pedagogy and curriculum choices. Participants will hear from global education organizations as well as from teacher educators from California State University, Kent State University (OH), Southern Connecticut State University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Missouri, and the University of Nevada-Reno.

Second Lady Calls for More Research on Military-Connected Students

By Zachary VanHouten

From left to right: Jeannie Oakes, University of California – Los Angeles; Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden; Mary Keller, Military Child Education Coalition; Catherine Bradshaw, University of Virginia; Ron Avi Astor, University of Southern California

During the American Education Research Association (AERA) 2016 annual meeting last week, Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden was a featured panelist in a session on military-connected students in PK-12 schools. Stressing the need for more research and additional support for these students, Biden reflected on her visits with military families around the world and the commonly overlooked needs of military-connected students.

Other panelists discussed their research on military-connected students as well as the need to ensure teachers are prepared to address the needs of these students. Mary Keller, president and CEO of the Military Child Education Coalition, joined Biden in discussing some of the transformative work that colleges of education have embarked on through the Operation Educate the Educators partnership with AACTE to ensure teachers are prepared to meet the needs of military-connected students.

Collaboration Across State Lines Transforms Educator Preparation

By David Hough

In February, the Louisiana Department of Education hosted representatives from six states in the Council of Chief State School Officers’ Network for Transforming Educator Preparation (NTEP). Formed in 2013, this aligned action network brings together state chiefs and their education agency staff who are committed to activating key policy levers around licensure, program approval, and data as they transform educator preparation in their respective states. As a representative from the Missouri NTEP team, I joined colleagues from five states—Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Washington—on the visit to Baton Rouge to attend Louisiana’s Believe and Prepare Community Meeting and learn from the work of practitioners, programs, and districts across Louisiana leading efforts to improve educator preparation.

AACTE to Support Members Using ETS Assessments

By Linda McKee

A new agreement between AACTE and Educational Testing Service (ETS) will bring support to AACTE member programs as they implement performance assessments with their students. Under the agreement, AACTE will develop various events, online platforms, and communications related to the assessments PPAT, NOTE, and ProEthica.

AACTE is assisting ETS with the development of a curriculum clinic for member institutions that are using the PPAT and piloting NOTE. The clinic aims to guide programs through curriculum redesign based on the reports generated through the performance assessments. AACTE is working on a curriculum matrix template to be used with participating educator preparation providers (EPPs) in a review of their data with ETS. AACTE also will coordinate the creation of case studies with volunteer EPPs to build out the clinic process, to be followed by an interactive curriculum clinic that will guide teams from the EPPs through the redesign process.