Holmes Scholars Council Plans Exciting Year

By Willys Michel and Whitney Watkins

As the 2014-2015 AACTE Holmes Scholars® Council passes the torch to the new and excited cohort of executives, there are many people to thank. First, scholars themselves have played a pivotal role in the support of the past Council leadership, as well as serving a great cause: diversifying the American professoriate. In addition, the 2014-2015 Council would like to extend gratitude to the National Association of Holmes Scholars Alumni (NAHSA) and to various members of AACTE. The new Council looks forward to the continued support of all aforementioned networks.

AERA Panel Weighs Supervisors’ Role in Supporting PDS Educators

By Donna Sacco

At last month’s conference of the American Educational Research Association, I attended a joint business meeting of two special interest groups—Professional Development School Research and Supervision and Instructional Leadership—focused on the role of supervision of instruction in professional development schools (PDSs) from preservice to retirement. Panelists included AACTE’s Linda McKee, senior director of performance measurement and assessment policy; Daisy Arredondo-Rucinski, University of Alabama; and Bernard Badiali, Pennsylvania State University.

AACTE Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week

By Jerrica Thurman

AACTE joins the National Education Association (NEA) and the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in celebrating terrific teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-8, and National Teacher Day, May 5.

“Teachers work every day to meet the needs of our students, often in the face of significant challenges,” said AACTE President/CEO Sharon P. Robinson. “We are so grateful for their dedication.”

Inspiration From National, State Teachers of the Year

By Lucy Berrier

2015 National Teacher of the Year Shanna Peeples

It was my distinct honor and privilege to serve as AACTE’s representative on the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) National Teacher of the Year Selection Committee this year.

Reading through the 56 applications from every U.S. state and territory was such a joy, as every single candidate is truly using amazing talents and hard work to educate students. Programs such as CCSSO’s National Teacher of the Year program are an important reminder that in the midst of policy debates, budget cuts, and constantly increasing scrutiny, teachers are going to work every day and touching the lives of their students in unimaginable ways.

CAEP Board Chair Responds to AACTE Resolution

By Mark Ginsberg

Renée Middleton and I recently (April 14) wrote a blog post updating readers on AACTE’s work related to a resolution passed in February by the AACTE Board of Directors in regard to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This resolution reaffirmed our association’s commitment to CAEP and also cited concerns that have been raised by many AACTE members. Our blog provided a context for the work that AACTE seeks to undertake in collaboration with the leadership of CAEP, which AACTE supports as a single unified accrediting system for our field.

Ohio Ed Prep Providers Converge for Day on the Square

By Jerrica Thurman

Do you think educator preparation programs are out of touch with today’s PK-12 schools? See what Ohio’s teacher educators are doing to engage with their partners in this video for AACTE’s Debunking Myths campaign. See how you can participate in the campaign here.

In early March, 60 representatives from Ohio public and private higher education institutions converged for Day on the Square to meet with state legislators, including Senate Education Committee Chair Peggy Lehner and House Education Committee Chair Bill Hayes. Conversations centered on current policies, legislation, and the direction of teacher education in Ohio, focused specifically on the theme “Merging Voice and Vision Through P-16 Partnerships.”

Highlights From Educational Horizons

By Gloriatine Jones

Have you seen the April/May 2015 issue of Educational Horizons from Pi Lambda Theta? It’s a humorous one that makes light of some imagined—and real—classroom challenges.

Thanks to a partnership with Phi Delta Kappa and Pi Lambda Theta, all AACTE members receive free online access to this magazine for future teachers as a benefit of their AACTE membership. Chief Representatives also receive each issue by mail.

Why I Score edTPA

By Tracy Spesia

Editor’s Note: Tracy Spesia, a nationally trained edTPA scorer, is the recent recipient of an innovation award from the University of Saint Francis for her work on edTPA at the College of Education. According to the university, Spesia’s “creative and successful efforts with the implementation of edTPA have positioned USF as a leader in the state” and have helped enhance “the quality of USF students’ application of theory into practice during their field experiences.” In recognition of her leadership, she was appointed to the Illinois Association for Teacher Education in Private Colleges as the edTPA liaison. Spesia also serves on the executive board of the Illinois Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Click here for information about becoming an edTPA scorer.

This year I became an official edTPA scorer, and it is one of the most rewarding professional experiences I have had since I started working in the area of teacher preparation.

Strategic Deployment of Teacher Experience: Getting It Right for Students

By Sharon Robinson

News Flash! The interest of students and their opportunity to learn is not better or even well served by a strategy of constant and high demand of inexperienced teachers. Retention matters, not just to teachers but, most critically, to students.

Recent studies showing that teacher effectiveness continues to develop over time reinforce this imperative to do right by our students. First, in a working paper completed last year for the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, researchers at Duke University found that middle school teachers’ effect on student test scores as well as attendance rates improves over at least several years. A subsequent study out of Brown University found improvement in teacher effectiveness is indeed steepest in the early years in the classroom but continues for many more years, challenging the common perception that teacher quality is a fixed characteristic after just a couple of years of experience.

edTPA: Going Beyond Compliance to Inquiry

AACTE Breakfast Was Forum for Discussion

By Linda McKee

Nearly 300 educators from around the country packed a February 28 breakfast session at the AACTE Annual Meeting in Atlanta to get updates and ask questions about edTPA. The conversation addressed questions about regional scoring, the line between helping students and coaching them on their edTPA portfolios, and other issues.

First, though, teacher educators were congratulated for their role in edTPA’s progress. They also were reminded that for edTPA to be a meaningful assessment for educator preparation programs and teacher candidates, it must be about more than compliance.

Helping Our Candidates Become Better Communicators

By Nicole Merino

A Conversation With Harriet “Niki” Fayne, Dean of Education at Lehman College

Harriet “Niki” Fayne, dean of education at Lehman College (City University of New York) in the Bronx, isn’t about to say that edTPA was easy for her faculty and students, or that it is the final answer for teacher preparation. But she does say this: edTPA moves the profession in the direction of strengthening the skills of beginning teachers.

Teacher Educators Participate in ‘Teaching & Learning 2015’

By Mark LaCelle-Peterson

Representatives from AACTE and member institutions joined thousands of other educators convening in Washington, DC, last weekend at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ star-studded second annual Teaching & Learning conference.

AACTE President/CEO Sharon P. Robinson spoke at a plenary session on preparing novice teachers, joining a panel that also included Linda Darling-Hammond (Stanford University, CA) and Terry Holliday (Kentucky commissioner of education), moderated by American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.

Highlights From Educational Horizons

By Gloriatine Jones

Have you seen the February/March 2015 issue of Educational Horizons from Pi Lambda Theta?

Thanks to a partnership with Phi Delta Kappa and Pi Lambda Theta, all AACTE members receive free online access to this magazine for future teachers as a benefit of their AACTE membership. Chief Representatives also receive each issue by mail.

Here are some highlights from the current issue to share with your students:

Contest Seeks Math, ELA Units for Common Core Instruction

By Kristin McCabe

Have you created PK-12 lessons aligned with new college- and career-ready standards? Achieve, Inc. wants you to share them—and is offering cash prizes for the best units of study submitted this spring.

The Achieve initiative known as EQuiP (Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products) is collecting instructional units to support the Common Core State Standards in English language arts (ELA)/literacy and math. Units rated exemplary by peer reviewers will win $1,500.

CAEP Call for Volunteers Open Through March 20

By Trish Parrish

AACTE’s Committee on Professional Preparation and Accountability would like to encourage AACTE members to respond to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Call for Service. The online application for the CAEP “Volunteer Corps” is open through March 20.

Volunteers may apply to serve as reviewers at different levels or on CAEP’s governance bodies. The call seeks a diverse population of volunteers, not only faculty from programs holding CAEP accreditation. But it is important for teacher educators to be represented in CAEP, and this can be achieved if you volunteer!