The Reality of Segregation in Public Schools

By Michael Dantley

Why are schools still segregated in 2019? The answer to this question is a complicated one. One with roots deep in the history of our educational system. The surface answer has to do with the fact that racist curricula and prejudice within our society still exist. Where you live determines where you go to school. Many times, the poorer, minority students live in lower income neighborhoods. And as children become racially isolated, it then trickles into our schools, resulting in segregation.

In fact, segregation is even evident in schools that are racially diverse. You’ll notice that most students in advanced placement classes are Caucasian or Asian. Who do we see in remedial classes? We see African American students, particularly African American males. Even with a diverse student population, the evidence of systemic segregation is scarily rampant. The deep vestiges of racism and segregation subtly permeate through our schools and it sets dangerous precedents.

Register Today for AACTE October 2019 Federal Update Webinar

By Deborah Koolbeck

Registration is open for the AACTE member exclusive October 2019 Federal Update webinars. AACTE offers these webinars to you on two different days of the week and at two different times to accommodate members’ teaching schedules and time zones.

Even though one might expect activities to slow down in Washington as the year begins to wind down, plenty is happening that impacts the profession. On October 15, Chairman Scott (D-VA) of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor revealed his proposal for reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. What does it look like for educator preparation? Will Chairman Alexander (R-TN) move his bill through the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions? And not to be forgotten is the appropriations process—as the Congress heads toward a November 21 deadline for funding the federal government, what is the outlook? Will there be another short-term Continuing Resolution (CR), or could we see even a year-long CR? Could a government shutdown happen? This webinar will cover these topics, as well as the advocacy steps that you can take to engage in the process, and there will be a Q & A session for you to get your answers to your questions. Register today!

Tuesday, October 29, 2019, 5:00-6:00 p.m. EDT: Register now.

Wednesday, October 30, 2019   11:00 am-12:00 noon EDT: Register now

Reducing the Violence that Permeates Through Our Schools

By Deborah Koolbeck

The Problem

As educators, protecting and nurturing the health and well-being of our nation’s most precious investment—our youth—is always top of mind. Safeguarding their welfare and creating supportive learning ecosystems should be national priorities. Unfortunately, no one piece of legislation, no one initiative, no one activist, or caring teacher can bring that umbrella of safety to every student, everywhere, all the time. What we need to be talking about openly and often across the nation is prevention: training, learning, and preparing. This begins at the federal level with funding to equip our state and local leaders with the tools necessary to create and foster a safe and balanced learning environment for all students.

There are classrooms and schools in this country where teachers are armed with weapons. It is a dark reality, and one that AACTE does not support. Federal funds should not be used to arm teachers. Funds should instead be used to incentivize building  learning communities through supportive training in social and emotional learning, and to prepare profession-ready teachers. Federal money

Register now for the State of the States Webinar on School Safety

By Ward Cummings

Around the country, regulators and legislators are demonstrating that they understand the urgent need to promote school safety. The 2019 state legislative session was an active one on the subject. Hundreds of bills were introduced covering every aspect of the matter from prevention to response.  Join me as I present a wide-ranging overview and analysis of some of the most noteworthy school safety bills introduced over the year, with a particular focus on legislation impacting student and teacher mental health, in an upcoming State of the States webinar.

We encourage you to register in advance for the member-exclusive State of the States webinar, which will take place Thursday, October 31 from 11 a.m. to noon ET.

There will be time at the end of the webinar for questions and answers. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the website for future viewing.

For questions, please contact me at wcummings@aacte.org.

20 AACTE Member Institutions Receive 2019 Teacher Quality Partnership Grants

By AACTE

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) celebrates its 20 member institutions that received the 2019 Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grants from the U.S. Department of Education announced last week. With grants totaling more than $20 million, the TQP is the only federal initiative dedicated to strengthening educator preparation at institutions of higher education.

“AACTE celebrates all of the grant recipients, especially our 20 AACTE member institutions, because our members work year-round to advocate for continual funding for this critical initiative,” said Lynn M. Gangone, AACTE president and CEO. “With so much volatility on Capitol Hill, we view the consensus to support teacher preparation programs as a huge victory. TQP grants empower our members to extend and elevate their innovative and exemplary work.”

Secretary of Education Awards University of North Florida $1.6M Grant for Innovative Teacher Prep

By Joanna Norris

The University of North Florida’s College of Education and Human Services was awarded a $1.6 million Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support innovative teacher preparation models that prepare prospective and new teachers to serve students in high-need schools.

 The Department of Education made 31 awards totaling $20.1 million, and UNF was the only university in Florida to receive the funding. Recipients include more than two dozen school districts, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations.

 “We know a great teacher is the foundation of a great education,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “By ensuring teachers are able to continually grow and improve in ways that excite and challenge them, we can help students succeed. These grants will help foster meaningful professional development opportunities, especially in the often-lacking areas of STEM and computer science-focused training.”

New Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Recipients Announced

By Deborah Koolbeck

The U.S. Department of Education announced its new Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP), grant recipients, funding 31 projects with $20.1 million dollars. TQP is the only federal initiative dedicated to strengthening and transforming educator preparation at institutions of higher education.  Of the 31 grantees, 20 are AACTE members.

The grant program addresses the teacher shortage found across the nation by preparing teachers in high needs fields to teach in high need schools. Grantees focus on either the undergraduate or graduate level, extending clinical practice to a full year or creating a residency program. Graduates receive at least 2 years of induction, which research shows supports teachers in remaining in the classroom after their novice years. In fact, a majority of TQP graduates remain in the profession well after the provided induction and drive transformation throughout their schools and even the school district itself.

For this grant competition, priority was given to those applicants who designed programs to prepare computer science teachers as well as the STEM fields overall, and to those programs taking place in a Qualified Opportunity Zone as designated by the Internal Revenue Service.

AACTE annually advocates for TQP funding through the congressional appropriations process, and supports augmenting the capacity and reach of this grant.

The list of awardees can be found in the Department’s press release.

Education Majors School Lawmakers on the Importance of Federal Aid for Teachers

By Leslie-Hull-Ryde

Students and faculty from the University of South Carolina Aiken headed to Washington to meet with legislators and learn about trends in education policy from leaders in the field, all as part of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s annual Washington Week.

“The primary goal of the trip was to collaborate with the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and engage with staffs of the South Carolina representatives and senators,” said Tiffany Zorn, a USC Aiken education major.

“This experience permitted us to expound upon particular bills that aid with teacher preparation as well as [champion] the necessity to continue funding the Teach Grant and reevaluate the data gathered within the teaching profession. Without voices to be advocates, our teachers’ stories would never be heard, and no progress would ever truly be made.”

AACTE is considered “the leading voice on educator preparation,” according to its website, which also states that AACTE represents more than 800 postsecondary institutions with educator preparation programs, like USC Aiken.

Introducing AACTE’s New State Legislative Resource Webpage

By Ward Cummings

Would you like to learn more about the resources AACTE has pulled together to support its members in their state level legislative research? AACTE Government Relations Committee member Allen Clarkson will host a webinar describing the features of AACTE’s new state legislative resource page on Thursday, October 3, from 11am to Noon EDT.

Attend this webinar to learn how to use the three legislative search engines and other resources found on this new page to pursue your legislative research and advocacy goals. There will be time at the end of the webinar to get your questions answered. The webinar will be recorded and posted on the website as well.

Register now for the Introducing AACTE’s New Legislative Resource Webpage webinar.

Four Middle School Teachers Named Civic Engagement Champions

By Renee Rybak Lang

The AACTE Programs and Professional Learning team served on the committee to select the following inaugural Civic Engagement Champions with the National Association of State Boards of Education and the Frank Islam Institute.

Four middle school teachers have been named Civic Engagement Champions (CEC) for their work in promoting civics education and active citizenship.  

In partnership with the Frank Islam Institute for 21st Century Citizenship (FII), the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) created the CEC award to highlight the critical role that middle school teachers play in helping students become active, responsible citizens. Teachers from four states representing each of NASBE’s regions—Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Washington—were eligible to apply. 

 The four winners are Jane Leyderman, Dever Elementary School in Chicago, IL; Michael Neagle, Pyne Arts Magnet School in Lowell, MA; Michelle St. Pierre, Loch Raven Technical Academy in Baltimore County, MD; and Don Jenkins, North Whidbey Middle School in Oak Harbor, WA.

Call for Chapter Proposals: Teaching to Prepare Advocates

By Mike Yough and Lynley Anderman

As editors, we are seeking proposals for chapters in an upcoming volume, Teaching to Prepare Advocates, part of the Theory to Practice: Educational Psychology for Teachers and Teaching series. 

In an age where the quality of teacher education programs has never been more important, educators need a fundamental understanding of the principles of human learning, motivation, and development. Each volume in the series will draw upon the latest research to help college instructors select and model essential principles of learning, motivation, and development prepare professionals to work with children and adolescents in diverse learning contexts using asset-based

Congress Comes Back to Town: Faces Unfinished Business

By Jane E. West

This blog post is written by AACTE consultant Jane West and is intended to provide update information. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

 Money, Money Money … Follow the Money … to a Shutdown?

Congress does not officially reconvene until Monday, September 9.  They return to the challenge of funding the government before the end of the Fiscal year, September 30.  This means that in 13 legislative days the Senate would have to pass 12 separate funding bills, conference each one with the House and then secure President Trump’s signature on each one. What are the odds of that happening?  Well, I’m not really a betting person, but I’d say “zero.”

The House left town in August having passed its funding bills, including a very generous one for

Register Today: September 2019 Federal Update Webinars

By Deborah Koolbeck

As AACTE members and their colleagues return to the classroom, Congress returns to Washington, D.C., after the August recess. It is a crowded agenda for the fall as discussions heat up around the 2020 Census and the election. The U.S. House of Representatives (House) has passed nearly all 12 of its appropriations bills, and the U.S. Senate (Senate) is poised to start the week of September 9, 2019.

This leaves us with several questions:

• With 15 legislative days before the September 30 deadline, will any of the Senate bills be completed?
• With a Continuing Resolution expected, will it go through November or December?
• While the caps were raised for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021, will the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies bill receive a sufficient increase to not only raise the NIH budget by $2b, but also maintain the increases the House appropriated to key programs that support the profession?
• Beyond funding, what is the status of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act?

These questions and more will be covered in the AACTE September 2019 Federal Update webinars. To accommodate teaching schedules and time zones, this member exclusive update is offered on two different days and at two different times. In addition, the webinar is recorded and will be posted on AACTE’s Advocacy Center’s federal page. Use the links below to register today for the time that works best for you!

Tuesday, September 24, 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. EDT

Wednesday, September 25, 11:00 a.m. – 12 noon EDT

Register for September’s Legislative Webinars

By Ward Cummings

State of the States Legislative Roundup

As AACTE director of government relations, I will guide attendees through this members only webinar, a brief overview of the recent legislative trends in education policymaking emerging around the country.  The 2018-19 legislative session was active and productive, with many states introducing and passing bills on a range of issues that directly impact the education profession.  Please join us for a rundown of some of the more noteworthy legislative proposals advanced by state legislatures over the past year. 

Register now for the AACTE members only webinar, taking place Wednesday, September 18 from 11am to Noon, EST.

Introducing AACTE’s New Legislative Resource Webpage

Join Allen Clarkson, Western Governors University government relations manager and AACTE Government Relations Committee member, as he leads a webinar describing the features of AACTE’s new legislative resource webpage.  The new webpage will include links to three legislative search engines as well as other useful resources that AACTE members can use to pursue their research and advocacy goals. Clarkson will guide participants through the features of the new webpage and invite you to ask questions afterward. The webinar is open to all and will be recorded and posted on the AACTE Advocacy Center state page.

Please join us on Thursday, September 26 from 11am to Noon, EST.  Register now.

AACTE Updates State Policy Makers Resource

By Ward Cummings

AACTE’s contact lists for state policy makers in each state and the District of Columbia have been updated and are now posted in the AACTE Resource Library (accessible to AACTE members only!).  The links to these lists also can be found on the AACTE Advocacy Center’s State Advocacy page and on AACTE’s State Policy and Legislation page.

These resources are an AACTE member benefit to support you in your state-level advocacy work. I encourage you to use them to find key state policy officials, such as legislators for authorizing and appropriating education funds and state department of education contacts.

Of course, state officials change often.  If you discover your state’s contact page needs to be updated, please email the new information to gra@aacte.org.