Posts Tagged ‘Annual Meeting’

Deeper Dive panel examined winning strategies to address teacher shortage in diverse communities


Teacher shortages vary across the country by subject area, but the shortage is worst in high-minority, low-income schools, in lower wage states, and in districts with poorer working conditions. This topic was explored during a “Deeper Dive” session at the AACTE 2019 Annual Meeting titled “Successful Strategies for the Teacher Shortage.”

Jessica Cardichon of the Learning Policy Institute led the panel discussion, which included Patricia Alvarez McHatton (University of Texas), Selma Powell, (University of Washington), and Mario Santos (Newark Public Schools). Each participant shared their strategies for addressing the teacher shortage in three critical areas: recruitment, completion, and retention.

The Value of AACTE’s Annual Meeting: A Testimonial

AACTE is pleased to share excerpts from a testimonial by one of the 2019 Annual Meeting attendees, Tracy Spesia of the University of Saint Francis in Joliet, IL. In a letter to AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone, Spesia shared how the AACTE Annual Meeting has consistently influenced and brought value to her work as the edTPA coordinator at her institution:

“It was a professional and personal pleasure to attend the 71st AACTE Annual Meeting in Louisville. This annual conference’s tremendous impact on me, and the ripple impact it has had on my college and community, is clear.  I actually have the documentation to prove it! 

In 2010, I accepted the full-time position of Field Experience Coordinator (and Partnership Liaison) at the University of St. Francis. In 2012, my dean asked me to assume the edTPA coordinator position. The toolbox needed some new tools. By a stroke of luck, the AACTE annual conference was in nearby Chicago in spring 2013, and the dean suggested I attend to learn more about edTPA.  I had never heard of AACTE. I had no idea what edTPA was about. I had never really attended a professional conference.  This opportunity marks such a turning point in my career.

Teacher Educators and Partners Meet in Louisville at AACTE 71st Annual Meeting


Over the last three days, AACTE held its 71st Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY. Themed “Sustaining and Advancing the Profession,” the conference convened practitioners and partners from across the nation to present research and highlight practices that address opportunities and challenges in educator preparation, including preparing classroom-ready educators, increasing teacher and college faculty diversity, and framing the role of education in ensuring an engaged citizenry in a liberal democracy.

“Cataclysmic changes in our schools, and indeed our country, are forcing us all to reassess, recalibrate, and dare I say, reimagine and invent in the ways that teaching has always been a reflective practice,” said AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone during her welcome address. “Together we can turn obstacles into opportunities.”

Join AACTE in Louisville This Month

Are you within driving distance to Louisville, KY? Then join AACTE for the 2019 Annual Meeting, February 22-24!

AACTE’s Annual Meeting is your chance to experience the most informative, innovative, and collaborative conference for the educator preparation profession. Connect with approximately 2,000 educators and colleagues from across the country to discuss common challenges and explore new practices and strategies.

You won’t want to miss the full lineup of conference activities – from the preconference programming to a variety of Annual Meeting offerings, including learning labs, general and deeper dive sessions, the Conference Community Center, and the AACTE Gallery.

New to the Website: State Policy Resources

In our ongoing quest to provide the most timely and useful informational resources to our members, AACTE has added two important new features to the State Policy Tracker page of the website.  The State Legislatures Session Chart and StateNet Capitol Journal will help you stay informed about the latest developments in your state and around the country regarding education and education policy.

The Session Chart is an easy to read graphic guide to the legislative calendars of every state. The start and end dates of each legislature, the length of session and the amount of legislative activity in each state will help you maximize the timeliness and effectiveness of your political engagement. 

The StateNet Capitol Journal is a 50-state roundup of a wide range of policy matters designed for every type of user.  Whether you are interested in a bird’s eye view of education or other policy matter or a deep dive, the Capitol Journal can help you stay up-to-date on the latest state and national legislative and regulatory news. 

HBCU Topical Action Group will Convene at #AACTE19 in Louisville

The AACTE HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Teacher Education topical action group (TAG) will convene a business meeting on February 21 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. a day before the 2019 Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY. The convening, which will take place in the Louisville Marriott Downtown Hotel, will also include a special award ceremony to honor an exceptional educator who has advanced HBCU issues in teacher education.

The purpose of the TAG is to promote dialogue, collaboration, research, and the advancement of the HBCU voice in the teacher education discussion. Since its inception in 2016, more than 20 teacher educators have joined the TAG. This special group will develop plans and a research agenda during the HBCU TAG business meeting in Louisville.

As the administrator of the HBCU Teacher Education TAG, I envision a robust discussion at this year’s annual meeting as we work to build a presence within the AACTE community. HBCUs are responsible for the production of half of the nation’s African American teachers, and I believe that a forum to promote the unique perspective of those who teach or were trained in these institutions is extremely valuable.  

Visit #AACTE19 Gallery to Learn What’s Happening Around the Association


The AACTE Gallery will be offered again this year at the 2019 Annual Meeting in Louisville. It will feature mini presentations and 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.

Come learn more about what’s been happening at AACTE this year! You can receive the latest updates on the AACTE Strategic Planning initiative, gain access to AACTE’s new research publication, Education Students and Diversity: A Review of New Evidence, and connect with AACTE members and partners for information about their innovative projects. For all of this and more, be sure to add the AACTE Gallery time blocks to your personalized 2019 Annual Meeting Online Event Planner schedule. The Gallery will offer opportunities to network while learning about promising innovations in educator preparation.

Preconference Institute Examines Teacher Diversity


On February 21, the Third Annual Diversified Teaching Workforce Institute (DTW) will convene teacher educators, aspiring teachers, school leaders and deans from across the nation to address one of the most pressing teacher education issues—diversifying the teacher workforce. Over 200 people, including the AACTE Holmes and Networked Improvement Community Members, have joined DTW Topical Action Group (TAG) members in Tampa, FL and Baltimore, MD at the first two Institutes. The Third Annual DTW Institute, part of the 2019 AACTE Annual Meeting Preconference, is organized by leaders of the DTW TAG, with the support of AACTE’s Member Engagement and Support team.

The Institute will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The morning activities will begin with opening comments by Marvin Lynn, College of Education Dean at Portland State University and be followed by an opening plenary, “Examining Teacher Diversity Across U.S. Policy Contexts,” to explore current teacher diversity initiatives and policies taking place in various states committed to addressing the recruitment and retention of teachers of color in the profession. Following the opening panel, the morning will offer four concurrent breakouts sessions by teacher diversity experts in growing your own initiatives, culturally responsive pedagogy, and program development focused on strategies and approaches that they are utilizing at their home institutions. 

Butler College of Education Named AACTE Global Award Recipient

AACTE is delighted to announce Butler University College of Education as the recipient of the 2019 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives for its Global Network for Teacher Preparation program. Kelli Esteves, Butler College of Education (COE) associate professor and global coordinator, will be presented with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.

Butler’s Global Network for Teacher Preparation is a comprehensive program designed to bring international and multicultural perspectives into their teaching through experiential learning in other countries. Made up of local and global partners, the network has sent faculty and students around the world and has hosted educators on Butler’s campus and in its lab schools from Sweden, Colombia, Italy, Australia, and China to ensure its teacher candidates are exposed to international perspectives and curriculum. The network’s local partners include the College of Education’s two Reggio-inspired Lab Schools, Shortridge International Baccalaureate World School (lab high school) and Butler’s Center for Global Education. Global partners are the Institutes of Higher Education student exchange partners, including Uppsala University, Sweden, University of Tasmania, and the Education University of Hong Kong; and School partner for student and educator exchange—Vallentuna Gymnasium in Sweden.

Jane S. Bray to be Presented with 2019 Pomeroy Award

AACTE’s Committee on Professional Preparation and Accountability has selected Jane S. Bray as the recipient of the 2019 AACTE Edward C. Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Education. Bray, dean of the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, will be presented with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.

The Pomeroy Award, named for longtime AACTE Executive Director Edward C. Pomeroy, recognizes distinguished service either to the educator preparation community or to the development and promotion of outstanding practices in educator preparation at the collegiate, state, or national level.

Bray joined the AACTE Board of Directors in 2013 as a representative of the Advisory Council for State Representatives (ACSR), a coalition of leaders from AACTE’s state chapters. During her tenure on the AACTE Board, she was elected to serve as a member of the AACTE Executive Committee. She became chair of the AACTE Board in March 2016 and led the national search for the next president and chief executive officer of AACTE. Bray chaired the national search committee while completing her normal responsibilities as board chair. This daunting task included leading interactions with the search committee and the AACTE Board of Directors, and managing the intricacies of a national search that included a wide range of individuals and constituents. Bray is being honored for her exceptional contributions to AACTE at a time of great significance and importance to the Association.

Mary E. Dilworth to Win AACTE Award for Book on Millennial Teachers of Color

AACTE is delighted to announce the selection of Millennial Teachers of Color, by Mary E. Dilworth to receive the 2019 AACTE Outstanding Book Award. The award will be presented at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting Closing Session, February 24, in Louisville, KY.

The volume, published in 2018 by Harvard Education Press, explores the opportunities and challenges for creating and sustaining a healthy teaching force in the United States. Millennials are the largest generational cohort in American history, with approximately 90 million members and, of these, roughly 43 percent are people of color. This publication offers a fresh look at these millennials and explores their views of the teaching profession, focuses attention on their relation to schools and teaching and considers how these young teachers feel about teaching for social justice.

Emily Evans Fanaeian to Receive 2019 AACTE Dissertation Award

AACTE will honor announced Emily Evans Fanaeian as the recipient of the 2019 AACTE Outstanding Dissertation Award for Preparing Pre-service Teaches for Working with Linguistically Diverse Students: Examining University Teacher Preparation Programs Across the United States. The author completed her dissertation for the Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education and is now the interim director of English as a Second Language/Bilingual Graduate Programs for the School of Education at Edgewood College (Madison, WI). She will be recognized formally with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.

In her dissertation, Evans Fanaeian designed an ambitious multiple case study to examine the ways in which university-based teacher education programs take up the task of preparing general education teacher candidates to provide instruction to English learners. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Director of Teacher Education Center, Kimber Wilkerson, explained: “Dr. Evans Fanaeian’s dissertation research provides many important implications for teacher education.  Acknowledging the importance of preparing general educators to meet the needs of the wide diversity of learners in our schools, Dr. Evans Fanaeian designed an ambitious multiple case study to examine the ways in which university-based teacher education programs take up the task of preparing general education teacher candidates to provide instruction to English learners. In this study, she surfaces the very real local and contextual constraints that teacher educators face when attempting to add complexity to teacher preparation programs. This is particularly important at a time when teacher preparation programs face pressure to reduce the time and cost toward degree. Dr. Evans Fanaeian’s research provides insightful guidance to teacher educators considering different approaches to incorporating new content. Her recommendations for practice are thoughtful as well as pragmatic, and could be applied conceptually to other types of expertise beyond educating English learners.”

UCA’s iPad Mobile Initiative earns AACTE Technology Award

AACTE is delighted to announce the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) College of Education is the recipient of the 2019 AACTE Best Practice Award for Innovative Use of Technology for its iPad Mobile Initiative program. Donna Wake, associate dean of UCA’s College of Education, will be presented with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.

The UCA College of Education is in its third year of implementing the intensive 1:1 mobile technology initiative for all undergraduates in its initial preparation programs. Beginning in fall 2016, students who were enrolled in the university’s undergraduate elementary, special education, middle level, and all secondary education programs were immersed in the mobile technology initiative. The iPads devices were formally listed as a College of Education curriculum requirement, and students were able to purchase the devices at the education rate.

“Vision isn’t something you declare. It’s something you build. The mobile learning initiative has given our school the opportunity to transform traditional approaches into a commitment to active learning, increased student voice, and accessibility,” said Victoria Groves-Scott, dean, UCA College of Education. “This has been especially important as we strive to prepare the teachers of tomorrow to educate students who live in an increasingly interconnected and information-saturated world. Through contextual analysis and application, we aim for our students to be creators and designers of learning opportunities rather than simply as carriers of information.”

University of Alabama, University of Louisville, and University of Florida Researchers to Win 2019 Award for Outstanding Article in Journal of Teacher Education


AACTE has chosen an article by Melanie M. Acosta of the University of Alabama, Michele Foster of the University of Louisville, and Diedre F. Houchen of the University of Florida, as recipients of the 2019 AACTE Outstanding Journal of Teacher Education Article Award. Their article, “Why Seek the Living Among the Dead? African American Pedagogical Excellence: Exemplar Practice for Teacher Education,” was published in the September/October 2018 issue of the journal and will be recognized formally with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.

In this article, the authors address current dilemmas in recruiting and preparing a diverse teaching force by reorienting teacher education toward an underutilized resource—African American pedagogical excellence. This article outlines the core attributes of African American pedagogical excellence, including its historical genesis, and reveals ways public school desegregation has jeopardized the transcendence of African American pedagogical excellence within teacher education. The article concludes with possibilities and recommendations for moving African American pedagogical excellence from margin to center in teacher education.

Kelly C. Henson to Receive AACTE’s Imig Award

AACTE’s Committee on Professional Preparation and Accountability has selected Kelly C. Henson to receive the 2019 AACTE David G. Imig Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teacher Education. Henson, who in January 2019 retired as the executive secretary at the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, will be presented with the award at the AACTE 71st Annual Meeting, February 22-24, in Louisville, KY.

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.

Since 2007, Henson has led substantive educator preparation policy, certification, and ethics reform efforts in his role at the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. During his distinguished career of over 45 years in education, he also served as the superintendent of schools in Floyd County, principal of Walton High School, principal of Pope High School and associate superintendent in Marietta City Schools in Georgia. He has contributed to the statewide and national implementation of tiered certification, preparation program effectiveness measures (PPEM), performance-based educational leadership, enhanced ethics instruction and assessment and job-embedded professional learning.