AAEE Releases 2022-2023 Educator Supply and Demand Report

By Tim Neubert

The American Association for Employment in Education (AAEE) is pleased to announce the release of its 2022-2023 Educator Supply and Demand Report, and wishes to thank the many colleges, universities, and school systems responding to the survey that served as the basis for this report.

The Educator Supply and Demand Report is conducted in conjunction with the Center for Marketing & Opinion Research, LLC (CMOR). With data and perceptions gathered from educational organizations over several decades, the report generated will provide education professionals and institutions with valuable regional and national insights and trends in PK-12 educator supply and demand.

N.C. A&T’s Taliaferro Receives National Award Using Data to Ensure Teacher Readiness

By Tonya Dixon

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Alisa Taliaferro, Ed.D. recently received the prestigious 2022 Ed-Fi Alliance Educator Interoperability Leader of the Year Award. The award is one from seven community award categories including Lifetime Achievement, Partner, Technical Contributor, Ambassador, Solution and Rookie of the Year. 

“The impact of data interoperability is powerful in that it empowers agency among stakeholders such as students, faculty and administrators by providing them with real-time, accurate and actionable information from multiple sources and well-connected data systems,” said Taliaferro, associate dean of Quality Assurance and Graduate Programs in the College of Education.

USC Research Calls for Long-Term Strategy to Address Teacher Shortages

By University of South Carolina Department of Education

A University of South Carolina research team’s new report suggests that the state does not need another series of programs, but rather a new strategy, to truly change the future of teaching. The report showcases evidence of what is and is not currently working for the teaching profession, innovations already underway in certain school districts, and insight from South Carolina educators who are ready to evolve teaching and learning in South Carolina. (Read the report summary and the full report.)

With funding support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a team of researchers at the USC College of Education released the report, The Future of South Carolina’s Teaching Profession, focusing on the current state of the teaching profession in South Carolina. It offers suggestions to alleviate the teacher shortage challenge while addressing student-led learning.

Cardona Urges LEAs to Consider Students with Disabilities When Lifting COVID-19 Mandates

By Kaitlyn Brennan

This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.    

We have received confirmation that the president will release his budget request on Monday, March 28 — signaling the official “kick-off” to the FY2023 appropriations season. Advocates are anxiously awaiting to see the line item requests for the Department of Education and will work diligently in the coming months to secure meaningful investments to address the critical shortage of educators and lack of diversity across the field. Stay tuned for more details to come in next week’s Washington Update.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona Urges LEAs to Recognize the Critical Importance of Supporting Students with Disabilities

This week, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona sent an eight page letter to school district officials and parents urging LEAs to recognize the critical importance of supporting students with disabilities. The document comes as many districts are rolling back their COVID-19 mitigation efforts following updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The letter is intended to help school district personnel and families design learning opportunities for all students, including students with disabilities. The document reviews key strategies, including Leveraging the IEP or Section 504 Processes to Ensure Protections are In Place to Protect In-Person Learning; Continuing Use of Layered Prevention Strategies to Keep School Communities Safe; and Ensuring Students Receive Education and Services in the Least Restrictive Environment.

Webinar to Highlight Key Findings from AACTE’s Signature Report

By Jacqueline King

The Colleges of Education: A National Portrait is AACTE’s signature report on schools, colleges, and departments of education. The second edition was released today and AACTE is hosting a webinar to review its findings on Monday, March 28 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

This report is a major vehicle for AACTE to tell the story of colleges of education nationwide and for members to situate their own programs in the broader context of the trends that are shaping the profession. Education preparation program faculty are encouraged to use it to communicate with their institution’s leadership, PK-12 partners, and other key cnstituents about the issues, trends, and challenges impacting educator preparation.

This year, in addition to describing the work of colleges of education, the people who do that work, and the students they serve, the National Portrait includes a special analysis on the important contributions that community colleges make to educator preparation.

Join me and my co-author Weadé James on March 28 for this member-only, informative webinar.  Register today.

AACTE’s National Portrait Sounds the Alarm on Declining Interest in Education Careers

By AACTE

Today, AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education) releases the second edition of Colleges of Education: A National Portrait. In addition to updating information on colleges of education and their leaders, faculty, and students, this edition features a special analysis on the contributions of community colleges to educator preparation.

This update of AACTE’s signature report offers a comprehensive picture of the nation’s schools, colleges, and departments of education: the work that they do, the people who do that work, and the students they serve. The report describes the key trends and challenges in meeting the nation’s need for highly skilled educators.

Colleges and universities can benchmark their programs against peers, gain innovative ideas to grow and diversify enrollment through community college partnerships, and describe to stakeholders the challenges confronting educator preparation.

Research and Survey Opportunity for Current Candidates for Teacher Licensure

By Muhammad Kara and Zach Curtis

AACTE has partnered with graduate students from the George Washington University and the Learning Policy Institute to distribute a survey intended for current candidates for teacher licensure. Specifically, they are seeking candidates of programs that have a teacher residency, student teaching, or Grow Your Own component. Candidates of diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as candidates for special education bilingual education, are highly encouraged to participate. This survey will aid research on the ways in which AmeriCorps grants could be utilized to deploy highly prepared teachers to high-need schools.

Capitol Hill Addresses Spending, Student Loans, HBCUs and LGBTQ+ Rights

By Kaitlyn Brennan

This weekly Washington Update is intended to keep members informed on Capitol Hill activities impacting the educator preparation community. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.    

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, Congress passed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Omnibus Spending Bill. The FY22 bill includes increases for education, but not nearly at the level that was originally requested by the Biden Administration. Considerable work lies ahead to secure a robust federal investment to support rebuilding and diversifying the special educator and specialized instructional personnel pipeline.

AACTE to Host Webinar on Colleges of Education: A National Portrait

By Jacqueline King

AACTE will soon release the second edition of its signature report, Colleges of Education:  A National Portrait. In addition to updating information on colleges of education and their leaders, faculty, and students, this edition features a special analysis on the contributions that community colleges make to educator preparation. Topics to be covered will include:

• Scope of educator preparation in the U.S.
• Trends in undergraduate and graduate degrees conferred in education
• Demographics of leaders and faculty
• Student demographics
• Contributions of community colleges to educator preparation

Webinar and Report Draw National Attention to Pandemic’s Effect on Educator Preparation

By Jacqueline King

As PK-12 schools, colleges, and universities around the country cope with the surge of coronavirus cases, AACTE’s fall 2021 member survey is drawing public attention to the pandemic’s continuing impact on educator preparation. The teacher shortage is now front-page news, and AACTE’s survey is providing vital information on how COVID-19 is affecting the supply of new teachers, counselors, and other educators.

AACTE members can access a free copy of the survey report and view a short video summary of key results. A new infographic provides a quick visual representation to share on social media.

How to Use National Data Sets for a Greater Purpose

By Kamilah Bywaters

This article is a reflection from Holmes Scholar Kamilah Bywaters on the session “How to Use National Data Sets for a Greater Purpose” one of a five-part Holmes Fall Learning Series convened by AACTE.

For all my change-makers in the world, there is a wide range of data sets that are available for your use. It is my pleasure to share with you what I recently learned when I attended the AACTE Holmes Fall Learning Series session entitled, “Using National Data Sets for Education Policy Research.” The session was led by Jacqueline E. King, who provided valuable resources to guide the researcher in collecting useful data for their policy research initiatives. King shared the websites for the National Center for Education Statistics and Title II Reports. The resources provide vital information for every level of education.

Join Colleagues to Discuss the Pandemic’s Continuing Impact and Plans for 2022

By Jacqueline King

As PK-12 schools, colleges, and universities around the country cope with a surge of coronavirus cases, and concerns rise regarding the Omicron variant, AACTE is offering a webinar to look back on the pandemic’s impact on educator preparation and discuss plans for 2022.

Since spring 2020, when schools and colleges around the country switched to online instruction due to COVID-19, AACTE has periodically surveyed members on the impact of the pandemic on educator preparation. A new report updates that series with information collected in fall 2021. It describes how conditions have changed since 2020, highlighting the lasting effects of the pandemic.

New AACTE Member Survey Describes Pandemic’s Continuing Impact on Educator Prep

By Jacqueline King

Since spring 2020, when schools and colleges around the country switched to online instruction due to COVID-19, AACTE has periodically surveyed members on the impact of the pandemic on educator preparation. A new report updates that series with information collected in fall 2021. It describes how conditions have changed since 2020, highlighting the lasting effects of the pandemic.

This report contains a lot of good news regarding the resumption of in-person instruction and field experience and the easing of enrollment and budget reductions. Nonetheless, the effects of COVID-19 linger for many institutions, with a sizable minority of respondents reporting significant enrollment losses, budget cuts, and staffing reductions. State licensing requirements have been reinstated, but some states are creating opportunities for prospective teachers to circumvent those rules, which may negatively affect enrollment in educator preparation programs and exacerbate the current shortage of profession-ready educators in the workforce.

CNN Cites AACTE’s Issue Brief

By Katrina Norfleet

CNN’s Katie Lobosco recently reported on President’s Biden’s universal pre-K plan that would make preschool available and affordable for six million more children and the resulting challenge of hiring “tens of thousands” of new teachers. In referring to the teaching shortage, Lobosco writes, “The average number of college graduates who completed teacher preparation programs fell 24% between the 2009-10 and 2018-19 academic years, according to the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.”

Fifty Percent of Teachers say, ‘Salary is Not Enough to Sustain Them Long-Term’

By Ellen Sherratt and Jacqueline Rodriguez

The Teacher Salary Project surveyed 1100+ teachers nationally, with an oversample of recognized teachers (e.g., State Teachers of the Year -STOYs, Nationally Board Certified Teachers – NBCTs, Teach Plus Fellows, and others) and found:

• Nearly half of the surveyed teachers say their salary was not sufficient to sustain them in teaching for the medium-to-long term (two-thirds when teachers who weren’t sure if they could continue teaching on their salary are included).