16 Dec2014
By Omar Davis
The AACTE Holmes Scholars® Program is one of the Association’s hallmark offerings on diversity and will be featured in a variety of sessions at the 67th Annual Meeting in Atlanta, February 27-March 1.
In addition to dedicated preconference programming, attending Holmes Scholars will participate in the full range of Annual Meeting offerings under the theme Advancing the Imperative, from major forums and general and concurrent sessions to the town hall meeting and the job fair.
28 Oct2014
By Tim Finklea and Kristin McCabe
A recent evaluation of the Boston Teacher Residency (BTR) found that program graduates are making a significant impact in Boston Public Schools, providing more racially/ethnically diverse teachers and staying in the classroom at higher rates. A webinar hosted by REL Central earlier this month highlighted the findings and challenges of the evaluation, which was conducted by John Papay and colleagues at Brown University (RI).
The study compared BTR graduates to other novice teachers in the urban school system, asking the following questions:
- Does the BTR program prepare more teachers than other pathways in hard-to-staff subjects such as math and science?
- Are BTR recruits more racially and ethnically diverse than teachers from other pathways?
- Do BTR recruits remain in the district longer than other new hires?
- Are BTR teachers more effective in raising student test scores in math and English language arts than teachers with the same level of experience from other pathways?
21 Oct2014
By Julie Underwood
As a board member and officer of AACTE, I have grown to appreciate the complexity of the organization. A remarkable variety of institutions opt to unite around common interests under this “big tent” association.
Of course, you may think about AACTE membership from your own institutional perspective. Members of the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges for Teacher Education (AILACTE) may view AACTE as their organization, just as members of the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI) may view us from their perspective. Certainly, members of the Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU), where the largest number of new educators are taught, think of AACTE from their perspective. In fact, the Board of Directors is designed to reflect the various institutional types within AACTE, with designated seats for AILACTE, CADREI, and TECSCU representatives as well as for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and historically Black institutions. In reality, AACTE represents the entire array of U.S. teacher preparation institutions.
20 Oct2014
By Lucy Berrier
Did you need extra time to submit your 2015 AACTE award application? You’re in luck!
The submission deadline for the 2015 Best Practice and Professional Achievement Awards has been extended until Friday, October 24.
Act now and nominate the innovative and exemplary program at your institution for a Best Practice Award! These awards highlight the work members are doing each day to improve the field of educator preparation:
- Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology
- Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Teacher Education
- Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity
03 Oct2014
By Lucy Berrier
Nominations for all of the 2015 AACTE awards close FRIDAY, October 10! Submit an entry now at AACTE’s online submission site. To read detailed submission information, please refer to the official Call for Entries.
The following awards are still accepting nominations:
- Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology
- Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives
- Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity
- Margaret B. Lindsey Award for Distinguished Research in Teacher Education
- David G. Imig Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teacher Education
- Edward C. Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Education
15 Sep2014
By Omar Davis
Please join us September 16, 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT, for a free webinar with faculty from minority-serving institutions (MSIs) who will discuss how they have used edTPA resources to initiate change within their programs.
This webinar will be led by Fran Oates of Winston-Salem State University (NC), Felicia Mayfield of Clark Atlanta University (GA), and Patricia Steinhaus and Cynthia Valenciano of Chicago State University (IL) and moderated by me. Learn how to address issues of student achievement, curriculum reform, and educator preparation advancement from these faculty members’ unique experiences and findings. Take away solid methods for capacity building among the professional community.
Please visit the AACTE Resource Library to access a recording of the webinar.
17 Jun2014
By Lucy Berrier
Nominations for all of the 2015 AACTE awards are now open on AACTE’s online submission site. To read detailed submission information, please refer to the official Call for Entries.
Our awards program recognizes member institutions’ exemplary programs as well as the achievements of individuals who have notably contributed to education preparation.
This year, the former Best Practice Award in Support of Global Diversity will revert to its predecessor components: one award focusing on multicultural education/diversity and another on global/international perspectives. These areas had been combined after the 2006 award cycle, but the AACTE Board of Directors voted last February to honor them separately again in order to provide distinct recognition of key practices.
10 Jun2014
By Elizabeth Ross
The Innovations Inventory of AACTE’s Innovation Exchange is an online database highlighting members’ pioneering practices in educator preparation that have shown a positive impact on issues of student learning, preparation program advancement, or educator workforce needs. This blog post is one in a series highlighting entries from the inventory. To request inclusion of your institution’s innovations, contact Zachary VanHouten at zvanhouten@aacte.org.
Georgia State University (GSU) is the largest producer of minority educators in the state of Georgia and graduates approximately 500 teachers annually. GSU’s Network for Enhancing Teacher Quality (NET-Q) program aims to increase teacher quality in urban and rural areas in Georgia. The program includes both pre- and postbaccalaureate initiatives for educators serving high-need school districts in these settings.
NET-Q boasts a partnership with at least 15 rural PK-12 schools, local businesses, two historically Black colleges, and the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future.
16 May2014
By Saroja Barnes
A new report from the National Education Association (NEA) is the latest in a recent flood of attention to the lack of diversity among the nation’s teaching workforce.
Earlier this week, NEA released Time for a Change: Diversity in Teaching Revisited, which explores the need to recruit and retain teachers of color and the political context that has diminished interest in and initiatives toward meeting the goal. According to Segun Eubanks, director of NEA’s Teacher Quality Department, “This is not a new concern.” The paper examines the progress—or lack of progress—made to address diversity of the teaching workforce and uses the findings as a basis for recommending change.
02 May2014
By Saroja Barnes
AACTE has selected 10 institutions to participate in the Association’s first Networked Improvement Community (NIC), aimed at increasing the diversity of our nation’s teacher candidate pool by focusing on recruitment of more Black and Hispanic men into teacher preparation programs.
More than 50 AACTE member institutions in 25 states applied to be a part of this NIC, known as Changing the Demographic Makeup of the Teaching Workforce. Following a rigorous review by the AACTE Committee on Professional Preparation and Accountabilty, AACTE congratulates the following institutions on their selection:
14 Mar2014
By Alicia Ardila-Rey
After successful AACTE Holmes Scholars® preconference events in Indianapolis, AACTE and the National Association of Holmes Scholars Alumni (NAHSA) are planning a number of exciting activities for Holmes Scholars and Scholar alumni in the upcoming months:
April 1: Proposals Due for Diversity Conference—NAHSA and the College of Charleston (SC) are inviting Holmes Scholars and alumni to submit proposals for presentations at their 2014 Diversity Conference, which will take place in Charleston, South Carolina, October 11-12. Proposals for presentations should address research-based pedagogy that helps children reach their academic potential; how partnerships among K-12 educators, schools, school districts, and/or institutions of higher learning have demonstrated success with underrepresented groups; and how language, culture, or race impact the achievement of youth of promise. The call for proposals is available here.
07 Mar2014
By Alicia Ardila-Rey
Close to 60 AACTE Holmes Scholars® and program alumni met in Indianapolis February 28-March 3 in conjunction with the 2014 AACTE Annual Meeting. The Holmes Scholars preconference event offered dedicated networking, mentoring, and professional development opportunities to the Scholars. This year we welcomed six new institutions to the program, as well as 25 Scholars who were attending the event for the first time.
24 Feb2014
By Catherine Emihovich
In addition to my work in educator preparation at the University of Florida, I am a member of the Anthropology Education Task Force (AETF) of the American Anthropological Association (AAA). Among other things, our task force is charged with examining the potential role of anthropology in teacher education programs to prepare teachers for working in culturally and linguistically diverse schools. We would greatly appreciate AACTE members’ input on this work, if you are able to take 15-20 minutes from your busy schedule to respond to our survey (see below).
As readers of this blog are aware, the rapid demographic changes sweeping across the United States bring increasing importance to ensuring that teachers are well prepared to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students. AAA is eager to partner with AACTE members in this endeavor, and to demonstrate that key anthropological concepts can play a significant role in helping teachers develop more effective strategies for addressing diverse students’ needs. For example, through its award-winning RACE Project exhibit (http://www.understandingrace.org/), AAA has enabled thousands of teachers and students across the country to deconstruct destructive myths surrounding racial differences. The web site provides numerous thought-provoking activities and curricular materials to engage students in more meaningful classroom dialogues about a topic that has long ruptured our social fabric.
24 Feb2014
By Kristin McCabe
AACTE, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) have announced a partnership to support teacher preparation programs in including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues in their curriculum.
Research suggests that positive, supportive, and inclusive classroom environments lead to better academic and psychosocial outcomes for students. While some teacher preparation programs incorporate LGBT-inclusive content and awareness into their curriculum, there has been no deliberate, comprehensive effort to expand the practice throughout the profession.
11 Feb2014
By Alicia Ardila-Rey
For more than a decade now, I’ve had the privilege to work closely with a wonderful group of diverse doctoral students during the AACTE Annual Meeting. Each year I am reenergized by their passion, ideas, and determination to succeed. I’m proud to see more and more of these bright scholars diversifying the makeup of the conference and of the profession, with hundreds of them now leading successful careers in academia and other education-related posts.
Close to 50 current AACTE Holmes Scholars® and many alumni will be joining Annual Meeting participants in Indianapolis this year. Look for the purple ribbon on their name tags, attend their poster session March 2 at 9:00 a.m. to learn about their research, and talk to them individually about your institution in our Holmes Scholars Job Fair March 2 at 3:45 p.m. You may find among them your next hire for that open position—or strong candidates for future ones.
