04 Apr2023
By Brooke Evans
Educators play a crucial role in how students are welcomed both into the classroom and within their communities — and understanding how to integrate international, intercultural, and global experiences and perspectives into the curriculum of teacher education is vital in a globally connected and diverse world.
As part of the first webinar in the Global Education Faculty PLC Professional Development Series, AACTE members are invited to join a panel of faculty experts and international scholars as they discuss educator prep program recruitment and support for international students on April 17. Save your spot and register today.
21 Mar2023
By Simon Wesson
Young children who are taught by a teacher of the same ethnicity as themselves are developing better learning and problem-solving skills by the age of seven, new research suggests.
The effect was most pronounced in Black and Latinx children, the findings – looking at more than 18,000 pupils across the US – showed.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal Early Education and Development, the study revealed that if the ethnicity of children is shared with that of their teachers, the children are more likely to go on to develop better working memory. This is the ability to hold and process information in your mind – a skill which is essential for learning and problem solving.
07 Mar2023
By Campbell Atkins
Sam Houston State University was one of 12 Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to receive a portion of the U.S. Department of Education’s Augustus F. Hawkins Centers for Excellence Program grants, which aim to increase high-quality teacher preparation programs for teachers of color, strengthen the diversity of the teacher pipeline and address teacher shortages.
The program supports comprehensive, high-quality teacher preparation programs at MSIs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs). SHSU is categorized within MSI as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).
06 Mar2023
By Annie Ma
This article was originally published by The Associated Press.
Surrounded by kindergarteners, Lana Scott held up a card with upper and lower case Ys, dotted with pictures of words that started with that letter: Yo-yo. Yak. Yacht.
“What sound does Y make?” Scott asked a boy. Head down, he mumbled: “Yuh.” Instead of moving on, she gave him a nudge.
“Say it confident, because you know it,” she urged. “Be confident in your answer because you know it.”
He sat up and sounded it out again, louder this time. Scott smiled and turned her attention to the other kids in her group session.
21 Feb2023
By Dwayne Ray Cormier and Terrance McNeil
Join us at the AACTE Annual Meeting this year to learn how historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are transforming teacher education and preparation. The HBCU Teacher Education Topical Action Group (TAG) provides a platform for leaders and scholars associated with HBCUs to share their ideas and research on teacher education and preparation.
On Friday, February 24, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., come to the Marriott IndyPlace’s Indiana Ballroom F to learn about the innovative programs and research initiatives at HBCUs that are driving change and making a difference.
21 Feb2023
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.
This week Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME), chair and vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the Appropriations Subcommittees chairs, ranking members, and full rosters for the 118th Congress.
13 Feb2023
Register Today for Two Preconference Tours
By AACTE
Attendance at the AACTE 75th Annual Meeting demonstrates your advocacy in educator preparation — and your priority in serving institutions with goals to support and increase diverse educators, equity in access to high-quality instructional environments, and the inclusion of all students in PK-20 classrooms.
Preconference programs, open to members and nonmembers, and tours are not included in the AACTE Annual Meeting pricing. Preregistration and an additional fee are required to participate. If you’ve already registered for the conference and would like to register for a preconference activity, contact the registration team at gjones@aacte.org.
06 Feb2023
By Monika Williams Shealey
This article was originally published by Education Week and is reprinted with permission.
Dear Florida Educators,
When I was growing up in Florida and I would hear church folks describe a troubling event that ran afoul of their moral compass, they would say, “it’s just not sitting right with my spirit.” That’s how I’ve been feeling lately when I hear about recent efforts in my home state of Florida to limit academic freedom in higher education; stifle intellectual curiosity in schools; ban books; obliterate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education; and silence the questions of pre-K-12 learners who may be struggling with their gender identity and sexuality.
I was educated in public pre-K-12 schools and graduated from three major Florida universities with my undergraduate and graduate degrees in the area of special education. I’m a former special education teacher who worked in Pinellas, Seminole, and Miami-Dade counties and was a tenure-track faculty member at Florida International University. Yet today, when I think about the education landscape in my home state, I’m grieved that instead of being lauded as a leader in innovation and delivering high-quality, equitable educational opportunities to all learners, Florida is applauded by its governor as “the place where woke goes to die.”
02 Feb2023
By Nicole Dunn
Join AACTE as we celebrate Black History Month. This year, AACTE’s 75th Annual Meeting falls in February, the theme of which is Innovation through Inspiration: Remembering the Past to Revolutionize the Future; and how could we revolutionize the future of education and education and education preparation to ensure all learners receive a high-quality, equitable education without Black educators? AACTE is excited to offer programming throughout Annual Meeting and its preconference events, February 23 – 26, dedicated to supporting Black Educators and the representation of Black history and perspectives and curriculum and educator preparation policy and practice.
31 Jan2023
By Nicole Dunn
“AACTE meets the challenges of the 21st century through hosting career fairs that endeavors to diversify the post-secondary faculty pipeline. The outcomes of their efforts speak for themselves,” said Amanda Wilkerson, University of Central Florida, Holmes Program Alumna. “Through the Holmes Scholars program and innovative professional development training, I was able to showcase my research skills that ultimately led to acquiring a tenure-track academic role at a Research 1 Institution.”
Perhaps your institution is looking to connect with or recruit diverse faculty like Amanda Wilkerson. You need to look no further than the Holmes Program, which supports students who self-identify as racially and ethnically diverse and are pursuing graduate degrees in education at AACTE member institutions.
10 Jan2023
By Amy Ginsberg and David Fuentes
Next month, members will gather for AACTE’s 75th Annual meeting and immerse ourselves in several days of sessions within the theme of “Innovation through Inspiration: Remembering the Past to Revolutionize the Future.” As representatives of an institution of higher education that was founded in 1855 as the Paterson City Normal School in response to the growing demand for professional preparation of teachers-in-service in the emerging free public schools of Paterson, New Jersey, and one that is now a comprehensive university that proudly wears its designation of Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and is led by a president who is a first-generation college graduate and a member of LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education, we are excited to share an initiative that aligns with AACTE’s Annual Meeting theme.
In fall 2023, William Paterson University will welcome two pre-doctoral fellows into the College of Education, one in teacher education (preferably with a specialization in early childhood education or secondary education), and one in special education. Applications are now being accepted for this unique pre-doctoral fellowship program aimed at supporting career development of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds.
20 Dec2022
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The new “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
OCR Enters Resolution Agreement with Virginia’s Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs (SECEP) Regarding the use of Restraint and Seclusion
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that the Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs (SECEP) in Virginia entered into a resolution agreement regarding the use of restraint and seclusion and the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to students with disabilities. OCR identified concerns that SECEP may have denied FAPE to students with disabilities when it did not reevaluate students after multiple incidents of restraint and seclusion and when students missed significant instructional time.
12 Dec2022
By Arthur Jones II
Marvin Burton, Jr. poses for a photo this year with his wife and three sons. Courtesy of Marvin Burton Jr.
This article originally appeared on ABC News.
Educator Marvin Burton Jr. is a self-described renaissance man.
“You have to be that type of teacher now,” Burton Jr. told ABC News, adding, “It’s never a dull moment. I don’t know of a teacher that’s not tired when they leave from just the daily work — the daily grind.”
The advanced, professionally-certified vocal music instructor has taught everything from special education to English language arts over the past three school years because he said a nationwide teacher shortage has forced him in different directions. Burton Jr. said he’s “totally exhausted” most evenings when leaving Drew-Freeman Middle School in Suitland, Maryland, driving to pick up his three sons in Temple Hills before commuting another half an hour home to Brandywine.
28 Nov2022
By American Educational Research Association
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has released the Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers, edited by Conra D. Gist and Travis J. Bristol.
A first of its kind, the Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers addresses key issues and obstacles in ethnoracial diversity across the life course of teachers’ careers, such as recruitment and retention, professional development, and the role of minority-serving institutions.
21 Nov2022
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.
It has been a busy week in Washington with Members returning after the mid-term elections and the new freshman class of Members arriving on the Hill for orientation. Speaker Pelosi made the momentous decision to step down from Democratic leadership. Speaker Pelosi is a historic figure, having become, at the time, the most powerful elected woman in U.S. history when she assumed the Speakership in 2007. The decision to step back from leadership paves the way for a new generation of Democrats to rise in the ranks; Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Caucus Vice Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) are viewed as the heirs apparent to the “big three” — House Democratic Leader, House Democratic Whip, and Democratic Caucus Chair. In remarks to her colleagues on the House floor, Speaker Pelosi recalled the first time she saw the Capitol, saying “I will never forget the first time I saw the Capitol.[…]The Capitol is a temple of our Democracy, of our Constitution, of our highest ideals[…] Indeed, American Democracy is majestic — but it is fragile.” Thank you Madam Speaker, for your years of dedicated service to the Republic.
