22 Apr2024
Featuring Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award Winner David Stroupe
By Brooke Evans
As school leaders, educators make instructional decisions shaping opportunities in classrooms for students to learn. An educator’s words and actions, especially related to the treatment of students and their ideas, are foundational for creating equitable learning communities in our classrooms and schools.
On Wednesday, May 1, from 2:00 to 2:45 p.m. ET, AACTE will host a Lunch & Learn recognizing the 2024 Gloria J. Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award winner David Stroupe, Ph.D., of the University of Utah and his book, “Growing and Sustaining Student-Centered Science Classrooms.”
08 Apr2024
By Elena Armstrong
Currently in her third year of teaching first grade at Cotter Schools, Jessica Houghton can clearly see the influence Winona State University’s Education Village had on her teaching career.
The state-of-the-art mini-campus for the College of Education was finished in 2019 and included renovations to Helble Hall, Wabasha Recreation Center, and Cathedral Elementary School to create modernized classrooms and innovative spaces. Education Village is celebrating its five-year anniversary this April with an open house and community activities.
Houghton was in her senior year when Education Village opened. She got to see first-hand the impact it had on her schooling, peers, and learning environment.
08 Apr2024
By Erica Stanley
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) today announced Missy Testerman, a kindergarten through eighth grade English as a second language (ESL) teacher, as the 2024 National Teacher of the Year.
Testerman served as a first and second-grade teacher at Rogersville City School in Rogersville, TN, for three decades before taking advantage of the state’s Grow Your Own initiative and adding an ESL endorsement three years ago. She currently works as an ESL specialist at Rogersville City School, where she teaches K-8 students who do not speak English as their first language and supports them in all academic areas. A staunch advocate for students, teachers, and families, Testerman prioritizes instruction that ensures her students have the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve. She knows families are extensions of the classroom and often advocates for her families who speak little English.
26 Mar2024
By AACTE
AACTE has recognized Howard University with the 2024 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives for its elementary education program that integrates global experiences into the curriculum. On Thursday, April 4, from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. ET, AACTE will host a Lunch & Learn where members can learn more about this program and how it serves as an exemplar in the intercultural, global, and cross-cultural arenas.
The Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives is sponsored by AACTE’s Committee on Global Diversity as part of its mission to ensure that a global/ international perspective is brought to policy and programs associated with the preparation of education professionals.
29 Feb2024
2024 Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives Winner
By Katherine E. L. Norris
Receiving the Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives at the AACTE 2024 Annual Meeting was a complete honor. It was not lost on us, a historically black college and university (HBCU), that we received this acknowledgment for a program that celebrates and studies the lifestyles, cultures, histories, and lived experiences of those from the African diaspora during Black History Month.
At Howard University, the study of Black history is not confined to one month, but Black History is woven throughout the programming, curricula, and the practices in our teacher education programs throughout the year. Our Elementary Education program ends with a culminating international experience where teacher candidates get to participate in a weeklong cultural immersion experience engaging in a breadth of activities and experiences that fully immerse them in the culture of the country. Our travel thus far has been to Cuba and Colombia (Cartagena, Cali, and Palenque). Palenque, the first free town in the Americas founded by those who fled slavery during Colonia times, always seems to be a favorite learning experience for the teacher candidates. The locations chosen have large populations of those with shared African heritage and where English is not their first language. While this international experience takes place in the Elementary Education program’s final semester, much of the learning and activities that happen throughout the time in the program have led to this final initiative.
23 Jan2024
By Alexandra Saccone
This article originally appeared on University at Buffalo’s website and is reprinted with permission.
Before arriving at UB to pursue her Ph.D., Dawnavyn James taught elementary students in Missouri for seven years, where she learned that young students are a lot smarter — and a lot more ready to learn about Black history — than we give them credit for.
“It all started in the classroom,” James said of her new book, “Beyond February: Teaching Black History Any Day, Every Day, and All Year Long.” The book began to take shape after she wrote a blog post referencing her experience teaching Black history. Through this post, she met her editor, who encouraged her to turn her ideas into a book. James’ guide to teaching Black history was published this fall, just a year after she began her doctoral studies.
Drawn to UB by the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education, where she is a fellow, James studies how elementary teachers use picture books to teach Black history. “I’m really looking at how teachers analyze picture books and teach Black history based on what they know about Black history,” she explains.
18 Dec2023
By Judith Cebula
Lilly Endowment Inc. has approved more than $21.5 million in implementation grants to help 28 colleges and universities in Indiana prepare the next generation of teachers in methods aligned with the Science of Reading.
The Endowment made the grants through its initiative, Advancing the Science of Reading in Indiana (ASRI). The initiative aims to improve significantly the reading abilities of Indiana K-12 students by helping teachers strengthen their use of methods aligned with the Science of Reading, a vast body of research related to how children learn to read. Methods aligned with the research include explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction focused on phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
The Endowment, which has long supported efforts to improve educational outcomes for students in Indiana’s K-12 schools, launched ASRI in 2022 to help address low reading achievement among Indiana students. Only 33% of Indiana fourth-graders scored proficient in reading comprehension in the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called ‘The Nation’s Report Card.’
20 Nov2023
By University of Indianapolis
The University of Indianapolis (UIndy) is delighted to announce a significant gift in memory of Nanci Vargus. This generous gift was provided by Nanci’s daughter, Jilda Vargus-Adams who wanted to create a lasting legacy for her mother’s commitment and dedication to education and her remarkable impact on the University.
The University will establish the Nanci Vargus Learning Resource Center to remember Nanci’s legacy. Nanci was an educator at the university for over 20 years who used her expertise and kindness to guide elementary and college-age students alike in their journeys to literacy.
“As a child, Mom literally read every book in her local library’s children’s section. She loved books. But more than that, she loved the joy that everyone can get from reading and she built her career with that goal in mind,” Vargus-Adams said. “Both as an elementary school teacher and as a professor of education, Mom endeavored to ensure that all children could have the gift of literacy.”
13 Nov2023
By Megan Tagami
This article was originally published on October 29, 2023, with Honolulu Civic Beat.
At Makakilo Elementary, Christine Carder posed a question to her first graders. “What letters make the sound ‘ea’ as in tea?” The class eagerly scrambled to write down the correct letter combination in their notebooks.
This exercise helps to build students’ phonemic awareness, instructional coach Karen Yogi explained to the group of parents invited to observe Makakilo’s reading lessons for the morning. Older students will later advance to activities such as reading in pairs and assessing each other’s fluency and vocabulary skills, Yogi added.
“This is why my son says he’s famished at dinner, instead of hungry,” said parent Donna Sinclair, noting the improvement she’s seen in her fifth-grader’s vocabulary this year.
Makakilo Elementary is one of about 80 schools in the state to receive funding from a roughly $50 million federal grant awarded in 2019 to improve literacy among the country’s youngest readers.
23 Oct2023
By The Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the latest round of findings from the School Pulse Panel (SPP). These SPP data examine teaching and non-teacher staffing, technology/digital literacy, and community partnerships as reported by school leaders in U.S. public schools.
Key Findings
Staffing for 2023-2024 School Year
- Forty-five percent of U.S. public schools report feeling that they are understaffed entering the 2023-2024 school year, a decrease from the 53 % of schools who felt understaffed entering the last school year (2022-2023).
- For public schools that report feeling understaffed, 67 % of schools that have classroom aides report feeling understaffed in this area. Sixty-three percent that offer special education services report feeling understaffed in this area.
- Outside of the classroom, public schools report feeling understaffed with their transportation staff (61 %) and mental health professionals (49 %).
09 May2023
By Taraneh M. Haghanikar
This blog article is part of the Global Education Faculty PLC Professional Development Series, sponsored by the Longview Foundation. The writing series aims to elevate the perspectives of international scholars — including teacher educators, graduate students, and alike — to offer insights into how Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) can integrate intercultural understanding within their programs. AACTE members interested in participating in the series should contact AACTE’s Brooke Evans.
Incorporating diversity into the curriculum has never been more relevant or necessary.
Culturally competent teaching begins with acknowledging and embracing the considerable diversity students bring to the classroom and it builds on the culturally relevant literature utilized in teaching. However, teachers with minimum or no prior diversity experience are less likely to make informed decisions in their book selection. Failure to properly design inclusive lesson plans could create and maintain misunderstanding between teachers and students, further contributing to the cultural gap between them.
07 Mar2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
In February, the House Education and Workforce Committee held their first hearing: “American Education in Crisis.” During the chairwoman’s opening remarks, Virginia Foxx (R-NC) expressed her support for H.R.5 , more commonly referred to as “The Parent Bill of Rights.” The legislation was first introduced in the 117th Congress and would require K-12 school districts receiving federal funding to publicly post their curriculum and annually provide parents with a list of books in the school library, a breakdown of school expenditures, the ability to opt their child out of all data collection, and more. As anticipated, on Wednesday, House Republicans reintroduced the bill.
04 Oct2022
By AACTE
There has never been a more critical time to work together to support public education and students’ success. AACTE is joining forces with Learning First Alliance and partners across the country to support a critical effort to help ensure a bright future for our children.
The Here for the Kids campaign brings together families, educators, and community members to shine a light on local public schools and tell the stories of the amazingly positive things happening in classrooms and school buildings nationwide.
12 Sep2022
By Learning First Alliance
On September 1st, 2022, the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics released the mathematics and reading results of 9-year-olds from the 2022 NAEP long-term trend assessment. The following summary is from NAEP’s Highlights report:
In 2022, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted a special administration of the NAEP long-term trend (LTT) reading and mathematics assessments for age 9 students to examine student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Average scores for age 9 students in 2022 declined 5 points in reading and 7 points in mathematics compared to 2020. This is the largest average score decline in reading since 1990, and the first ever score decline in mathematics.
22 Aug2022
By Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View A&M University students, faculty and staff were on hand bright and early to help welcome students to the first day of school at Aldine ISD’s Impact Leadership Academy (ILA), the district’s first all-boys school. PVAMU is partnering with the ILA to cultivate learning experiences rooted in identity, leadership, community, and activism, all designed to address academic achievement and support social and emotional needs for young Black and Latino male students.
