25 Jul2024
By Charles A. Barnes II, JD
The AACTE Holmes Scholars Program is proud to feature Ayana Bass as the July 2024 Holmes Scholar of the Month. Bass is a dedicated and influential figure in special education, focusing on adult learners and teacher diversity.
As a doctoral student at Boston University’s Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, her academic and professional journey highlights her commitment to improving education through research, policy, and practice.
22 Jul2024
By U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) released proposed regulations that would increase college access for high school students, provide better public data on student outcomes, including increased oversight over distance education programs, and ensure the student aid programs work in the best interests of students. The regulations propose changes to three distinct areas, including the federal TRIO programs, Distance Education, and Return to Title IV (R2T4). The proposed regulations build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to increase college access and affordability and improve the quality and value of postsecondary education.
“Under President Biden’s leadership, we continue our relentless push to make higher education more affordable and accessible to all Americans. The regulations proposed today, if enacted, would help expand both access and affordability to our most disadvantaged students: those from low-income backgrounds, students without immigration status, and students with disabilities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “By broadening eligibility for federal programs and placing guardrails that help protect against situations that leave students with debt but no degree, we can open more doors to the life-changing potential of higher education.”
15 Jul2024
By U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released three new resources with information for students, parents and families, and schools addressing the civil rights of students with sickle cell disease, epilepsy, and cancer. OCR issued these resources during a month that marks World Sickle Cell Day and National Black Family Cancer Awareness Week.
The resources inform students with disabilities, and their families and schools, about relevant legal rights under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 prohibits discrimination against students with disabilities by institutions that accept federal financial assistance, which includes almost all public schools and public and private institutions of higher education. These new resources, which are applicable to all levels of education, explain when these medical conditions trigger protections under Section 504, what kind of modifications an educational institution may need to take to avoid unlawful discrimination, and what an institution may need to do to remedy past discrimination.
15 Jul2024
Study will focus on creating and implementing a curriculum grounded in historically responsive literacy and Black historical consciousness.
By Jane Fusco
This article was originally published on the University of Rhode Island’s website and is reprinted with permission.
Tashal Brown, assistant professor of urban education and secondary social studies at the University of Rhode Island (URI), has been awarded a $70,000 Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship grant from the National Academy of Education (NAEd), to research the influence of anti-Blackness in U.S. education and promote comprehensive representations of Black experiences in middle and high school curriculum.
Brown’s project, entitled, “Disrupting Anti-Black Logics in Education: Cultivating Critical Perspectives and Expansive Representations of Black Histories and Cultures in School Curriculum,” explores curricula that neglect Black histories and cultures, often portraying Blackness through a lens of trauma that harms Black students by denying their humanity, promoting deficit narratives, and distorting or prohibiting teaching Black history.
“Drawing from critical race theory and employing intersectional methodologies, the research aims to disrupt prevailing narratives and elevate the voices and experiences of Black students and other youth of color,” Brown said. “These frameworks are designed to authentically engage with students’ backgrounds, identities, and literacy practices, fostering a more inclusive understanding of Blackness.”
09 Jul2024
By Kyle Mittan
Photo courtesy of AILDI
A new center at the University of Arizona is one of only four designated by the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to lead a collective effort to empower tribal communities across the country to revitalize and maintain their languages.
A five-year grant of $1.7 million from the Department began funding the new West Region Native American Language Resource Center in the fall.
The new center, administratively housed in the university’s American Indian Language Development Institute, is one of four inaugural centers doing similar work at other institutions. The others are a national center at the University of Hawaii and three regional centers at the University of Oregon and Little Priest Tribal College in Winnebago, Nebraska. The U of A center will primarily serve Indigenous communities in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.
08 Jul2024
By AACTE
Special education teachers and advocates are invited to utilize resources developed by CEEDAR to improve student outcomes, implement new strategies, and gain valuable leadership skills. AACTE collaborates with CEEDAR to offer insights from comprehensive educator preparation programs and educational partners who have excelled in recruiting and preparing candidates to become fully licensed special educators.
24 Jun2024
By Concepción Moncada Cummings
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to give a child of immigrant parents the opportunity to advocate on Capitol Hill? Think of a child who once felt unimportant, watching “the important fancy people” walk in and out of a high-end hotel in her neighborhood while she sat outside her ready-for-demolition home. She felt like her voice did not matter because she was just a little brown child whose roots were left behind in another country.
But what happens when this same child encounters educators who make her believe in herself and her power? Those same educators fostered her learning and found ways to connect new information to make it relevant to her life. Well, you get an adult who is now given the opportunity to go to Capitol Hill and advocate for other children’s rights for exceptionally trained educators by supporting bills that would strengthen educator preparation and the educator workforce.
24 Jun2024
By Colorado Department of Education
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) is supporting school districts and community organizations to expand out-of-school-time learning opportunities for students at 24 sites across the state. The department awarded $3 million in grant funding from the federal Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant to support academic enrichment opportunities with a focus on serving economically disadvantaged students.
This year’s grant recipients are the CDE’s eleventh cohort of 21st Century Community Learning sites. Some examples of what the funds will support include the following:
24 Jun2024
By ParKer Bryant
Dear Blackqueer Student,
I got a hold of some truth on this journey; I am sure it is partial, yet it pertains to us, and I believe you should know. This truth is not the typical rhetoric of lies wrapped in subject matter, and I do not mean to alarm you with any of it. But as much as we illuminate “the way,” we must also give sound warning.
Before I get there, a little about the energy that speaks to you in this letter. My journey as an educator commenced in 2008, and I remember seeing you because I remember who I was in high school, the “out-gay girl.” With that came many challenges, not just for me, but for my Black Christian family and my peers who decided to call me friend. Though we did have access to the language back in the late ’90s, we all were coming to terms with the phrase, love is love and what that looked like for us. Nonetheless, when I saw you, I could not speak to you because, by the time I entered the classroom as a teacher of record, I was full of fear, cloaked in shame, and definitely not communicating, in a healthy way, with the queer parts of myself. I was programmed for survival; therefore, I obliged the binary request of wearing clothing that looked the part because my pronouns are she/her but made me uncomfortable because I was wearing a costume — I am a masculine woman.
18 Jun2024
By Martin Walls
This article was originally published on Syracuse University’s website.
An anonymous benefactor has given $150,000 to the Syracuse University School of Education to provide scholarships for Native American students preparing to become inclusive education teachers. The School of Education Indigenous Teacher Preparation Fund will provide scholarships to at least seven undergraduate students in its first cohort, which will matriculate by the 2026-2027 academic year.
The scholarship will pay for a maximum of 30% of an individual student’s tuition. A portion of the fund will provide support for special programming and academic opportunities for Native American teacher preparation students, such as undergraduate research, conference attendance, or study away opportunities within the US.
17 Jun2024
By AACTE
As Pride Month unfolds this June, AACTE commemorates the importance of fostering inclusive educational environments. Recognizing the imperative to integrate LGBTQ+ histories and perspectives into teaching curricula, AACTE provides members with essential resources to cultivate supportive spaces for students and teacher candidates of all identities.
Please see the following list of resources for educators curated by AACTE that will empower you to continue to be more inclusive in your teaching experience:
17 Jun2024
By Nicole Dunn
On June 19, 1865, the emancipation of enslaved Black people in the United States was realized when Union troops arrived in Galveston, TX, to enforce the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation for these citizens.
The newly freed people called this day “Juneteenth.” Also known as Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is the commemoration of Black and African American people in the United States seizing their freedom that was denied to them despite their contributions to the growth of the nation’s economy and culture. While organizations around the country, including AACTE, will close their offices to give time to celebrate, reflect, and appreciate this history, more than half of the states in the country have introduced or passed legislation to prohibit teaching about structural racism, and you cannot fully teach and appreciate Juneteenth without acknowledging structural racism.
11 Jun2024
By Montana Office of Public Instruction
Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen is accepting residency and district applications for the third year of the Montana Teacher Residency Program. The Residency program is a one-year paid student teaching experience during the final year of undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or master’s studies for education majors. Residents will be paired with a teacher-leader, and receive a stipend, district-provided housing, and partial tuition support.
Resident teachers will also commit to teaching in a Montana school district for a minimum of three years. Those interested in becoming a resident can apply here. Districts interested in hosting a resident can apply here.
“The Residency Program is a great opportunity for Montana-made teachers to gain valuable classroom experience,” Arntzen said. “The academic success of our children depends on access to high-quality teachers who are well prepared from day one. This reflects my Montana Hope and Montana Teach initiatives by emphasizing community engagement and strong teacher leaders to put our students first.”
10 Jun2024
By Sean Hembrick
Sean Hembrick, Holmes Scholar — The Pennsylvania State University
As a first-time attendee for AACTE Washington Week, I wanted to learn more about educational policy and advocacy. Being a fourth-year higher education doctoral student, I understand the importance of pushing forth efforts that speak to our ever-increasing educational field. I know that at the height of educational change are the millions of educators who continue to push forth visibility and accessibility for all students and educators.
This week, I had the opportunity to not only be in the community with fellow Holmes Scholars but also to be an active contributor in pushing forth educational reform. Connecting with educational advocates and policymakers led me to think about what more needs to be done and ensure that future generations of students are being seen, heard, and validated.
03 Jun2024
By Michael Yaple
The New Jersey Department of Education today announced awards for two grant opportunities to help schools implement, improve, and expand climate-change instruction in the classroom.
The grants will approach climate-change instruction through two avenues:
- An interdisciplinary learning and community projects grant will provide funds directly to school districts to help them partner with local organizations or their municipality to establish Interdisciplinary Learning Units and Community Resilience Projects. These projects will help schools impact their community through projects such as planting rain gardens with plants that will ease flooding; growing food using aquaponics to combat food insecurity; restoring native plant species; and planting dune grass to restore and protect native habitats.
- The Climate Change Learning Collaboratives grant will fund programs in which colleges and universities will create Climate Change Learning Collaboratives to provide training to teachers on how to infuse climate change into the curriculum.
