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.
29 May2024
By Tyler Pointer
Theresa Canada, Ed.D., host of “The Silk Stocking Sisters Podcast”
Seventy years ago, the course of education in the United States changed forever with the historic passing of Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark decision that determined that state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools were unlawful.
AACTE member and researcher Theresa Canada, Ed.D., who received an education during the 1960s desegregation efforts in New York City, recounted this experience through the lens of her and six other Black and brown girls in a recent podcast series.
Canada, a professor in the Education and Educational Psychology Department at Western Connecticut State University, and host of “The Silk Stocking Sisters Podcast,” was a student at P.S. 6, the Lillie Devereaux Blake School, (PS 6), which is nestled on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City and was one of the first schools in the city to launch desegregation efforts. Now documenting her memories of the school through the podcast, Canada explores the historical legacies of the shared experiences of PS 6 alumni and what it demonstrated for the desegregation movement in the northern United States.
28 May2024
By Lin Wu, Esther Kim, Sohyun An and Noreen Naseem Rodriguez
The following is a Q&A by Lin Wu, Ph.D., member of AACTE’s Global Diversity Programmatic Advisory Committee and assistant professor in the College of Education at Western Oregon University in reflection of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and how teaching Asian American history extends beyond the classroom and timeframe designated to honor AANHPI history. Wu recently interviewed Noreen Naseem Rodríguez, Ph.D., assistant professor at Michigan State University’s College of Education, Sohyun An, Ph.D., professor at Kennesaw State University’s Bagwell College of Education, and Esther Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor at William & Mary School of Education, whose research in teaching Asian American history culminated in a collaboration spanning the course of a decade.
(Top) Noreen Naseem Rodríguez, Esther Kim (Bottom) Sohyun An, Lin Wu
Lin: What is your advice for teachers to strategically teach Asian American history, especially those who live in states with legislation that banned the teaching of historical truths?
All: It’s difficult to give one-size-fits-all advice for teaching no matter the topic, so this is even more complex when it comes to highly variable responses to teaching and learning about race and ethnicity. We have all taught pre- and in-service elementary educators in the U.S. South, so we deeply understand the complexity that many teachers face, in and beyond the South, because it’s important to remember that pushback to the teaching of race is happening across the country, not just in Florida and Texas.
28 May2024
By Nicole Dunn
As Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage month comes to a close, we are excited to invite you to celebrate by joining us for a special webinar, Building Intentional Pathways for Asian/Americans and Other BIPOC Faculty to Advance in EPP Leadership, which takes place on Wednesday, May 29, at 12 p.m. EST.
This webinar is the culmination of AACTE’s Thought Leadership Series: “Exploring Leadership Diversity in Educator Preparation Programs: An Asian/American Perspective.” Over the past months, Ed Prep Matters has published a series of articles authored by Nicholas Hartlep, Ph.D., and Rachel Endo, Ph.D., that lay the groundwork for the critical discussions we will have during the webinar. These articles provide a deep dive into various aspects of leadership diversity in educator preparation programs, each contributing a vital piece to the overall conversation.
28 May2024
By Sohyun Meacham
During Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AANHPI), a deeply engaging dialogue unfolded at the University of Northern Iowa, featuring Holmes Scholars Tiffiany Evans and Nimisha Joshi, alongside their mentors, Shuaib “Meach” Meacham and Sohyun “Soh” Meacham. This discussion brought forth a comprehensive exploration of their experiences and insights into leadership within the realm of educator preparation, particularly from the perspective of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
Tiffiany, whose leadership shines within her role at an elementary school library, took a significant step by inviting Soh as a guest speaker for AANHPI Heritage Month. This act of leadership highlighted her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding of AANHPI issues within her school community.
24 May2024
By Amelia Q. Rivera
By Amelia Q. Rivera, Holmes Council Vice President, North Carolina State University
ParKer Bryant, a third-year Ph.D. student in literacy education at Syracuse University, is the Holmes Scholar of the Month for May. Bryant’s research explores the intersections of imagination, creativity, language, and literacy – with a particular focus on developing critical literacy curricula and instruction for Black youth.
Bryant’s path to becoming a literacy researcher and educator was shaped by their upbringing in a household that prioritized education, creativity, and storytelling. “Books, music, movies, and imaginative play flowed in quantity in my mother’s home,” they reflect. “This led to my relationship with understanding knowledge, activating my imagination, and co-creating narratives that were transferable to real-world understandings.”
21 May2024
By Nicholas Hartlep and Rachel Endo
The “Exploring Leadership Diversity in Educator Preparation Programs: An Asian/American Perspective” series is a multi-article study that aims to share the discoveries of a yearlong study that Nicholas D. Hartlep, Ph.D., and Rachel Endo, Ph.D., undertook during the 2023–2024 academic year. Their qualitative study explored the experiences of current and former Asian/American Education Preparation Program (EPP) leaders via surveys and interviews. Join AACTE for the “Building Intentional Pathways for Asian/Americans and Other BIPOC Faculty to Advance in EPP Leadership,” webinar, an opportunity to delve deeper into themes beyond those explored in the series. Register now for this insightful session on May 29 at 12 p.m. EST.
Introduction
The average time as an EPP leader for the Asian/Americans interviewed and surveyed was 9.4 years, with a range of 1 to 37 years and a median time of six years. Half of those who responded (n = 6) indicated they wanted to become an EPP leader. One-third said they wished to advance beyond their current EPP role at their current institution (n = 9). Only two of nine said they wanted to be EPP leaders at different institutions. Both expressed dissatisfaction with their current level of compensation. Further, the same two indicated they would like to advance their EPP role at different institutions. Figure 1 shows a breakdown of survey respondents’ perceptions of diversity at their current institution and Figure 2 depicts their satisfaction with their compensation.
