23 Mar2015
By Donna Sacco, Amanda Bush and Christine DeGregory
In the three decades since A Nation at Risk was released, the state of America’s education system relative to other countries’ has been a matter of heated debate. Along the way, public opinion has placed the onus for our schools’ perceived failure on teachers and their preparation, and education policy has echoed this assumption through an array of accountability measures for teachers and preparation programs.
One driver of the continued misconception about U.S. teacher quality is the highly publicized results of international large-scale education assessments (ILSAs) that suggest America’s students are performing far below other nations. At January’s press briefing for the report The Iceberg Effect, lead researcher and report author James Harvey explained that ILSAs have been misused and that the science behind them is highly questionable, akin to comparing apples to oranges.
05 Mar2015
By Kristin McCabe and Deborah Koolbeck
On Tuesday, March 10, the U.S. Department of Education’s International and Foreign Language Education Office will host a free webinar to assist minority-serving institutions (MSIs) with applications for Fulbright-Hays grants. An additional webinar will be open to all audiences the following day.
19 Feb2015
By Kristin McCabe
AACTE has selected Kansas State University’s College of Education to receive the 2015 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Teacher Education. The award will be presented at the 67th AACTE Annual Meeting Welcoming Session, Friday, February 27, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
A model for global diversity education throughout the institution, K-State will be honored in particular for its Teaching English as a Second Language “Go Teacher” program, an award-winning, multifaceted program of professional education for practicing Ecuadorian teachers.
19 Feb2015
By Kristin McCabe
AACTE’s Committee on Global Diversity has selected Texas Christian University’s College of Education to receive the 2015 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity. The award will be presented at the 67th AACTE Annual Meeting Speaker Spotlight Session, Sunday, March 1, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
The university’s robust Early Childhood Through Grade 6 Program (EC-6) is the particular target of AACTE’s award, with a focus on diversity broadly conceived. Students in this program–who predominantly come from middle-high socioeconomic, monolingual backgrounds and initially expect to teach in schools with similar demographics–develop knowledge, skills, and values to effectively work in high-need settings by serving as a bridge between home and school while academically challenging all children for success.
18 Feb2015
By Kristin McCabe
AACTE has chosen Nel Noddings’ book Education and Democracy in the 21st Century to receive the 2015 AACTE Outstanding Book Award. The award will be presented at the 67th AACTE Annual Meeting Welcoming Session, Friday, February 27, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
Published by Teachers College Press, the book thoughtfully brings John Dewey’s work into the current era, exploring the relationship between schooling and civic polity in the age of “disruptions” in education.
10 Feb2015
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE is pleased to announce a new speaker for the 67th Annual Meeting Welcoming Session. A. Lin Goodwin of Teachers College, Columbia University, will join Marc Tucker of the National Center on Education and the Economy at this kick-off general session, Friday, February 27, at noon.
Linda Darling-Hammond of Stanford University, originally scheduled to speak at the session with Tucker, is no longer able to attend the conference.
Goodwin brings her extensive experience in international education reform to this keynote duet for a thought-provoking discussion of economic imperatives and successful systems of educator preparation around the world.
03 Feb2015
By Amanda Bush, Christine DeGregory and Donna Sacco
Upon arriving at AACTE last month to begin our semester-long internship, we were whisked off to the National Press Club for a press briefing on The Iceberg Effect, based on the new studySchool Performance in Context: Indicators of School Inputs and Outputs in Nine Similar Nations. For three doctoral students who are dedicated to promoting social justice in and out of the classroom, this could not have been a more fitting introduction to our work at AACTE.
The report, released by the National Superintendents Roundtable and the Horace Mann Foundation, casts new light on U.S. students’ performance on international assessments, controlling for social and economic factors that have not been previously studied alongside student achievement on this scale. The results highlight the relatively strong academic achievement of America’s students in spite of our nation’s poor performance in providing supports to help offset the widespread social and economic effects of poverty.
30 Oct2014
By Gail Bozeman
The National Science Foundation has awarded AACTE $72,820 to support a conference in 2015 on closing the student achievement gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The event will help participants address the following objectives:
- To review current research on the achievement gap in mathematics and science with a focus on school-related variables that adversely affect outcomes from low-income and minority students
- To discuss teacher quality and effective teaching in STEM
- To identify effective strategies and models that promote equity in education and that close the STEM achievement gap
- To build collaborative, interdisciplinary partnerships for addressing the U.S. achievement gap in STEM subjects
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
23 Sep2014
By Kristin McCabe
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. For more information, contact Zach VanHouten at zvanhouten@aacte.org.
The award-winning Professional Development School (PDS) Consortium based at the State University of New York College at Buffalo (Buffalo State) offers a supportive cohort community for teacher candidates, minigrants for action research in the schools, and even international partner settings. This clinically rich network, founded in 1991, has evolved in alignment with frameworks including the 2001 NCATE PDS Standards, the National Association of Professional Development Schools Nine Essentials, and the 2012 NCATE Blue Ribbon Panel report.
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.
15 May2014
By Kristin McCabe
Alverno’s Mary Diez (right) with her SSSF vice presidents
It’s hard to believe, but it’s true: After 38 years, Mary Diez is leaving Alverno July 1.
Diez, professor and former dean of the School of Education at Alverno College (WI), was elected last month to a 4-year term as president of the School Sisters of St. Francis (SSSF), an international congregation with 850 sisters in the United States, Europe, India, and Latin America. This full-time commitment will take her to all of those places, although she plans to retain her campus residence at the college where she has lived for nearly 4 decades.
Taking her leadership skills off campus is hardly new for Diez, whether as a consultant in the Milwaukee community, member of standards boards, convener of assessment institutes, champion of dispositions work, or president of AACTE—among countless other roles she has held around the country and internationally. Despite having so much on her plate, Diez generously responded to my questions this week about her career to date and future plans.
14 Jan2014
By Alicia Ardila-Rey
If you are interested in international education and in preparing globally competent teachers, here are some resources and opportunities to consider:
Summer 2014 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program in China
The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program provides opportunities for overseas experiences to teachers and other PK-12 personnel, teacher educators, and administrators with responsibilities for program or curriculum development in fields related to humanities, languages, and area studies. Seminars are designed to provide a broad and introductory cultural orientation to a particular country. The program is geared toward educators with little or no experience in the host country who demonstrate the need to develop and enhance their curriculum through short-term study and travel abroad.
09 Jan2014
By AACTE Committee on Global Diversity
The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
The latest release of international test results has once again stirred the controversy of whether or not American students can successfully compete academically in a global context. Before we condemn our educational system, however, we must first understand exactly what the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) reveals about student performance and whether a fair comparison can be made between American 15-year-olds and those in other countries.
