Registration Now Open for AACTE’s 2020 Washington Week

By Linda Minor

Registration is now open for AACTE’s virtual 2020 Washington Week! Connect with peers from across the country for the premier national advocacy event for educator preparation. Take advantage of the reduced event rates and encourage your colleagues and students to join policy leaders in impacting our profession.

Registration rates are as follows:

Register for AACTE’s Washington Week today! Learn more about the affordable rates and other event details at www.aacte.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation using #AACTEWW20.

Do you have questions or need assistance? Please email events@aacte.org.

Bring Your Voice to AACTE’s Virtual Washington Week

By Linda Minor

Your voice is needed at the AACTE 2020 Washington Week! Convene virtually with policy leaders, education partners, and colleagues from across the country during interactive sessions addressing current issues facing the profession. With a focus on activism and advocacy, AACTE will elevate the innovative diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies of its members. You can participate in the call for member strategies to address DEI by August 14.

This year’s schedule of events covers provocative topics you won’t want to miss!

Holmes Advanced Policy Course: September 2-3
Experienced Holmes Scholars will explore advocacy strategies and current policies that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in education. This course is limited to 20 participants. Complete the course application to request your spot by August 14. 

AACTE Highlights New Programmatic Advisory Committees

By Jacqueline Rodriguez

As a nation, we are facing racially and ethnically grounded injustices, which disproportionately impact our BIPOC students and educators. In a recent letter to Holmes students, AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone noted “that generations of citizens are molded by their educators, and so the work of fighting for racial equity begins in our member institutions—on your campuses.”

Sadly, the nation’s P-20 educators have never reflected the rich diversity of the students they serve. Gangone notes that while “the work that needs to be done to sow seeds of racial justice in our curriculum and in our teaching practices should not and cannot be solely completed by our students and faculty of color, the invaluable teaching and scholarship contributions of our diverse educators and candidates are the underpinning for system of education each student in our country deserves.

Breahannah Hilaire Named Scholar of the Month

By Azaria Cunningham

Congratulations to Breahannah Hilaire, Holmes Scholar of the Month for July 2020. Hilaire recently completed the first year of her doctoral program at the University of Central Florida (UCF), where she is pursuing her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision. 

Prior to attending UCF, Hilaire completed her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling at Rollins College. She is currently a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern and holds counseling certifications in both clinical hypnosis and university and college counseling.

Connect with Peers at the Virtual AACTE 2020 Washington Week

By Linda Minor

Join AACTE at its inaugural, virtual 2020 Washington Week this September. You will be able to connect with peers from around the nation under the event’s theme Your Voice Matters. Whether you’re joining the State Leaders Institute, Holmes Policy Institute or Advanced Policy Course, and/or Day on the Hill, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn, work, and advocate together!

Here’s what past attendees had to say about the events:

Join the Virtual AACTE 2020 Washington Week

By Linda Minor

AACTE is excited to offer its virtual 2020 Washington Week experience this September. The event dates have changed to offer you more opportunities to participate. Here’s the lineup:

Holmes Advanced Policy Course: September 2-3
On September 2, attendees will learn what to expect during the event and hear from a keynote speaker. The September 3 activities will include interactive breakout sessions and a congressional panel.

Holmes Policy Institute: September 8-10
On September 8, attendees will participate in a welcome session and engaging breakouts. Keynote speakers and panelists will show participants how to advocate for educator preparation through lively discussions and group activities. On September 10, participants will enjoy a virtual reception, including interactive games, to conclude the event. 

Day on the Hill: September 9-10 and September 15-16

Announcing AACTE’s Inaugural Virtual Conference: 2020 Washington Week

By Linda Minor

After careful consideration, AACTE has decided to transform the 2020 Washington Week conference into its inaugural virtual event. The in-person meeting has been canceled due to our concern about the health, well-being, and safety of our attendees and the coronavirus-related meeting and travel restrictions. We are excited to bring a virtual conference that will center on the same education and connections attendees experience at AACTE face-to-face meetings—from the comfort of your home. Take a moment to review the questions and answers we’ve prepared to acquaint you with this year’s Washington Week conference.

AACTE Board of Directors Creates Two New Committees to Promote DEI

By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.

The AACTE Board of Directors recently created two new advisory committees to promote diversity in the educator workforce and among future leaders and scholars in educator preparation. These committees will be an integral part of fulfilling the strategic priority of diversity, equity, and inclusion outlined in AACTE’s strategic plan.

Advisory Committee on Educator Diversity

The purpose of this committee is to advise the AACTE staff and Board of Directors on current trends, issues, and programming needs related to advance diversity in educator preparation program faculty and candidates. The committee shall provide recommendations and feedback for program improvement that may pertain to the following:

Sustaining Productivity During COVID-19: How to Stay Connected During Times of Isolation

By Nakisha Whittington

This article originally appeared in the AACTE Holmes Bulletin e-newsletter.

Graduate students all across the nation are adjusting to new academic schedules and research timelines as a result of the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19). Students have contemplated many questions about how to be productive, and how to recharge and refocus their energy as they continue to pursue their academic goals. Below are some tips to help our Holmes students cope during this crisis.

Weekly Check-Ins: Checking in on family and friends is always a good idea. However, instead of asking general questions like “How are you today?”, ask specific and detailed questions that will offer support or solutions. For example, “Are there any tasks this week that I can help you with?” Counselor education students at University of Central Florida have been hosting weekly check-ins with other first-year Holmes students in an effort to build strong communities of practice during the pandemic.

Shanett Dean Named Holmes Scholar of the Month

By Azaria Cunningham

Congratulations to Shanett Dean, Holmes Scholar of the Month for June 2020. Dean is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Her research interests include the school-to-prison pipeline, critical pedagogy, technology integration, and critical literacy. She earned a B.A. in English literature from the University of South Florida and an M.A. from New York University. Dean has 10 years of experience as a literature, philosophy, and research instructor, and has facilitated professional development sessions on the implementation and implications of technology in secondary classrooms. 

As a Holmes Scholar, Dean has presented her research at several national conferences, including the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. She is also the recipient of many awards and recognitions, including the FAU’s Provost Fellowship, the Broward Education Foundation Teacher Grant for her work on micro-narratives and project-based learning, and the Super Teacher Award received in March 2019 for her creative and fun learning techniques in the IB Literature class that she teaches at Boyd Anderson High School in South Florida. Dean has also created a website for her students, which can be found at deanintheory.com.

Get Discounts on Washington Week Events

By Linda Minor

Registration is open for AACTE’s 2020 Washington Week, to be held September 8-11 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA. Please note the discounted registration rates based on the following:

• Register for the State Leaders Institute and you will receive a 12% discount on the Day on the Hill rate.
• Register for the Holmes Institute and you will receive a complimentary registration for Day on the Hill.
• Register to attend Day on the Hill and receive a 12% discount on State Leaders Institute.

Bridging the Gap: Preparing Diverse Faculty Through the Inaugural AACTE/Holmes Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

By Detris Adelabu, Michael Dennehy, Jeana Morrison, Shana Rochester and Beth Warren

The road to tenure can comprise unforeseen barriers to success for some underrepresented faculty of color, barriers that often start before pursuit of a tenure-track appointment. Underrepresented faculty describe gaps in mentoring that can begin in graduate school and later impact their opportunity to receive a tenure-track offer as well as their success during the tenure process (Cole, McGowan, & Zerquera, 2017; Garrison-Wade et al., 2012).  For those faculty who receive tenure-track appointments, gaps in mentoring can persist during the tenure process. Underrepresented faculty of color discuss not receiving quality support and mentoring from senior faculty during the tenure process. They also discuss feelings of isolation, lack of value for their research, and an expectation to serve as the diversity consciousness of their department. A 2016 report by the TIAA Institute made visible the impact of barriers to tenure among underrepresented faculty of color. The report found relatively small gains in the number of underrepresented faculty of color across a twenty-year period. Gains were mostly attributed to an increase in non-tenure-track appointments.

Register Now for AACTE 2020 Washington Week

By Linda Minor

Registration is now open for AACTE’s 2020 Washington Week. This annual event, with participation from AACTE and the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) state chapter leaders, Holmes Scholars, and AACTE members and non-members alike interested in advocating for the profession, will take place in the nation’s capital. This year’s Washington Week will be held May 31 – June 3 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Arlington, VA, and on Capitol Hill.

Phillandra Smith Named Scholar of the Month

By Azaria Cunningham

Congratulations to Phillandra Smith, Holmes Scholar of the Month for February 2020. Smith is a second-year doctoral student in special education, and is also pursuing a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Disability Studies at Syracuse University. She is one of two inaugural Holmes Scholars at Syracuse University, where she is also a board member on the School of Education Graduate Student Council. Smith serves as an American Education Research Association (AERA) peer reviewer for the Caribbean and African Studies in Education special interest group (SIG).

Originally from The Bahamas, Smith has taught in her home country and Japan. Her research interests include cultural reciprocity in the transition planning of culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities, the retention and recruitment of racially and ethnically diverse students to inclusive education teacher programs, and the experience of Caribbean migrant students with disabilities in U.S. schools.

AACTE Introduces Newly Elected Holmes Council Members

By Weade James

AACTE is excited to announce and welcome the newly elected 2020-21 Holmes Council. The Council, selected by members of the AACTE Holmes Program, is comprised of current Holmes students and serves as the student voice of the program for AACTE. In my role as the AACTE director of development and research and an alumna of the Holmes Program, I look forward to collaborating with the new Holmes Council to implement initiatives that align with the organization’s strategic priorities.