20 Jul2020
By Ashley White and Jane E. West
In Part 1 of this Q&A feature, AACTE consultant Jane West, a former teacher with a doctorate in special education and 30 years of policy experience in the nation’s capital, and Holmes Program Alumna Ashley L. White, assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin and 2019-20 Joseph P. Kennedy Fellow, share their mentoring/mentee relationship and how it has evolved over time to address race.
Q: What is the nature of your mentoring relationship?
White: Through my doctoral work, I became very interested in disability policy. It was through this interest that I met Jane. Anyone who knows about SPED/disability policy knows Dr. Jane West. What I didn’t know before interacting with Jane is that, while she was an advocate for the interests of special education and students with disabilities, she was aware of the structural and ideological inconsistencies that float right beneath the surface of the equity rhetoric that dominates disability advocacy.
West: I had the good fortune to meet Ashley as a doctoral student through her work with The Higher Education Consortium for Special Education—an organization with which I consult. Ashley was keenly interested in advocacy and policy—my areas of focus—so we formed a natural alliance. I was, and am, pleased to mentor her in those areas as she navigated her doctoral work and her career.
10 Jul2020
AACTE DEI Video: A Focus on Recruiting and Retaining Black and Hispanic/Latino Male Teachers
By Jerrica Thurman
Ed Prep Matters features the “Revolutionizing Education” column to spotlight the many ways AACTE, member institutions, and partners are pioneering leading-edge research, models, strategies and programs that focus on the three core values outlined in the current AACTE strategic plan: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Quality and Impact; and Inquiry and Innovation.
During this segment of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion video series, AACTE members who participated in a 5-year study discuss their findings on ways to increase representation of men of color into the teaching profession. In “A Focus on Recruiting and Retaining Black and Hispanic/Latino Male Teachers,” researchers share the collective approaches campus-wide and across generations and disciplines required to effectively diversify the teacher pipeline.
30 Jun2020
By Katrina Norfleet
In an article that appeared in “The Atlantic,” Pirette McKamey illustrated the many ways anti-racist teachers make black students central to the success of their own teaching. “This is a paradigm shift: Instead of only asking black students who are not doing well in class to start identifying with school, we also ask teachers whose black students are not doing well in their classes to start identifying with those students,” said McKamey.
McKamey is the first black principal of Mission High School in San Francisco, and has taught high-school English and history for 26 years. From 2005 to 2016, she co-founded and co-led the anti-racist teaching committee at Mission High. In the article, she offers a firsthand account of students’ level of success when their academic strengths are overlooked and marginalized by educators who do not respect the intellectual contributions of black students versus those who do.
Read the full article.
19 Jun2020
By Jerrica Thurman
AACTE celebrates Juneteeth in honor of African American history and closed the National Office today. On June 19, 1865, the emancipation of Black slaves was realized when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to enforce the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation for these citizens. The newly freed people called this day “Juneteeth.” Prior to this time, Confederate-controlled states refused to free slaves so an executive decree was issued and enacted by Union military.
The AACTE National Office Staff took time to discuss and reflect on the importance of Juneteeth during a recent team meeting. Staff shared stories as well as resources to help others learn about this historical event. Having been enriched and enlightened, staff chose to share with the AACTE community key points and resources that stemmed from the discussion to help promote the importance of this monumental occasion in our nation. The following includes excerpts of the staff participants’ statements. Here’s what they had to say:
“I think it’s important that we acknowledge this holiday and take time to reflect on its meaning,” said Lynn M. Gangone, AACTE president and CEO. “There are 20 states that honor this holiday. It is a celebration of the end of slavery.”
