Posts Tagged ‘research’

Findings on Black Women Educator Professional Experiences


Read the latest 
JTE Insider blog interview by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team. This blog is available to the public, and AACTE members have free access to the articles in the JTE online archives—just log in with your AACTE profile.

This interview features insights from Melanie M. Acosta, author of the JTE article “The Paradox of Pedagogical Excellence Among Exemplary Black Women Educators.” The article is published in the Jan/Feb 2019 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education.

Q1. What motivated you to pursue this particular research topic?

I was compelled to study the professional experiences of exceptional Black women educators for many reasons. One of the most important reasons was related to my own positionality as a Black woman educator with a record of success in teaching. Another crucial reason I wanted to pursue research on Black women educator professional experiences was related to expanding and complicating the dialogue on diversifying the teaching force to focus on issues affecting Black teacher retention, which includes teachers’ positionalities and the treatment of Black women educators in schools.

Call for Entries: 2020 AACTE Awards


Applications for the 2020 AACTE awards are now open on AACTE’s online submission site. Entries for the Outstanding Book Award are due May 16 and entries for the Outstanding Dissertation Award are due August 20. All other award submissions are due October 9.

This is the 24th year AACTE’s awards program has been recognizing member institutions’ exemplary programs as well as individuals who have made noteworthy contributions to education preparation. For an overview of the 2019 award winners, see this press release.

Register for the UCF Holmes Scholars Research & Scholarship Expo

I have exciting news for all master’s and doctoral students! The University of Central Florida (UCF) Holmes Scholar Program will host a Research & Scholarship Expo, Building Bridges: Promoting Impactful, Equitable Research, on June 28-29 in Orlando, FL. The Expo will include sessions on developing and conducting qualitative and quantitative research, exploring and securing external grant funding, developing winning manuscripts (conceptual and empirical), problem-solving through the dissertation journey, building meaningful mentoring relationships, and other practical topics related to successfully navigating higher education and the publication process.

Our keynote speaker will be David H. Jackson, Jr. dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research at Florida A& M University.

Although the Research Expo will be hosted by the UCF Holmes Scholar program, the sessions are open to all master’s and doctoral students. For registration and hotel information, please visit https://2019ucfholmesscholarexpo.eventbrite.com.

For more information, feel free to contact me at Dr-S@ucf.edu or Amanda Wilkerson at Amanda.Wilkerson@ucf.edu.

JTE Author Insights: Examining Preservice Teacher Quality and Attrition

Read the latest JTE Insider blog interview by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team. This blog is available to the public, and AACTE members have free access to the articles in the JTE online archives—just log in with your AACTE profile.

This interview features insights from the authors of the JTE article “Keeping Our Best? A Survival Analysis Examining a Measure of Preservice Teacher Quality and Teacher Attrition.” Robert Vagi, Margarita Pivovarova, and Wendy Miedel Barnard co-authored the article, which is published in the March/April 2019 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education.

Q1. What motivated you to pursue this particular research topic?

With a background as a classroom teacher, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that great teachers can have on students. In my experience (and research supports this), those teachers are most desperately needed in challenging schools. As a result, I’ve always been interested in the strategic recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers. This interest fit naturally with my Ph.D. program that was housed in one of the largest teacher education colleges in the country. My co-authors, on the other hand, have been engaged in research on teacher quality and evaluation for several years, both for pre-service and in-service teachers.

JTE Author Insights: Relating Habits of Mind, Intelligent Behaviors to Educational Theories for Developing Disposition


Check out the latest 
JTE Insider blog interview by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team. This blog is available to the public, and AACTE members have free access to the articles in the JTE online archives—just log in with your AACTE profile.

This author interview features Servet Altan’s insights from the article “Using Habits of Mind, Intelligent Behaviors, and Educational Theories to Create a Conceptual Framework for Developing Effective Teaching Disposition.” Altan co-authored the article with Jennie F. Lane, and Erskine Dottin. This article was published in the March/April 2019 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education.

Q1: What motivated you to pursue this particular research topic?

I have always admired talented teachers. Being a K-12 teacher myself, I have had the chance to work with a variety of teachers from different backgrounds and varying degrees of experience. I have always wondered what makes effective educators think and act the way they do. Furthermore, I was curious whether there are certain experiences that could help pre-service teachers develop desired characteristics. A responsibility of mine is teacher education and one of the aims of professional development is to understand teachers’ ways of knowing and acting. Additionally, it is worthwhile to know how these ways of knowing and acting reflect themselves in a teacher’s practice.

JTE Insider Podcast Highlights Evidence-Based Teacher Preparation


In a recent podcast interview for JTE Insider blog, author Dan Goldhaber from the University of Washington offers an overview of his article, Evidence-Based Teacher Preparation: Policy Context and What We Know, during a talk with Graduate Assistant Mary Neville. The article was published in the March/April 2019 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education.

Goldhaber shares that the article is intended to do two thing: Describe what is known about teacher education and what happens once a teacher candidate becomes an in-service teacher, and secondly, to make observations about some of the structures that might be needed for state teacher preparation programs to learn more about what constitutes effective teaching.

New Research-to-Practice Spotlight Videos Feature Bowling Green and Portland State Universities


AACTE identified and documented two exemplary teacher preparation programs that ensure all of their candidates are ready to work with all students, including students with disabilities. We are pleased to feature a set of videos from each program documenting how they implement curriculum for dual certification (general education and special education) and feature extensive clinical preparation.

Bowling Green State University’s undergraduate Inclusive Early Childhood Program and Portland State University’s Secondary Dual Education Program support new and beginning teachers in teaching in inclusive classrooms. Both programs lead to certifications in general and special education. “These institutions ensure that all educators have the skills to work with students with disabilities in the 21st century,” said AACTE Consultant Jane West, “School districts scramble to hire these outstanding students, as they come with the mindset and the skillset to be effective with all students.”

Call for Book Chapters: Research on Leadership and Advocacy for Children and Families in Rural Poverty

As co-editors, we are seeking chapter authors for a book we are publishing with IGI Global for release in 2020 titled Handbook of Research on Leadership and Advocacy for Children and Families in Rural Poverty. This interdisciplinary book will address issues related to education, counseling, social work, public policy, health, and leadership.

Education researchers and practitioners are invited to submit a 1,000 to 2,000 word chapter proposal by April 25, 2019. All submitted chapters will undergo a double-blind review.

Holmes Students and Alum Engage at AACTE 71st Annual Meeting


The 71st AACTE Annual Meeting was held in Louisville Kentucky from February 22-24, 2019.  The AACTE theme this year was “Sustaining and Advancing the Profession.” The attendance was impressive, surpassing the number of attendees from previous years. The meeting allowed the members and alumni of the AACTE Holmes Program to escape daily routines, work distractions, and be fully present during a vibrant and innovative experience. This special environment fostered rich dialogue, sharing of research ideas, and collaboration on finding solutions to complex problems.     

Interactive Sessions, Dynamic Conversations, Innovative Solutions, and Tangible Outcomes

The AACTE Holmes preconference agenda centered around growth—both professionally and personally. While lecture-style sessions are beneficial, this year the strategic planning team implemented more interactive sessions. For example, during the Career Choice Pathway sessions, the audience was intentionally involved and invited to participate in dialogue. This year also consisted of tangible outcomes such as productive writing skills. A session was dedicated for focus based-research writing, which allowed for experimentation of a new writing tool to aid in efficient writing. Students were able to share and connect over similar writing experiences and provide guidance on how to stay motivated. Lastly, this year we were honored to have alumni host sessions, provide their mentorship, and invite collaboration on projects.

Apply to join AACTE’s Special Education Teacher Shortage NIC


AACTE is now accepting applications from member institutions to join a new networked improvement community (NIC) focused on special education teacher recruitment and retention.

The shortage of special education teachers and the lack of diversity among all teachers have been well documented. Half of all schools and 90% of high-poverty schools struggle to find qualified special education teachers.

The aim of this NIC is to positively impact the special education teacher shortage and the lack of diversity in the special education teacher workforce in public schools. Participating institutions will identify a range of best practices related to increasing enrollment, strengthening partnerships with P-12 schools, and retaining special education teachers.

Read more about this new initiative on our website and in the Reducing the Shortage of Special Education Teachers NIC Charter.

Applications are due on April 1, 2019.  Member institutions will be selected through a structured review process and notified in late April of 2019. An introductory virtual meeting will be held in May of 2019, and the first in-person convening will be held in the fall of 2019.

JTE Insider Author Interview: Contextual Factors Informing Mentoring in Art Initial Teacher Education

Read the latest JTE Insider blog interview by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team. This blog is available to the public, and AACTE members have free access to the articles in the JTE online archives—just log in with your AACTE profile.

This interview features insights from the JTE article “Context Matters: Contextual Factors Informing Mentoring in Art Initial Teacher Education” by Ayelet Becher and Lily Orland-Barak. The article is published in the Nov/Dec 2018 issue of the Journal of Teacher Education. You can read the full text by visiting this link.

Report Identifies Student Diversity in U.S. Colleges of Education by Race and Ethnicity

(February 26, 2019, Washington, D.C.)Education Students and Diversity: A Review of New Evidence, an issue brief released today by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), provides new information on student diversity in U.S. colleges of education. As a supplement to AACTE’s signature report, Colleges of Education: A National Portrait, the new issue brief draws from a recently released U.S. Department of Education survey—The National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. It examines the characteristics of students working toward bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, compares these students to the general student population, and identifies key differences by race/ethnicity.

The issue brief presents newly available data on the following topics for education students in bachelor’s and master’s degree programs:

  • Personal characteristics
  • Family circumstances
  • Parental education
  • Financial status
  • Employment
  • Attendance patterns

AACTE to form Special Education Networked Improvement Community (NIC)

AACTE will launch a Networked Improvement Community focused on Special Education Teacher Recruitment and Retention in May of 2019. The NIC will investigate strategies to address the persistent shortages in the field of special education.

The shortage of special education teachers and the lack of diversity among all teachers have been well documented. Half of all schools and 90% of high-poverty schools struggle to find qualified special education teachers. Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia report special education teacher shortages. However, special education teacher shortages are not evenly distributed across the country. Generally, high poverty areas—both urban and rural—are most likely to experience the most severe teacher shortages, including those in special education. States vary in the degree of shortage they experience.

Coming Soon! Issue Brief supplement to National Portrait paints rich picture of student diversity


One of the most striking findings of AACTE’s signature report, Colleges of Education: A National Portrait, is the lack of diversity among education students, particularly at the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels. Education Students and Diversity:  A Review of New Evidence draws from a recently released U.S. Department of Education survey to examine the characteristics of students working toward bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education, to compare these students to the general student population, and to identify key differences by race/ethnicity.

The issue brief, which will be available for free download as an exclusive AACTE member benefit later this month, presents newly available data on the following topics for education students in bachelor’s and master’s degree programs:

  • Personal characteristics
  • Family circumstances
  • Parental education
  • Financial status
  • Employment
  • Attendance patterns

Visit #AACTE19 Gallery to Learn What’s Happening Around the Association


The AACTE Gallery will be offered again this year at the 2019 Annual Meeting in Louisville. It will feature mini presentations and a dedicated coffee and conversation space where Annual Meeting participants can chat with representatives from AACTE member and partner initiatives, as well as AACTE staff, to learn more about programs and opportunities of interest. The AACTE membership booth will also be located nearby, and staff will be on hand to share information and answer questions.

Come learn more about what’s been happening at AACTE this year! You can receive the latest updates on the AACTE Strategic Planning initiative, gain access to AACTE’s new research publication, Education Students and Diversity: A Review of New Evidence, and connect with AACTE members and partners for information about their innovative projects. For all of this and more, be sure to add the AACTE Gallery time blocks to your personalized 2019 Annual Meeting Online Event Planner schedule. The Gallery will offer opportunities to network while learning about promising innovations in educator preparation.