10 Jul2018
By Janeula Burt
Please get me through the academic year … and I promise that I will write my dissertation during the summer! is a common refrain among doctoral students who are in the throes of their dissertation work. It seems there is not a single doctoral student or candidate who hasn’t bargained with the “dissertation gods” to finish their dissertation research.
Well, summer is here! Sadly, we are already halfway through the academic break, and soon you’ll have to face the questions: How many pages have you written? How many chapters are completed? How tight is your methodology? Have you exhausted the literature? Are your research questions appropriate? Is your dissertation research IRB-worthy? Are you currently on your dissertation committee’s radar? Have you done everything that you need to do in order to graduate in the fall or spring?
19 Jun2018
By Shelley B. Wepner and William Henk
What factors contribute most to the longevity of education deans in their positions? Are there optimal lengths of time for these academic administrators to stay in their roles, and if so, how long and why? What are the personal and professional benefits or downsides of remaining in the role of education dean for an extended period?
These questions are among those emerging from a national survey on deans’ ways of thinking, being, and acting that revealed generally limited lengths of service in the deanship. The survey results have inspired a new line of research on factors contributing to deans’ longevity in the role, which may be important for critical initiatives to have a viable lifespan and for deans and their stakeholders to continue to be gratified.
18 Jun2018
By Ramon B. Goings
This column originally appeared in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and is reposted with permission. The author was a panelist during AACTE’s Holmes Summer Policy Institute on June 4. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Last week I had the opportunity to talk to current and aspiring doctoral students who were attending the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Holmes Summer Policy Institute. Throughout the session titled “Linking Research to Policy: White Papers, Blogs, and Social Media,” I joined several panelists to dialogue about the importance of leveraging social media as an outlet to get your research exposure outside of the ivory tower and into the hands and screens of practitioners and policy makers.
18 Jun2018
By Zachary VanHouten
To keep members informed, AACTE regularly monitors and reports on the activity of the National Council on Teacher Quality that could affect educator preparation programs. Visit our NCTQ resource page for additional information.
The National Education Policy Center (NEPC) has released a scathing assessment of the latest Teacher Prep Review by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ).
The analysis for NEPC, conducted by Boston College’s Marilyn Cochran-Smith and other members of Project TEER (Teacher Education and Education Reform), finds a dearth of research undergirding NCTQ’s 2018 Review.
18 Jun2018
By Kristin McCabe
Applications for the 2019 AACTE awards are now open on AACTE’s online submission site (except the Outstanding Book Award, which closed May 3). Entries for the Outstanding Dissertation Award are due August 20, and all other award submissions are due October 10.
Now in its 23rd year, AACTE’s awards program recognizes member institutions’ exemplary programs as well as individuals who have made noteworthy contributions to education preparation. For an overview of last year’s winners, see this press release.
12 Jun2018
By Janeula Burt
AACTE Holmes Scholars and other graduate students are invited to sharpen their research acumen at the annual Holmes Dissertation Retreat and Research Symposium, July 26-28 at Rowan University (NJ). The retreat supports the research, academic, and professional development of doctoral students through 2½ days of workshops, relationship-building activities, and peer-to-peer and student-to-faculty engagement.
A combination of plenary and smaller concurrent sessions will cover topics such as writing an annotated bibliography, quantitative and qualitative research methods, developing measurable questions, mentor/mentee relationships, reading/dissecting research articles, publishing research, academic etiquette, time management, scholar identity, and training for Holmes Program coordinators.
11 Jun2018
By Donna Wake and Terri Cullen
The authors are members and leaders of the AACTE topical action group called “All Things Accreditation.” The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
Members of the All Things Accreditation Topical Action Group (TAG) spent the spring term this year designing and validating a survey that aims to help us better understand how the field is measuring technology integration in teacher education programs and what evidence colleges are using for technology expectations such as those of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). We invite you to participate in the survey at this link by June 29.
04 Jun2018
By JTE Insider
Have you seen the JTE Insider blog managed by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team? Check out the following interview with the authors of a recent article. This blog is available to the public, and AACTE members have free access to the articles themselves in the full JTE archives online–just log in with your AACTE profile here.
The following interview features insights from the authors of the article “Early Childhood Open-Mindedness: An Investigation Into Preservice Teachers’ Capacity to Address Controversial Issues,” published in the March/April 2018 issue of JTE. The article is written by Nazan U. Bautista, Thomas J. Misco, and Stephen J. Quaye, all of Miami University (OH), and is summarized in the following abstract:
29 May2018
By Janeula Burt
On June 4, AACTE will welcome more than three dozen students to the Holmes Summer Policy Institute in Arlington, Virginia, as part of the Association’s Washington Week. This annual institute connects students with advocacy work at the intersection of education research and policy.
Throughout the day, interactive panel discussions will explore topics such as advocating for students of color, using social media for research and advocacy, and partnering with grass roots organizations and other advocacy groups. Featured panelists will include representatives from national organizations and associations such as UNCF, EdTrust, and HBCU Buzz. The Holmes institute participants will also receive a policy briefing and join an evening reception with the leaders of AACTE’s state chapters.
29 May2018
By Kristin McCabe
Teachers of color continue to be in high demand and short supply, says a new report from the Learning Policy Institute, and policy makers should put more weight behind promising practices to improve both recruitment and retention of teachers of color.
The report, authored by Desiree Carver-Thomas, finds the overall population of teachers of color is growing–but not keeping up with changes in student demographics. Latino/a teachers in particular are underrepresented in schools compared to students, Carver-Thomas reports.
18 May2018
By JTE Insider
Have you seen the JTE Insider blog managed by the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) editorial team? Check out the following interview with the authors of a recent article. This blog is available to the public, and AACTE members have free access to the articles themselves in the full JTE archives online–just log in with your AACTE profile here.
The January/February 2018 issue of JTE contains an article by Mary Beisiegel of Oregon State University, Rebecca Mitchell of Pine Manor College (MA), and Heather C. Hill of Harvard University (MA) titled “The Design of Video-Based Professional Development: An Exploratory Experiment Intended to Identify Effective Features.” The article is summarized in the following abstract:
15 May2018
By Kevin Graziano, Teresa Foulger, Denise Schmidt-Crawford and David Slykhuis
The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
The Teacher Educator Technology Competencies (TETCs) have been finalized, thanks to feedback from many of you, and we are excited to invite you to put them to use–and to tell us about them!
The Need for Technology Competencies for Teacher Educators
Last year, we reported to you on our progress developing the TETCs, which aim to address the “digital use gap” among teacher educators and their ability to prepare PK-12 teachers to teach with technology.
02 May2018
By Kristin McCabe
Last month, AACTE cosponsored an event organized by PREPARED TO TEACH: Sustainable Funding for Quality Teacher Preparation at Bank Street College of Education to present its new report on the economics of teacher residencies. AACTE Director of Programs and Professional Learning Amanda Lester served as a panelist at the event along with New York Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education John D’Agati and Prepared To Teach Director (and report author) Karen DeMoss.
The report, Following the Money: Exploring Residency Funding Through the Lens of Economics, dives into the realities of funding high-quality teacher preparation and calls on policy makers to understand the financial barriers candidates face.
27 Apr2018
By Zachary VanHouten
A new resource developed by the Education Commission of the States (ECS) offers a 50-state comparison of school leader certification and preparation programs, along with individual state profiles.
As more attention turns to the ways in which school leaders are prepared and certified, particularly in light of the impact school leaders have on student learning, states are evaluating and developing policies to strengthen and improve the quality of school leaders. ECS conducted the 50-state assessment of school leader policies and identified the following key takeaways:
27 Apr2018
By Kristin McCabe
UPDATE: The release of this report and the May webinar have been postponed. Please stay tuned for the new dates!
One of the many exciting events occurring during AACTE’s Washington Week (June 3-6) will be the release of Colleges of Education: A National Portrait, a major new report from AACTE that provides a comprehensive picture of today’s schools, colleges, and departments of education: the work they do, the people who do that work, and the students they serve. Please join author Jacqueline E. King for a free webinar May 15, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT, to preview the report’s major findings.
AACTE produced this report to describe the many ways that its members contribute to U.S. education and to outline some of the challenges they face. The report also provides a wealth of information that colleges of education can use for benchmarking their work. Below are just a few of the report’s many findings:
