Desmond Hodge Named Holmes Scholar of the Month

By Adrianne Taylor

Congratulations to February Holmes Scholar of the Month Desmond Hodge!

Hodge is a 4th-year educational leadership doctoral candidate at Florida A&M University (FAMU). He also serves as clinical services coordinator at the FAMU Center for Disability Access and Resources, where he conducts educational evaluations to identify factors that contribute to students’ learning difficulties.

Hodge’s dedication to scholarship is evident within the Holmes Program and his university. His passion for research permeates all aspects of his professional and educational experiences. He embodies the “growth mindset” that frames his research and serves as a source of support and advocacy for K-12 students as well as for undergraduate students at FAMU.

AACTE to Award Dissertation on Developing Reflective Practitioners Through Guided Video Analysis

By Kristin McCabe

AACTE will honor Sarah A. Nagro, assistant professor of special education in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University (VA), with the 2017 AACTE Outstanding Dissertation Award for her study The Effects of Guided Video Analysis on Teacher Candidates’ Reflective Ability and Instructional Skills. The award will be presented at the 69th AACTE Annual Meeting Speaker Spotlight Session, Saturday, March 4, in Tampa, Florida.

Nagro’s study, which also is published in the current issue of Teacher Education and Special Education, investigated the effects of offering guidance and feedback to special education teacher candidates as part of their reflection and video-analysis activities. Two groups of teacher candidates with comparable prior experience participated in semester-long field assignments during which they video-recorded their instruction four times and wrote four reflections. One group of candidates also received directed guidance and feedback on their video analysis. At the end of the semester, both groups self-reported improvements in their teaching ability, but only the treatment group showed significant growth in both their instructional skills and their reflective ability.

Passionate Leaders Build Connections at Leadership Academy

By Jennifer Roth, John Henning and Patricia Alvarez McHatton

A dynamic group of 80 leaders from educator preparation programs nationwide gathered in Portland, Oregon, for AACTE’s annual Leadership Academy June 26-30. This year’s participants came from all types of institutions, some on their own and others in pairs or teams. Many had just accepted a new role as a chair or dean, others were experienced in their positions, and some were enhancing their skills in preparation for future career opportunities.

The 5-day event featured several general sessions addressing such topics as establishing authority, building consensus, assembling a team, and managing change. Two guest sessions on inclusive education were added this year, one presented by the Ohio Deans Compact on Exceptional Children and the other by the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center. Based on the positive response to these offerings, AACTE plans to continue including special topics at future Leadership Academies.

Register by June 2 for AACTE’s Leadership Academy

By Christine Tambini

The registration and hotel deadline for this year’s AACTE Leadership Academy is fast approaching. Reserve your spot by June 2 for this unique and engaging professional development opportunity in Portland, Oregon, June 26-30 at the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower! As always, the program will be led by a roster of faculty who are experts in various aspects of educator preparation and administration. This year’s passionate team includes both new and veteran academy faculty (click here to learn more about each one):

Kandi Hill-Clarke

Walter H. Gmelch

John Henning

Patricia McHatton

Jennifer Roth

Angela
Maynard Sewall

AACTE Leadership Academy Adding Focus on Exceptional Learners

By Rodrick Lucero

I am excited to announce that this year’s Leadership Academy will feature new programming related to preparing teachers for exceptional learners. Enhancing an already robust leadership curriculum being offered June 26-30 in Portland, Oregon, we’ve planned a special set of new sessions to engage participants on how to lead programs that prepare teachers to educate every child.

Members of the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center at the University of Florida and the Ohio Deans Compact on Exceptional Children are collaborating with AACTE to bring this new dimension to the Leadership Academy. Together, we hope to elevate awareness and interest in serving exceptional learners among decision-makers in teacher preparation. The presentations and conversations with guest experts will create a space in which new and aspiring leaders can learn and gather ideas that can be operationalized in their home colleges and programs.

Preparing and Retaining Effective Special Education Teachers: Systemic Solutions for Addressing Teacher Shortages

By Mary T. Brownell and Paul T. Sindelar

The views expressed in this brief are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.

Pending shortages of special education teachers have many states and local districts scrambling to find solutions for securing the teachers they need. Some states are proposing incentives for recruiting special education teachers (as well as teachers in other high-need areas) and reducing requirements for entry into the classroom. Others are looking for alternative ways of preparing teachers in high-need areas. Quick routes to the classroom and incentives such as signing bonuses will do little to solve the shortage problem in the long term. At best, they create a revolving door, because unprepared special education teachers are more likely to leave teaching. At worst, they exacerbate the problem. Instead, a more systemic approach to solving the teacher shortage problem in special education is needed—one that will increase the likelihood that an adequate supply of fully prepared special education teachers enters the classroom and remains there.

Stories of Impact: University of Nevada, Reno Responds to Local Workforce Needs

By Melissa M. Burnham and Cece Zhou

Ed Prep Matters is featuring “Stories of Impact” to showcase AACTE member institutions with educator preparation programs that are making a positive impact in their communities and beyond through innovative practices. We are committed to sharing members’ success stories and encourage you to do the same.

Teacher shortage is an issue nationwide but especially in Nevada, where 955 classrooms were without licensed teachers at the start of the 2015-16 school year. Now with engineering and technology giants Tesla and Switch establishing a strong presence in northern Nevada, top-quality teachers are in more demand than ever in our community.

Video Highlights Program Preparing Teachers for Diverse Students, Settings

By Hannah Maes and Kristin McCabe

A new video in AACTE’s Research-to-Practice Spotlight Series shows education leaders from Fort Collins High School and Colorado State University discussing their work to prepare teacher candidates for special education situations and other diverse student needs. From understanding IEPs to tapping school-based counseling resources to differentiating instruction in both mainstreamed and self-contained classrooms, the program strives to expose candidates to a wide variety of students and settings, say Josh Richey, dean of students at the high school, and Wendy Fothergill and Juliana Searle, program advisers.

Today’s classrooms are more diverse than ever, and educator preparation programs such as those at Colorado State University (CSU) strive to give prospective teachers experiences across varied communities, in different school models, and with a broad range of students, including those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for special education.

CEEDAR, AACTE Working to Engage Educators for All Students

By Mark LaCelle-Peterson and Rodrick Lucero

Last month, we were honored to participate and speak at a convening to support teacher educators in their work to prepare teachers to educate all learners, including students with disabilities. At the meeting in Indianapolis in August, the University of Florida’s Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center convened educator preparation leaders from the center’s partner states to support their shared reform agenda.

CEEDAR, CCSSO Want States to Ensure Teachers Are Prepared for Learners With Diverse Needs

By Sungti Hsu

A new report calls on states to ensure more intentional preparation of educators to work with struggling learners, including students with disabilities, English language learners, and students with unidentified learning and behavior needs, to address persistent achievement gaps. The report, issued by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the University of Florida’s Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center, builds on a 2012 paper from CCSSO about policies to transform educator preparation generally—whose recommendations were supported by AACTE—and echoes messages of a recent policy brief developed by AACTE and the National Center for Learning Disabilities.

2015 Imig Award to Honor CEEDAR Founders

By Kristin McCabe

AACTE has selected special education scholars Mary Brownell and Paul Sindelar of the University of Florida to receive the 2015 AACTE David G. Imig Award for Distinguished Achievement in Teacher Education. The award will be presented at the 67th AACTE Annual Meeting Speaker Spotlight Session, Sunday, March 1, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

The Imig Award, named for AACTE President Emeritus David G. Imig, recognizes distinguished achievement in the formulation, implementation, or analysis of teacher education policy, or in the performance of distinguished scholarship in educator preparation.

Free Webinar From CEEDAR: ‘Innovation Configurations in Action’

By Kristin McCabe

The Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center (CEEDAR Center) will sponsor a free webinar, “Innovation Configurations in Action,” this Wednesday, January 28, at 1:00 p.m. EST.

Developed last year, innovation configurations are program evaluation tools that help determine the extent to which evidence-based practices are taught, observed, and applied in teacher preparation and professional development programs.

Five More States to Receive Technical Assistance From CEEDAR Center

By Kristin McCabe

Georgia, Ohio, Montana, New Hampshire, and Utah have been selected to receive technical assistance from the University of Florida College of Education’s Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center. The center supports states in developing educators to prepare students with disabilities for colleges and careers.

CEEDAR Center Releases ‘Innovation Configurations’ for Program Evaluation

By Elizabeth Ross

The Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center (CEEDAR Center) has released three new program evaluation tools, called innovation configurations, in partnership with the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders at the American Institutes for Research. The innovation configurations are designed to help evaluate teacher preparation programs and professional development activities for the extent to which they incorporate evidence-based practices in a particular area:

Innovation at Montclair State University: Preparing Teachers for High-Need STEM Fields

By Zachary VanHouten

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. To request inclusion of your institution’s innovations, contact Zach VanHouten at zvanhouten@aacte.org. 

Over the past few years, Montclair State University has developed a series of programs geared toward increasing the supply of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers. Programs including the Newark-Montclair Urban Teacher Residency (NMUTR) and the Integrative Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (iSTEM) program are contributing to the national initiative “100Kin10,” which seeks to prepare 100,000 new STEM teachers by 2021.