AACTE Board, ACSR Name New Leaders

By Lucy Berrier

During their meeting February 26, members of AACTE’s Board of Directors chose officers for the coming year to serve with new Board Chair Mark Ginsberg (see related press release).
Effective March 1, the Executive Committee includes the following leaders:

• Chair: Mark Ginsberg, George Mason University (VA)
• Chair-Elect: Jane Bray, Old Dominion University (VA)
• Past Chair: Julie Underwood, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Secretary: Renée Middleton, Ohio University
• At-large: Grant Hayes, University of Central Florida, and Tim Wall, Northwest Missouri State University

RFP: AACTE State Chapter Support Grant Program

By Sungti Hsu

AACTE is pleased to offer the State Chapter Support Grant Program for a 5th year, directing member dues toward strengthening the relationship between state chapters and AACTE and supporting the development of chapters through their initiatives.

State Chapter Advocacy Wins Changes to Proposed Florida Rule

By Trish Parrish

The state of Florida recently passed a new rule governing the implementation and evaluation of teacher preparation programs. The Florida Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (FACTE) was very active during the development and public comment periods for this new rule, and while we did not secure all the changes we’d hoped, we did make a difference in the process and in the outcomes.

FACTE implemented a detailed advocacy strategy during the public comment period. One of our greatest assets was our relationship with the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), which has always worked to be partners with our programs. I cannot speak enough of the importance of building relationships with those charged with program approval before you are in the process of rule development. We have focused our efforts on building on our shared vision of ensuring every child in the state is taught by a high-quality educator.

NDACTE Meets With State Officials to Discuss Proposed Regulations

By Rod Jonas

With the February 2 deadline fast approaching to comment on the proposed federal regulations for teacher preparation programs, the North Dakota Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (NDACTE) has wasted no time in developing comments and reaching out to our state officials to express our concerns with the proposed regulations. As questions and concerns mount regarding the proposed regulations, the members of NDACTE felt it was necessary to discuss them with officials in our state.

State edTPA Profile: Georgia Takes Deliberate, Inclusive Path to Statewide Implementation

By Sharon Robinson

A version of this post also appears on the edTPA web site.

When Georgia begins requiring edTPA for teacher certification in 2015-16, it will be the final phase of an implementation process marked by small steps to help educators learn more about performance assessment and then bigger steps to include, inform, and support key audiences.

Cutting-Edge Major Forums Announced for 2015 Annual Meeting

By Jerrica Thurman

The six major forums at AACTE’s 67th Annual Meeting will be stand-alone offerings. In each of three dedicated time slots spanning February 27-March 1, 2015, participants will choose between two cutting-edge topics to explore with leaders in the field.

Preview of Competitive State Elections

By Aaron Goldstein

With Election Day just around the corner, below are some gubernatorial races, state education chief contests, and education ballot initiatives to watch. Remember, like politics, education is local. Check out the tables below to see what’s at play in your state.

Be sure to vote November 4!

Gubernatorial Races to Watch

* Rating according to Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

NJACTE, Partners Lead Charge to ‘Take Back the Profession’

By Kristin McCabe

Joelle Tutela, President, NJACTE

Teacher quality and professional practice in New Jersey just got an enthusiastic shot in the arm, thanks to a new coalition of the state’s teacher educators, teachers’ unions, and other education groups.

Leaders of this coalition, the Garden State Alliance for Strengthening Education, held a high-profile symposium “Taking Back the Profession” September 27 to release a report chock-full of ideas to improve the continuum of teacher development in the state. The event was attended by several key state education officials and featured nationally known speakers including Stephanie Hirsch of Learning Forward, Marilyn Cochran-Smith of Boston College (MA), and Susan Headden of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. In addition, the report was featured at a press conference October 2 and will be the subject of a state hearing later this month.

Colorado Seeks Input on Aligning Educator Licensing Rules

By Aaron Goldstein

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE), in conjunction with the New Teacher Project, has announced new efforts to align the state’s educator licensing statutes, rules, and content assessments. As part of the alignment efforts, CDE is inviting stakeholders to participate in a series of focus group meetings this month.

The focus groups will meet during the weeks of October 6 and October 13 at the following locations and times:

Institute Focuses Chapter Leaders on Advocacy, Communications, Leadership

By Elizabeth Ross and Aaron Goldstein

During the week of June 9, more than 40 AACTE state chapter leaders convened in Washington, DC, for the 2014 State Leaders Institute (SLI).

An annual professional development event exclusively for state chapter leaders, SLI aims to strengthen participants’ leadership skills, enhance chapters’ advocacy and communication efforts, and build connections among chapter heads from across the country.

Oklahoma Restores Teacher Induction Program

By Aaron Goldstein

Thanks to heavy involvement by the Oklahoma Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (OACTE), Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin recently signed HB 2885 into law, restoring the state’s teacher induction program.

The Oklahoma Teacher Induction Program (OTIP), which had been suspended since 2010, provides professional support, mentorship, and coaching for beginning teachers. Under the new law, school districts can voluntarily offer the induction program during the 2014-15 academic year; it becomes mandatory in the 2015-16 academic year. Furthermore, the bill permits teacher mentors to support more than one beginning teacher, and it establishes a paid teacher internship program at teacher preparation institutions.

8 State Chapters Win AACTE Grants

By Elizabeth Ross

AACTE has awarded funding to state chapters in California, Delaware, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin in the 2014 State Chapter Support Grant competition.

The grant program, now in its 4th year, directs $50,000 of member dues toward strengthening the capacity of state chapters to operate as an organization and to advocate on behalf of the interests of teacher preparation in the state, as well as toward bolstering the relationship between the state chapters and AACTE. This year, chapter leaders were invited to apply for funds for support of the following priority areas: Policy and Advocacy, Professional Issues, and Chapter Development and Capacity.

RFP Announcement: AACTE State Chapter Support Grant Program

By Elizabeth Ross

AACTE is pleased to offer the State Chapter Support Grant Program for a 4th year, directing member dues toward strengthening the relationship between the state chapters and AACTE and supporting the development of state chapters through their initiatives. Since the creation of the program, AACTE has dispensed $150,000 in grants to 26 states to support chapters’ advocacy, professional development, and capacity-building efforts.

AACTE Board of Directors Meets, Elects New Officers

By Lucy Berrier

The AACTE Board of Directors met February 28 immediately prior to the Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. The meeting agenda, led by outgoing Chair Fayneese Miller (University of Vermont), ranged from Innovation Exchange projects and state chapter relations to the awards program and various governance issues, including election of a new Executive Committee.

Effective March 1, the new Executive Committee of the Board includes Chair Julie Underwood (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Past Chair Fayneese Miller, and Secretary Tim Wall (Northwest Missouri State University) along with the newly elected Chair-Elect Mark Ginsberg (George Mason University) and at-large representatives Jane Bray (Old Dominion University, with a 2-year term) and Dwight Watson (University of Northern Iowa, with a 1-year term).

2014 Washington Week Registration Now Open

By Zachary VanHouten

Next week’s AACTE Annual Meeting calls on us to “take charge of change.” Heed the call by signing up now to join your peers this June in Washington, DC, for action in advocacy!

With federal education programs facing budget cuts, potential teacher preparation regulations on the horizon, reauthorization looming for the Higher Education Act and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and partisan gridlock, now is a crucial time to learn how you can become an effective advocate for the profession. AACTE’s signature advocacy conference, Washington Week, offers three key events to assist in building members’ capacity for advocacy: Day on the Hill, the State Leaders Institute, and the Holmes Scholars Summer Policy Institute.