Introducing the Updated AACTE State Affiliate Leaders Manual

By Ward Cummings

AACTE is happy to announce the release of the newly updated State Affiliate Leaders Manual. As with previous versions of this important resource, the purpose of the manual is to advise AACTE state officeholders on how best to use their leadership roles to support and guide their state affiliates, as well as to help them channel their efforts toward improving teacher quality and the education profession in their state, in their region, and nationally. 

Assuming the leadership of an AACTE state affiliate can be a daunting experience for any newly elected president.  Not only must new leaders attend to all the sundry responsibilities associated with the proper functioning of a state chapter, they must also attend to regional duties—such as the responsibility to participate in AACTE regional meetings and activities and the national AACTE State Leaders Institute.  As a guide on how to perform these and other functions, this updated manual is a resource not just for newly elected state leaders, but also for long serving ones.

AACTE Announces 2020-21 State Chapter Support Award Winners

By Ward Cummings

On behalf of AACTE and the Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR), I am happy to announce the winners of the 2020-21 State Chapter Support Award: The three recipients are Nebraska, California and Kentucky.

It is the mission of AACTE to elevate education and educator preparation through high-quality research, professional practice, and advocacy for all learners in ways that are collaborative and that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Each year, AACTE awards funding to a handful of projects organized by state chapters in these areas.

Texas State’s O’Malley Voted President-Elect of TACTE

By Jayme Blaschke

This article originally appeared in the Texas State University Online Newroom and is reprinted with permission.

Michael P. O’Malley, dean of the College of Education at Texas State University, has been elected by his peers as president-elect of the Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (TACTE).

O’Malley will serve in officer roles as president-elect for 2021-22, president in 2022-23, and past-president in 2023-25. He has been a member of the TACTE legislative committee since 2018.

TACTE is an organization for deans and associate deans of education in Texas and is sometimes referred to as the Council of Deans of Education. Its purpose is to stimulate improvement in the education of professional school personnel in Texas.

Registration is Open for Washington Week 2021

By Linda Minor

Registration is now open for the 2021 virtual Washington Week.  Register today to ensure your voice is heard advocating for education. Every year, this popular gathering of like-minded members of the education preparation community attracts hundreds from around the nation. Join your peers at this year’s virtual Washington Week, which will feature the following four events:

Washington Week 2021: Save the September Dates

By Linda Minor

Get ready to join AACTE at Washington Week 2021, which will be virtual again this year and scheduled throughout the month of September.  This year’s schedule includes the following:

• Holmes Policy Institute – September 8-9
  AACTE Holmes Scholars will learn how to advocate for their profession by participating in interactive policy discussions and briefings.
• Holmes Program Advanced Policy Short Course – September 14-15
  This short course is intended as an introduction to begin equipping you with the knowledge, desire, and skills to be an effective advocate and resource in the policy making process.
• Day on the Hill – September 21-23
  AACTE members, nonmembers, students, Holmes Scholars, and PK-12 partners will engage in advocacy training and visit congressional offices.
• State Leaders Institute – September 30-October 1
  AACTE state leaders will focus on capacity building and augmenting their chapters’ impact through leadership development.

Advisory Council of State Representatives: A Collaborative Network of State Chapters

By Anne Tapp Jaksa, Beth Kubitskey and Christine C. Gorowara

One value of being a member of AACTE is the national advocacy for the profession and information about federal regulations influencing the field. What does not go unnoticed is the need and priority of work at the state level. The state level ACTEs provide a space for influencing state policies that ultimately guide the profession. AACTE values these essential contributions, and recognizes the value of this work as also informing advocacy going forward. A third, and critical, addition to this professional triumvirate is AACTE’s Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) community, which serves as a collaborative network of State chapters. ACSR provides a place to share common issues, goals, events, white papers, advocacy tips, etc. at the regional level during monthly meetings. This serves each state well as our shared goal is to serve our students, pre- and in-service teachers and leaders, which is tertiary to our desire to prepare quality teachers and leaders for today’s and tomorrow’s P-12 children. Here we share a brief snippet of some of the contributions of ACSR.

Announcing ACSR Virtual Business Meeting

By Ward Cummings

In keeping with the 2021 Annual Meeting theme of Resisting Hate, Restoring Hope: Engaging in Courageous Action, this year’s ACSR Business meeting will focus on the subject of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the teaching profession.  The meeting will take place on March 19, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. ET.

During last year’s State Leadership Institute (SLI), Michael Dantley, AACTE board member and former dean of the College of Education at Miami University, led a spirited discussion and workshop based on the anti-racism work of Robin DiAngelo, 2020 AACTE Conference keynote speaker. Her book, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism has played a prominent role in the national conversation regarding the history and influence of race and racism in America since its publication in 2018. Dantley’s SLI session entitled, “White Fragility” Combating Racism Together,” was an energetic and engaging exploration of the concepts in the book, from the perspective of educators. The session was followed by a panel led by Penny McPherson-Myers of Rowan University, entitled “Structures and Strategies for Addressing Racial Matters on College Campuses.” This year’s ACSR Business Meeting will continue this important discussion with a focus on the DEI work of our members.

2020 ACSR Election Results Are In

By Ward Cummings

Congratulations to the newly elected ACSR officers Anne Tapp of Michigan, Christine Gorowara of Delaware, and Keith Lambert of Washington. 

Anne Tapp, ACSR chair-elect, is a professor and program director at Saginaw Valley State University.  She is a former president of Michigan state chapter of AACTE and currently serves as ACSR Midwest Region representative. Christine Gorowara, ACSR Northeast Region representative, is the senior associate director of the Delaware Center for Teacher Education at the University of Delaware and currently serves as president of the Delaware state chapter of AACTE. Keith Lambert, ACSR West Region representative is an associate professor at Whitworth University and the current president of the Washington state chapter of AACTE. Each new office holder will begin serving their term in February, at the close of the AACTE 2021 Annual Meeting.

Learning Advocacy from Three State Chapters

By Tariq Akmal

This article is a personal reflection of the 2020 Washington Week State Leaders Institute by attendee Tariq Akmal.

I was fortunate to attend the State Leaders Institute breakout session on State Government Advocacy with Three State Chapters. Attendees heard from Christine Carrino Gorowara of Delaware, Scott Hewitt of Florida, and Vanessa Anton and Robin Fuxa of Oklahoma.  This session was a sharing of the different types of advocacy activities that were occurring in three states.  The variation in state size/population was very evident in the scale of activities of each chapter. What did they hold in common?  They are all active in advocacy work and are experiencing a teacher shortage in their states. Each panelist shared particular aspects of their association’s work with their state department of education, legislators, and other stakeholders within their states. 

The Delaware Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (DACTE) had “flipped the script” on the traditional Day On the Hill approach and now brought specific Delaware legislators to their association for conversations regarding how DACTE could be a resource to legislators on educational issues and to build relationships so that DACTE would be invited to legislative initiatives on education. They invited members of the House and Senate Education Committee, in particular, which seems to be a highly effective strategy! Carrino Gorowara noted how they became collaborators in developing legislation that would be a help to Delaware teacher candidates in simplifying the background check process.

SLI Attendees Provide Input into New State Chapters Taskforce

By Mary Murray

Last month, during the AACTE State Leadership Institute (SLI), I attended the session on the newly formed State Chapter Taskforce, which  was moderated by AACTE President and CEO Lynn Gangone, AACTE president and CEO; Ann Larson, chair, AACTE Board of Directors; and Kate LaBoll-Lavoie, chair, Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) and AACTE Board member. State Chapters, a network of AACTE member institutions that are organized collectively to advocate for and to address educator preparation issues in their state, helps provide direction to AACTE. This very important taskforce was formed to:

• Review the existing policy on the relationship between AACTE and the state chapters, the practices and experience of peer associations, and advice of legal counsel
• Consider the desired relationship between AACTE and state chapters. How do AACTE and the state chapters want to see the relationship evolve?
• Recommend revisions to state chapter policy to the AACTE Board of Directors
• Provide recommendations to the Board and National Office staff on how AACTE could best collaborate with the chapters, particularly with regard to state policy advocacy

Time is Running Out to Register for AACTE State Leaders Institute

By Jerrica Thurman

Only one week is left to register for the 2020 State Leaders Institute, September 22-23! Register by 12:00 midnight on Friday, September 18 to experience AACTE’s inaugural, virtual event for state leaders.

During this signature event, centered around promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in education, state leaders will focus on capacity building and augmenting their chapter’s impact through leadership development. Attendees will learn effective skills to engage with their governor’s office, strengthen the advocacy capacity of their state chapter and its membership, and enjoy networking opportunities with peers.

Here’s what attendees from past events had to say about the value of the State Leaders Institute:

State Leaders Convene to Enhance Ed Prep at State Level

By Ward Cummings

This year’s virtual AACTE State Leaders Institute will take place September 22-23, and will bring together state chapter leaders from AACTE and the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) to enhance the presence of educator preparation at the state level. During this AACTE signature event, state leaders will focus on capacity building and augmenting their chapter’s impact through leadership development. Attendees will learn effective skills to engage with their governor’s office, receive the latest tips to strengthen the advocacy capacity of their state chapter and its membership, and enjoy networking opportunities with peers.

Register at Discounted Rates for AACTE 2020 Washington Week

By Jerrica Thurman

Take advantage of discounted rates for the virtual AACTE 2020 Washington Week! Join AACTE’s efforts to advocate for the funding and support colleges of education need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your voice matters now more than ever, and this year’s reduced rates allow your colleagues and students to participate in the political action as well.

Here’s what past attendees had to say about the value Washington Week offers:

“I’m excited that it’s time for Washington Week again! Last year was my first experience, and I loved every minute of it. [Activities included] learning the ins and outs of how to advocate, practicing advocacy skills, and visiting the House of Representatives [as well as] discussing mental health initiatives in schools, teacher shortages, and low wages for educators. It’s an awesome experience, one that I’ll never forget. Get excited for a great time you won’t regret!” − Danna Demezier, Florida Atlantic University

“In the past, I have attended three Washington Weeks. It was amazing! I had the opportunity to share my concerns as a former educator, teacher educator, and a constituent. Nothing compares to running around Washington with Deans and meeting staffers or legislators in Congress.” − Azaria Cunningham, Penn State University 

“I attended the State Leaders Institute my first year as state chapter president. The networking and valuable information obtained from experts changed the way we did business in our state chapter. Our state chapter has grown because of SLI. It is the best professional development opportunity for state chapter leaders. It should not be missed.” − Mary Murray, Bowling Green State University

Call for Proposals: Third Annual New Jersey Convening on Diversifying the Teacher Workforce

By John Henning and Stacey Leftwich

The theme of  the Third Annual New Jersey Convening on Diversifying the Teacher Workforce is “Leadership for Diversity: Creating Culturally Responsive Recruitment, Instructional Practice and Retention Strategies.”

The New Jersey Diversifying the Teacher Workforce Convening, co-sponsored by Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, New Jersey Department of Education, and the New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is intended to address the serious need to increase the diversity of the New Jersey teaching population and increase culturally responsive practices in the state. This meeting is designed to engage stakeholders and constituents in New Jersey in considering the barriers and supports to diversifying the teacher workforce to increase our numbers of culturally responsive practitioners and to develop culturally responsive practices among New Jersey’s educators. This convening will also provide opportunities for participants to learn about promising and successful efforts to increase teacher diversity in New Jersey and for growing and sustaining culturally responsive educators.

Registration Now Open for AACTE’s 2020 Washington Week

By Linda Minor

Registration is now open for AACTE’s virtual 2020 Washington Week! Connect with peers from across the country for the premier national advocacy event for educator preparation. Take advantage of the reduced event rates and encourage your colleagues and students to join policy leaders in impacting our profession.

Registration rates are as follows:

Register for AACTE’s Washington Week today! Learn more about the affordable rates and other event details at www.aacte.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and join the conversation using #AACTEWW20.

Do you have questions or need assistance? Please email events@aacte.org.