04 Nov2024
By U.S. Department of Education
Secretary Cardona joined President Biden for an event celebrating Executive Order (EO) 14214, establishing the first-ever White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) alongside close to two dozen champions for these institutions. President Biden and Vice President Harris also announced nearly $19 million in transformational research infrastructure investments for five HSIs in Florida, Illinois, Texas, and Puerto Rico through the U.S. Department of Education’s Research and Development Infrastructure Program (RDI), which is providing a total of $49 million in funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs).
To remain the most competitive economy in the world, the nation’s most inclusive institutions of higher education that play a central role in educating students from diverse backgrounds must continue to lead in research and development. To advance this goal, the RDI grant program provides funds to HBCUs, TCCUs, and MSIs —including HSIs— to implement transformational investments in research infrastructure, including research productivity, faculty expertise, graduate programs, physical infrastructure, human capital development, and partnerships leading to increases in external funding.
28 Oct2024
By Erin James
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced the availability of PAsmart Advancing Grants to expand access to computer science and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for learners across the commonwealth.
“STEM and computer science skills prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, no matter what zip code they come from or where they plan to live in the future,” said Education Secretary Khalid Mumin. “Pennsylvania’s future depends on the development of a highly skilled workforce able to compete in the global economy. Equitable access to STEM and computer science programs gives students the skills they need to chart their own course and succeed.”
15 Oct2024
By Janine Bowen, NC State
The following article was originally posted on the North Carolina State University College of Education news website and was reprinted with permission.
Jessica Hunt, a professor of special education and mathematics education in NC State’s College of Education, is aiming to counter disparities in STEM learning through her work on a new, grant-funded project entitled “Building and Testing a Framework for Liberatory and Conceptual Mathematics Learning with Black Disabled Students.” The project will be conducted in collaboration with the University of Virginia and the University of California-Santa Cruz and is funded by $4,342,845 from the National Science Foundation, of which the College of Education will receive $1,040,523.
The project will establish and sustain a partnership with a cohort of Black disabled high school students to center their voices, knowledge, and experiences in the development of a theoretical coaching framework that addresses challenges while advancing conceptual mathematics learning and high school mathematics instructional practices.
25 Sep2024
By Anne Tapp Jaksa
This article is authored by the following:
- Anne Tapp Jaksa, Saginaw Valley State University
- Dan Dao, University of Iowa
- Jill Waliczek, Saginaw Valley State University
- Alex St. Clair, Caro Community Schools
As the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational environments continues to grow, so does the need for clear, ethical guidelines that ensure AI’s use is responsible, equitable, and transparent. Colleges of Education, in partnership with P-12 schools, are embarking on an important research project focused on the theme of “Ethics and Digital Citizenship in Colleges of Education and P-12 Environments.”
Our goal is to develop comprehensive ethical guidelines for the use of AI in instructional design, emphasizing data privacy, algorithmic fairness, and the transparency of AI tools. These guidelines will support educators, students, and institutions in navigating the complexities of AI technology while fostering a digital culture rooted in responsibility and ethics.
23 Sep2024
By Maine Department of Education
The Maine Department of Education (DOE) awarded $750,000 in climate education professional development grants to 10 programs throughout the state. These programs will support partnerships between school administrative units (SAUs), schools, and community organizations to strengthen climate education opportunities for students across Maine.
This grant funding increases access to climate education for students throughout Maine. The grant directly funds professional learning for educators to partner with climate science experts and organizations in their communities. These programs are instrumental in providing educators and schools the support needed to address climate and resiliency in the classroom.
20 Sep2024
By AACTE
AACTE’s Holmes Program continues to grow, onboarding a new scholar to kick off the fall semester. Please join AACTE in welcoming Anqi Fan, from the University of Louisville.
03 Sep2024
By Lenoir-Rhyne University
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Lenoir-Rhyne University a grant through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. The award, totaling $1.2 million, will fund eight scholarships each year over the next five years for Master of Arts in teaching students pursuing careers teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) at the secondary level.
“We designed this grant to tackle the dual challenge of addressing STEM teacher shortages – particularly in high-need schools – and creating pathways for underrepresented students to become STEM educators,” shared Hank Weddington, Ed.D., dean of the College of Education and Human Services.
General teacher shortages have made news nationwide in recent years, and those shortages are even more pronounced in the STEM subject areas. By 2028, North Carolina is projected to require more than 300,000 workers to fill critical roles in STEM professions. Sustained economic growth is dependent on the educators who prepare their students to enter those professions.
27 Aug2024
By Mississippi Department of Education
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) released the results from the 2023-24 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP), which show student achievement reaching an all-time high in mathematics, English Language Arts (ELA), and science.
Overall, for 2023-24, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced reached a record high of 47.8% in ELA, 56.3% in mathematics, and 63.4% in science. U.S. history decreased slightly from 71.4% in 2022-23 to 70.9% in 2023-24.
The 2023-24 assessment results show student achievement continues to exceed pre-pandemic levels. Student achievement in Mississippi and the nation dropped in 2021 due to the pandemic, though Mississippi students mostly rebounded by 2022.
05 Aug2024
By AACTE
AACTE invites members to nominate their institution for a prestigious award highlighting programs that infuse technology into their coursework.
The Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology overseen by AACTE’s Committee on Innovation and Technology, recognizes an innovative use of educational technologies in an AACTE member institution, school, college, or department of education (SCDE).
By nominating your institution, you are invited to highlight the innovative practices and significant contributions you and your colleagues have made in integrating technology into your programs, practices, and activities. Nominations are due by September 15. Learn more and submit an entry.
22 Jul2024
By Casey Kelly
This article was originally published on the University of Maine’s website and is reprinted with permission.
The University of Maine College of Education and Human Development and the Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC) have agreed to extend their partnership focused on advancing the preparation and professional development of high-quality rural teachers and school leaders throughout New England.
The parties recently signed a new memorandum of understanding to continue the collaboration through fiscal year 2027, allowing UMaine to remain the home of the RSC’s New England Rural Education Hub.
15 Jul2024
By Dickinson State University
Dickinson State University (DSU) and Mayville State University (MSU) are proud to announce the establishment of the Border to Border Education Consortium. This innovative partnership aims to enhance educational opportunities and resources across North Dakota by combining the strengths of both institutions. The first programs to be launched under this consortium will focus on mathematics and chemistry education, with further exploration into music education programs.
Holly Gruhlke, DSU vice president, expressed her enthusiasm for the new collaboration, stating, “This consortium represents a significant step forward in our mission to provide accessible, high-quality education to students across the state. By pooling our resources and expertise, we can offer programs that are both comprehensive and innovative. The collaborative efforts between our institutions will lead to a richer educational experience for our students. We are excited to begin exploring additional program opportunities.”
03 Jun2024
By Nicki Gorny
Education can be a challenging vocation.
School districts often struggle to recruit and retain high-quality teachers, who cite job satisfaction and burnout as key reasons they leave the classroom.
Natasha Johnson, Ph.D., can relate to the challenges facing today’s teachers, with roughly two decades of classroom experience in metro Atlanta preceding her transition to The University of Toledo’s Judith Herb College of Education in 2020.
It is why she’s passionate about a $2.3 million initiative she’s heading to support sixth through 12th-grade science teachers in high-need districts in Ohio and Kentucky, funded by the National Science Foundation’s Robert Noyce Scholarship Program.
03 Jun2024
By Michael Yaple
The New Jersey Department of Education today announced awards for two grant opportunities to help schools implement, improve, and expand climate-change instruction in the classroom.
The grants will approach climate-change instruction through two avenues:
- An interdisciplinary learning and community projects grant will provide funds directly to school districts to help them partner with local organizations or their municipality to establish Interdisciplinary Learning Units and Community Resilience Projects. These projects will help schools impact their community through projects such as planting rain gardens with plants that will ease flooding; growing food using aquaponics to combat food insecurity; restoring native plant species; and planting dune grass to restore and protect native habitats.
- The Climate Change Learning Collaboratives grant will fund programs in which colleges and universities will create Climate Change Learning Collaboratives to provide training to teachers on how to infuse climate change into the curriculum.
02 May2024
By Anne Tapp Jaksa
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education continues to reshape teaching and learning landscapes. Our commitment to understanding this transformation is exemplified through our ongoing research, focused on the perceptions and experiences of PK-12 and post-secondary educators with AI tools. As AI’s influence grows, it is crucial to gather and analyze insights from those at the forefront of educational innovation — our pre-service and in-service educators and school administrators.
In a recent study, a majority of educational stakeholders expressed favorable views toward AI tools (Impact Research, 2023b). Yet, detailed understanding of how these tools are being utilized and their impacts remains limited. Surveys tailored to capture the nuanced experiences and perceptions of undergraduate and graduate students within educator preparation programs (EPPs) will explore these dynamics further, providing a comparative analysis with high school students’ AI engagement (Schiel, Bobek, & Schnieders, 2023).
01 May2024
By Brooke Evans
On May 9, from 1:00 – 1:45 p.m. ET, the recipient of the 2024 Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology, the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) will present their Empowered Educator Program for 21st Century Teaching (E2) as part of AACTE’s Lunch & Learn series. During this virtual event, “Unlocking Digital Pedagogy through the Empowered Educator Program at UTRGV,” faculty will focus on E2’s ability to equip teacher candidates with essential skills for modern education.
The Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology award, overseen by AACTE’s Committee on Innovation and Technology, recognizes an innovative use of educational technologies in a school, college, or department of education and highlights initiatives that creatively infuse technology into the curriculum, transcending conventional teaching methods and bringing about transformative changes in educational practices.
