NC State Professor to Partner with Black Disabled Secondary Students to Improve Mathematics Education 

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.  

Shaping Ethical AI in Education: Call for Participation in Developing Comprehensive Guidelines 

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. 

In Maine: Grants Provide Opportunities for Schools to Partner with Climate and Environmental Community Organizations 

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.

AACTE Welcomes New Holmes Scholar for September, Anqi Fan

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.

Lenoir-Rhyne Receives $1.2 million National Science Foundation Grant

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. 

In Mississippi: Assessment Shows Student Achievement Reaches All-Time High in Three Subjects

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.

Nominate Your Institution: AACTE Awards Highlighting Tech Innovation 

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. 

University of Maine, Rural Schools Collaborative to Continue Partnership Supporting Rural Educators, Communities

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.

Dickinson State University and Mayville State University Announce Formation of Border to Border Education Consortium

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.”

UToledo Educator Leads $2.3M Initiative to Keep High-Quality Science Teachers in Classrooms

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.

New Jersey Department of Ed. Awards Grants to Help Schools Improve Climate Change Instruction

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.

Understanding AI in Education: Your Participation is Essential 

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). 

UTRGV to Showcase Program’s Tech Innovation in Webinar

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.  

Journal of Teacher Education Seeks Proposals on Generative AI 

By Valerie Hill-Jackson

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, the Journal of Teacher Education (JTE) is seeking proposals for a special issue on Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Volume 76, issue three. Generative AI is an artificial intelligence model that can create new content, mimicking certain styles or patterns in existing data. While AI has been part of the educational landscape for an extended period, generative AI is a relative newcomer. As a consumer product, generative AI broke into the mainstream with the release of Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in November 2022. Since then, educators have been grappling with its implications for learning in K-12 and, as a result, in teacher education. 

Advancing the conversation and the knowledge base around generative AI in education aligns with AACTE’s position to advance the quality of Educator preparation and enhance the educational experience for all students. 

Webinar to Examine Equitable Learning in K-12 Classrooms

Featuring Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award Winner David Stroupe

By Brooke Evans

As school leaders, educators make instructional decisions shaping opportunities in classrooms for students to learn. An educator’s words and actions, especially related to the treatment of students and their ideas, are foundational for creating equitable learning communities in our classrooms and schools.

On Wednesday, May 1, from 2:00 to 2:45 p.m. ET, AACTE will host a Lunch & Learn recognizing the 2024 Gloria J. Ladson-Billings Outstanding Book Award winner David Stroupe, Ph.D., of the University of Utah and his book, “Growing and Sustaining Student-Centered Science Classrooms.”