Kim Metcalf of UNLV Begins Term as New AACTE Board Chair

By AACTE

(Feb. 25, 2019, Washington, D.C.) – The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) welcomes the new chair of its Board of Directors: Kim Metcalf, Ph.D., dean of the College of Education at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). During his one-year term, Metcalf will lead the Board through strategic planning in partnership with AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone.

“I believe colleges of education are at a turning point,” said Metcalf. “As an association, we can continue to sustain the status quo, with an emphasis on ‘best practices’ based on ideas or outcomes that are nearly 40 years old, or we can focus our efforts on research and innovation that provide our member institutions and our professional colleagues with the tools they need to address the challenges of tomorrow.” 

Metcalf has served in his current role at UNLV since 2013, where he has focused on leveraging the unique context of Southern Nevada and the Clark County School District to encourage development of “next generation” approaches to education, educator preparation, and education policy. His research in teacher education and in education policy—particularly his research on school choice—is nationally recognized by the Association of Teacher Educators, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and the American Evaluation Association, among others. His publications include the coauthored textbook, The Act of Teaching, now in its sixth edition.

Visit #AACTE19 Gallery to Learn What’s Happening Around the Association

By Linda Minor

The AACTE Gallery will be offered again this year at the 2019 Annual Meeting in Louisville. It will feature mini presentations and a dedicated coffee and conversation space where Annual Meeting participants can chat with representatives from AACTE member and partner initiatives, as well as AACTE staff, to learn more about programs and opportunities of interest. The AACTE membership booth will also be located nearby, and staff will be on hand to share information and answer questions.

Come learn more about what’s been happening at AACTE this year! You can receive the latest updates on the AACTE Strategic Planning initiative, gain access to AACTE’s new research publication, Education Students and Diversity: A Review of New Evidence, and connect with AACTE members and partners for information about their innovative projects. For all of this and more, be sure to add the AACTE Gallery time blocks to your personalized 2019 Annual Meeting Online Event Planner schedule. The Gallery will offer opportunities to network while learning about promising innovations in educator preparation.

AACTE Strategic Planning Process Update

By Kim Metcalf and Michael Dantley

In our last blog, we invited you to contribute to the strategic planning process by reacting to a draft of the plan that outlined the vision, mission, strategic priorities and core values of our Association. Thanks to all of you who provided your insights. In today’s update, we’ll share some of what we heard and how we plan to incorporate your ideas going forward.

In addition to providing concrete feedback on the draft text, many of you also asked for a plan that is more forward-thinking and that outlines how AACTE can help shape the future as well as navigate the challenges and opportunities that it presents. For example, how will trends such as competency-based and technology-enabled instruction influence both the daily work of the educators we prepare and our own programs?  How can we best confront the teacher shortage in partnership with PK-12 leaders and state policy makers, while also ensuring the quality of the education workforce?  What more can we and the same partners do to ensure that the profession is diverse and that educators are prepared to effectively instruct all learners?

New Webinar Helps Principals Prepare for the Complexity of the Work

By Donna Cooner and Wendy Fothergill

Strong leadership is a necessary catalyst for student learning, yet the complexity of the work makes it sometimes hard to focus on the role of instructional leader. AACTE will host a free webinar, Supporting Novice Principals on the Job: Principal Preparation for the Complexity of the Work on Wednesday, December 12, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. EST. Please tune in to attend the webinar, part of a series on principal leadership sponsored by The Wallace Foundation.

Topics will include

Join Member Forums on the Draft AACTE Strategic Plan for 2019-2022

By Jerrica Thurman

The draft of the AACTE 2019-2022 strategic plan is now available for members–only review. You can access the plan on the AACTE strategic planning web page.

The draft plan is a two-page document, which consists of the following sections:

Why Participate in the AACTE Strategic Planning Member Flash Poll?

By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.

Are you an AACTE member? If yes, then the Association needs to hear your voice! The Strategic Planning Task Force would like you to tell them about your professional needs and priorities by taking the Member Flash Poll (member login required) before October 19.

You might wonder, why is AACTE going through all of this work? The simple answer is because it leads to better decisions, better engagement, and better execution. Member engagement has become critical to associations’ success and the AACTE strategic planning process is designed to be interactive and iterative for all members. I encourage you to participate in the member flash poll, which is the first of several opportunities to weigh-in and share your insights. This is an important way to help ensure that AACTE remains relevant to you, your institution, and your students.