American Teacher Education Update

AACTE Weekly News Briefs | March 31, 2009

. . . delivered to your inbox so you can enjoy up-to-date news on Colleges of Education, Teaching and the Classroom, Campaigns, Legislation, STEM Teacher Issues, International Teacher Issues, Grants, and Upcoming Events. Please click on linked headlines for full story.

AACTE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Register Now for the AACTE Webconference "Lessons from Practice in Teacher Education: Working Effectively with ELL and CLD Students"
On March 31-April 2, AACTE is holding a webconference that will include all pre-recorded presentations and live text chats on topics such as: preparing in-service teachers to work effectively with ELL Students; improving outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse learners with disabilities; African American language: implications for educators; developing teachers' Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions to teach culturally diverse students in urban settings; transforming teacher preparation program and faculty perspectives on integrating linguistic diversity; and, preparing standard curriculum teachers to work with English Language Learners

What Every Teacher Educator Should Know About 21st Century Assessment Strategies
This Multi-day Webconference will focus on identifying key evidence of P-12 student learning and linking it to teacher candidate and new teacher performance. It will take place from May 5 through May 7, 2009.

Holocaust Institute for Teacher Educators (HITE)
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in cooperation with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) will host the third Holocaust Institute for Teacher Educators (HITE) in summer 2009. The Institute will be held at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington, DC from From Monday, June 01 2009 to Friday, June 05 2009. There is no registration fee for HITE. Participants are responsible for travel, hotel, and expenses.

Register Now for AACTE Day on the Hill
AACTE's 2009 Day on the Hill will take place June 17-18 in Washington, D.C. This is AACTE's premier advocacy event! Come to D.C. to meet with your Members of Congress and to tell them about the good work you do. This year's theme is "Innovation and Reform in Teacher Preparation." Register now for this event! For more information please contact Mary Harrill McClellan at mharrill@aacte.org.

Call for Entries: 2009 AACTE Day on the Hill Publication
In conjunction with AACTE's Day on the Hill, June 17-18, 2009, the association will release a publication entitled, "Innovation and Reform in Teacher Preparation." This publication will be distributed to Congressional offices during Day on the Hill. This is an opportunity for AACTE members to showcase the work that you do to prepare high quality educators! We will include in the publication examples of innovations and reforms in AACTE member programs that have increased P-12 student learning and improved teacher effectiveness. If you have such examples and have the data (e.g., on the part of candidates – more highly qualified recruits, outstanding mentor/supervisor evaluations, higher retention in the program; and, on the part of P-12 pupils – enhanced learning as evidenced by increased student achievement ratings or scores, grade progression rates, or high school graduation rates) please take some time to complete an entry for the publication. Your examples can be institutionally-based or statewide efforts to improve teacher preparation. To fill out an entry click here. The deadline for entries is Friday, April 10, 2009.

AACTE Wants YOU!
Now is the perfect time to help lead your professional association!
AACTE invites you to consider these exciting ways to engage in leadership opportunities Share your expertise – Gain national visibility – Develop your network – Enhance the profession:

We are currently accepting applications for:
- Nominations to the AACTE's Board of Directors (by May 1st)
- Volunteers to serve on an AACTE Standing Committee (by May 1st)
- Session proposals for the 2010 Annual Meeting & Exhibits (by May 1st)

We are also accepting in our Call for Comments:
- New or Amended Resolutions for 2010 (by May 15th)

First AACTE Leadership Academy
Two of AACTE's yearly professional development conferences, the Leadership Institute for Department Chairs and the New Deans Institute, will be combined for the first time in 2009 to create an exciting educational opportunity. With the goal of sustaining the teacher education profession by providing powerful learning and networking tools, AACTE's Leadership Academy is an essential event for new deans, department chairs, and other educational administrators to attend. This event will take place from June 28 2009 - July 03 2009.
Click here to view the 2009 Leadership Academy information brochure.

NATIONAL NEWS

Teacher Training Goes in Virtual Directions
From Education Week
Between the ringing bells and the standardized class periods, teachers have among the most structured of all careers. Their time for professional growth is equally prescribed, often being set by contracts, district policies, and even state law.
So imagine a teacher who finishes grading some papers, puts the children to bed, and at 9:30 p.m. logs on to an online module to learn new practices for differentiating instruction for his or her English-language-learner students.

How to Teach the Teachers
From ABC News
These days, Johanna Klinsky works as a coach in a Chicago teacher-preparation program far different from the one she went through: Aspiring teachers are paired with mentor teachers for a full year in urban classrooms before becoming teachers themselves. It's one model gaining attention right now as educators and policymakers debate how best to train teachers -- particularly for the high-needs urban classrooms that need good teachers the most and are often saddled with those who are least-prepared.

Experts: Improve teacher pool with selectivity
From Education Daily *login required*
Teach for America follows the same success­ful recruiting formula adhered to by the nation's top charter schools: Cull prospective teachers from the most selective colleges in the country and get them into the highest-need communities. Yet in the long run, teaching experts warn that strategy won't be sustainable for thousands of schools searching for high-quality teachers.

Obama says more money, reform will boost education
From the Associated Press
President Barack Obama says the best way to improve the nation's education system is with more money and more reform. Answering questions at the first online town hall from the White House, Obama said Thursday that greater investment in early childhood education and rewarding talented teachers would significantly improve the system.

States Eye Education Stimulus to Fill Budget Gaps
From Education Week
Desperate for cash to fill growing budget deficits, state governments are starting to tangle with federal and local officials over a $39.8 billion pot of economic-stimulus money that was designed to prop up the budgets of local school districts, but is increasingly being eyed as a patch for states' own financial woes.

What You Should Consider Before Education Graduate School
From U.S. News and World Reports
If you're thinking about going into teaching, take heed of this message from Katherine Merseth, a senior lecturer and director of the teacher education program at Harvard University: "The dirty little secret about schools of education is that they have been the cash cows of universities for many, many years, and it's time to say, 'Show us what you can do, or get out of the business.'"

Duncan's Take on Teacher Prep and 'Union Jobs'
From Education Week
During our interview with Education Secretary Arne Duncan the other day, my colleagues Michele and Alyson pressed him on the assurances states need to fulfill in order to receive their second chunk of money from the economic-stimulus package. In his answer about state data systems, he said that states should ensure that those systems can link student and teacher data.

More than 130 Teachers of English as a New Language Achieve National Board Certification
From the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has announced that more than 130 teachers of English as a New Language recently achieved National Board Certification, the highest credential in the teaching profession. The 2008 achievement brings the total number of teachers who earned certification in this field over time to more than 900.

NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

New IU program offers fast track to teaching for math, science majors
From Indiana University
Chemistry and math majors now have a more efficient path to earning both a master's degree in education and teacher licensure under a new agreement between the Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education. The university has approved a proposal for a coordinated program allowing students to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in math or chemistry and a Master of Science in Secondary Education while also becoming licensed to teach in a five-year program.

Student group aims to reform the education profession
From the Michigan Daily
Dave Metler isn't a teacher yet, but he's already looking for ways to transform the profession. The School of Education senior founded the Michigan Education Reform Club, which aims to address student concerns with the teaching profession.

Advocate: Don't reduce teacher training for our students
From OrlandaSentinel.org
Over the last three years, hundreds of parents, classroom teachers, teacher educators, second-language acquisition experts, and community leaders have volunteered free time at night and on weekends working toward one goal -- that of bringing about policies that foster academic success for students who are learning English in the state's public schools.

UC Irvine Extension Offers Programs To Help Teachers Succeed In Turbulent Times
From PR Urgent
Recently, President Obama has introduced several initiatives designed to enhance the performance of teachers across the nation. These proposed plans embrace a highly controversial merit pay system which rewards effective teachers and penalizes those with low-performing classrooms. In response, the University of California, Irvine Extension, is presenting a number of custom designed programs that will support the development of highly qualified teachers.

Other Announcements

Greenopolis Funds Educational Foundation for Sustainability Projects
Following the launch of the Greenopolis Foundation, $100,000 in grants will now be available to fund sustainability projects that promote green living and education in communities across the US. Created by Greenopolis, a social networking site providing tools and information to encourage environmental changes in peoples' lives, the Greenopolis Foundation is open to any educator or community activist looking for support.

NCATE Seeks Field Comment on Proposed Redesign and Transformation Process
From NCATE
NCATE is in the midst of a redesign and transformation initiative which will provide a cost-effective, efficient, and collegial accreditation process for educator preparation. It will also give institutions the opportunity to engage in transformation initiatives (see NCATE website at www.ncate.org ) as part of the work of accreditation. The concept of continuous improvement is a major strategy NCATE will use to drive the process. NCATE is currently seeking comment from all stakeholders on the proposed process. All comments can be made directly via the web through boxes provided at various points within the document. Comments will be received through April 24.

AERA – ABS Graduate Student Education Research Workshop
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Association of Black Sociologists (ABS) announce a joint professional development training workshop for advanced graduate students who are examining an education research topic from a sociological perspective. This workshop will provide advanced graduate students with mentoring and guidance on their dissertation and give them insight into publishing their work.

Dates: The workshop will be part of the 2009 ABS Conference, in New Orleans - June 17th- June 20th. All workshop activities will be held the afternoon and evening of Wednesday, June 17th.

Great Teachers for our City Schools
The second annual Great Teachers for Our City Schools: A National Summit on Recruiting, Preparing and Retaining Quality Urban Teachers will begin at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 with a reception and dinner and end at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 2009.

Early Bird Registration
Fee: $275
Deadline: Feb. 27, 2009
Regular Registration
Fee: $300
Deadline: March 27, 2009
To register, go to www.mscd.edu/~utp

Partnership for Global Learning Forum
From the Asia Society
In 2009, as new leadership comes to Washington D.C. The Asia Society Partnership for Global Learning is hosting its second annual national forum. Join teachers, leaders and policymakers from across K-16 education to share best practices, build partnerships, and advance policies to ensure that all students are prepared for work and citizenship in the global 21st century. The forum will take place from July 9-11, 2009 in Arlington, VA. Click here to register.

Alyssa J. Mangino
Communications Manager
AACTE
1307 New York Ave., NW Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 478-4596 -Direct
(202) 457-8095 -Fax
amangino@aacte.org