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For this week's NACCTEP Now episode we are revisiting a podcast from June 2021 on Teacher Diversity that features both NACCTEP Executive Director Julie Ferin and NACCTEP Treasurer Dr. Jennifer Gresko. This podcast is one of a 5-part series on Hear Arizona titled "The Education Cliff".

Valerie Sakimura, Executive Director, and Jim Heal, Senior Program Director, from ⁠Deans for Impact⁠ join NACCTEP Now to discuss their work to equip future teachers with the tools to create rigorous, equitable, and inclusive classrooms so that all children thrive. For nearly 10 years, their organization has supported close to 200 teacher preparation programs and school districts in preparing aspiring and novice teachers to enact instruction grounded in a scientific understanding of how students learn.

Through their Impact Academy fellowship, they offer deans and program leaders a community of practice to discuss and work through the challenges that different educator preparation programs face. Additionally, they offer one-to-one coaching as a part of this academy that kicks off and concludes with in-person meetings in June of each year.

Applications for the coming cohort are open through the end of March 2024. Information and a link to the application can be found on their website at: ⁠https://www.deansforimpact.org/programming/for-educator-preparation-leaders/impact-academy⁠

Robert Parker, Manager of Strategic Partnerships for 240 Tutoring shares what inspired founder and CEO Scott Rozell to create 240 Tutoring in October 2010. He also discusses the individualized nature of their test preparation courses from benchmark assessments at the beginning of a course to providing guidance on incorrect answers in order to learn the concepts necessary to successfully pass the tests. Each course also has an alignment tool to help candidates see where each of the standards for the test are included in the course.

In addition to their current offerings, Mr. Parker shares that they will be nationwide by the end of 2024 as they include New York state. They will also be updating courses to be more dynamic and expanding to include more disciplines such as art, music, business, and Spanish. Additionally, they are piloting a job matching concept in Texas that will help districts and candidates connect. He also shares other exciting additions to help with retention and for program administrators to improve their programs.

In this episode, Monica Carson, Chief Growth Officer for the American College of Education, ACE, discusses how the school was created twenty years ago by educators for educators. She talks not only about the value of ACE financially, but also in terms of academics, and stack-ability of their many offerings from micro-credentials, to certificates, bachelors degrees, as well as multiple varieties of masters degrees. Partnerships with other colleges such as Rio Salado College allow program completers to transfer in credits towards other degrees, while partnerships with school districts offer para-pros, janitors, bus drivers, and parents the opportunity to become credentialed educators in their own communities.

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Lynn Gangone, President and CEO of The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), as she shares how AACTE plays an integral role in elevating the field of teacher education.

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is the leading voice on educator preparation. AACTE’s member institutions and programs prepare the greatest number of professional educators in the United States and its territories, including teachers, counselors, administrators, and college faculty.

Dr. Gangone begins by sharing how she started her career in higher education at a community college and explains how this experience has underscored the work she continues to do with AACTE. The discussion covers competency-based education (CBE) initiatives, registered apprenticeships, guideline standards for teacher apprenticeships, AACTE’s 75th anniversary, and the upcoming AACTE Annual Meeting in Colorado. For more information about AACTE and information about the upcoming pre-conference and annual meeting visit https://aacte.org/about-aacte/

In this episode we hear from Daniela Robles, Executive Director of the Arizona K12 Center as she discusses her journey to becoming a National Board Certified Teacher, the history of the Arizona K12 Center, and how the two intersected more than once. From an organization that began by giving grants to external professional development opportunities, to providing those opportunities directly, as well as adding mentorship and support for new and experienced teachers, the Arizona K12 center has grown. Prior to the pandemic, the center was able to fund 7 districts, but since 2020 that has grown to 33 programs throughout the state.

The Arizona K12 Center is instrumental in providing training and guidance for those pursuing NBCT status which is how Ms. Robles first worked with the center. Not long after becoming a National Board Certified Teacher, Ms. Robles worked with the center on the Mitchell 20 project which involved teachers in a single school banding together to become NCBTs in order to better serve their students. The documentary created from this project can be found at ⁠www.mitchell20.com/about⁠.

In addition, the Arizona K12 Center has many upcoming opportunities for professional development including their 19th Annual Teacher Leader Institute being held in Tucson June 24-26th, 2024, a one-day Voices for Impact event this spring, as well as in-person Cognitive Coaching offerings. Information on these events as well as several other programs can be found at ⁠azK12.org/events⁠.

In parting, Ms. Robles recommends the book The Necessary Journey: Making Real Progress on Equity and Inclusion by Ella Washington.

Dr. Prentice Chandler, Dean of the Eriksson College of Education at Austin Peay State University, and Dr. Lisa Barron, professor, discuss their apprenticeship program. The program is the first federally registered program of its kind and has been adopted as a model for other programs in the state of Tennessee. Through the use of grants and federal apprenticeship workforce dollars the program is tuition free and compresses a typically 4-year bachelor of science into 3 years. There are 200 current students in the cohort style program consisting of both local cohort groups and cohorts made from consortiums of rural partners. Reliance on community colleges throughout the state is vital to the success of the program that was pioneered in 2018.

In this episode we hear Dr. Dawn Hendricks, Department Chair of Education and Human Services at Clackamas Community College in Oregon, discuss her department's first in the nation Spanish online Early Childhood Education program. From an initial idea to a grant funded opportunity to develop this unique program to best serve the needs of their community, the program offers an affordable way for Latinx students to positively impact the communities they live in. The initial cohort of 68 in Fall 2021 has now grown to over 250 students enrolled in these courses. The strength and success of the program has also resulted in partnerships with local Resource & Referral agencies, high school dual enrollment programs, early learning and Headstart programs in local schools, and funding from the Willamette Velley Wine Association. Another positive result is that Clackamas is now working on turning the original English language Early Childhood Education courses into online 5-week courses.

Dr. Hendrick's article ⁠Breaking Barriers: Creating College Pathway for Latinx, Spanish-Speaking Early Learning Providers ⁠also appears as a NACCTEP Now blog post.

In this episode of NACCTEP Now we hear from Dr. Andy Torris, education professor at Warner Pacific University in Portland, OR as he discusses the use of large language models, generative AI, and AI in education. Dr. Torris shares how he introduces the use of AI to the teacher candidates in his classes to assist them in creating lesson plans as well as to create example classrooms they can teach to. He advises that "you can't leave your mind at the door when you're using these things," and favors the free site ⁠MagicSchool.ai⁠ that has over 50 AI tools specific to education to get started with.

NCTR, the National Center for Teacher Residencies, joins NACCTEP Now to discuss the history of the center and why its focus on diversity in the classroom is crucial to the success of students and schools. CEO Dr. Kathlene Campbell shares how their teacher residency cohort model in numerous states has not only supported putting teachers of color in the classroom, but also how many of the teachers from teacher residencies have now become mentors in the program. You can find additional information on NCTR at ⁠nctresidencies.org⁠.

Dr. Campbell also recommends Jim Crow's Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership by Dr. Leslie Fenwick for insight into the unintended consequences of how the Brown v Board decision effected the teacher pipeline. Dr. Fenwick recently presented on this topic at the AERA, American Educational Research Association, as part of their ⁠Brown Lecture series⁠.

In this episode we host the Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mr. Tom Horne, as he shares the state of Pre-k - 12 education in Arizona. Key amongst his discussion topics is the need for teachers to make more money and how a new free tutoring for all program is helping to put additional funds into teachers' pockets while assisting students to achieve better skills and higher test scores. Additionally, Mr. Horne talks about how the state is looking at how the teacher colleges are preparing new teachers to ensure they are day-one ready to be effective in the classroom.

Among the new initiatives within Arizona are partnerships with several of the high-needs industries in the state including the medical field and burgeoning semiconductor industries to provide skilled training for students to enter the workforce career-ready after high school. Another initiative is providing fully enabled tablets to students in the Navajo nation that do not require broadband connections in order to study math, reading, and language skills.

Mark LaCelle Peterson, President and CEO of AAQEP, the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation, discusses his organization's history as well as the collaborative process they employ as their members move through the accreditation process. He emphasizes that standards should not be a ceiling, not to let "the best we know today stop you from learning the things you need to know tomorrow." He also describes how AAQEP enlarges the circle of learning through regular cohort style meetings for those seeking accreditation before, during, and even after they've completed the accreditation process. To this end, AAQEP will be publishing the first two volumes in a series filled with stories from those who have gone through the accreditation process and what they learned along the way.

Mark's book recommendations include the books Five Dimensions of Quality: A Common Sense Guide to Accreditation and Accountability and Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide by Linda Suskie who was the keynote speaker at a recent AAQEP event as well as Reclaiming Accountability in Teacher Education by Marilyn Cochran Smith, Molly Cummings Carney, Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Stephani Burton, Wen-Chia Chang, M. Beatriz Fernandez, Andrew F. Miller, Juan Gabriel Sanchez, and Megina Baker.

In this episode we hear from Tim Finklea, Vice President for Membership Engagement and Board Services at CAEP, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, as he shares the history of the organization. Mr. Finklea also shares the importance of accreditation and ways people can volunteer to assist with the numerous virtual accreditation applications each year. Currently there are 33 states that require CAEP accreditation for their educator preparation programs. Additionally there are several community colleges that have begun or are exploring the process to become CAEP accredited.

Tim's book recommendations include the books Five Dimensions of Quality: A Common Sense Guide to Accreditation and Accountability and Assessing Student Learning: A Common Sense Guide by Linda Suskie.

Join us as Tim Neubert, the Executive Director of the American Association for Employment in Education, AAEE, discusses the history of the organization as well as several upcoming initiatives. This includes their annual conference and career expo being held in Chicago, Illinois October 23rd - 26th this year. Mr. Neubert also shares information on new surveys that have or will be sent out in the next few months related to AAEE's publications surrounding supply and demand in the K-12 realm as well as new work with Youngstown State University in Ohio on what new teachers need for job satisfaction. In December, AAEE will launch their annual teacher scholarships as well as program mini-grants.

Mr. Neubert also talks about why he recommends the book The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates.

NACCTEP Educational Partner the IRIS Center is back to share their latest initiatives. Listen as Sarah Semon shares about the recent release of the two-part module series on addressing challenging behaviors at the secondary level, the revised module on Universal Design Learning (UDL), and the IRIS Prep Talks Priority Practice Series, which will be held throughout the fall beginning on September 22, 2023.

Check out the new modules here:

Addressing Challenging Behaviors (Part 1, Secondary): Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle

Addressing Challenging Behaviors (Part 2, Secondary): Behavioral Strategies

Universal Design for Learning: Designing Learning Experiences That Engage and Challenge All Students

For additional information on the IRIS Prep Talks series and to register for upcoming sessions, please visit our News & Events page: https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/news-and-events/

In this episode we hear from Tonja Eagan, the CEO of Kappa Delta Pi, on what the KDP organization provides to teacher candidates, new teachers, and veteran teachers. We learn the origins of this national honor society in 1911 as a place to honor and celebrate all high-achieving teacher candidates, including women and teachers of color who were dismissed by a prominent educational honor society of that time. Ms. Eagan also discusses the latest partnerships and initiatives of KDP including members having full access to the Teaching Channel resources; a virtual half-day Annual New Teacher National Summit; and a quality-of-life initiative, The Rooted Teacher by KDP. The Rooted Teacher includes monthly podcasts, virtual coaching and support sessions, and weekly microlearning videos.

Additionally, KDP will be hosting a 2-day in-person conference in St. Louis - Convo: The Premier Conference for Future Educators. They are anticipating over 700 participants at this event to learn about innovative techniques and ideas for teaching. More information on this event can be found on their website at https://www.kdp.org/events/convo2023.

Hear NACCTEP Executive Director Julie Ferin and NACCTEP Executive Board President Dr. Lennon Audrain discuss upcoming events and initiatives for the 2023-24 academic year. Items discussed include ways NACCTEP will seek to expand its reach, the 3rd Annual Fall Institute, and the upcoming Pre-Conference ahead of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, AACTE, annual conference in Denver in February 2024.