A Cause for Concern: AACTE Urges Scrutiny of Newly Released Federal Regulations for Teacher Preparation Programs

Proposed Rules Likely to Have Significant Impact on Higher Education Institutions Nationwide

(November 26, 2014, Washington, D.C.) – Sharon P. Robinson, Ed.D., president and CEO of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), issued the following statement today on the release of the draft proposed regulations for teacher preparation programs made available by the U.S. Department of Education:

“The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) is currently reviewing the draft proposed regulations. Once the proposed regulations are published for public comment, AACTE urges its 800 member institutions, other educators, colleagues, partners and the public to consider and comment on the proposal.

“In their current form, these proposed regulations have the potential to halt or even reverse the hard-won progress of current teacher preparation program reform efforts. We are deeply concerned about the proposed regulations for the approximately 25,000 teacher preparation programs across this nation.

“These rules not only highlight the Administration’s determination to create a federal ratings system for higher education, but also could turn back the clock on innovation and reform in educator preparation—negatively affecting teacher candidates, schools and universities, the teaching profession and, ultimately, our country’s millions of PK-12 students.

“Given the potentially wide-ranging implications, we are meticulously reviewing the details of the proposed regulations in their current form and working with our members and our partners to ascertain the effects on the field should they be implemented.”

Previous AACTE statements on this topic are available on the AACTE web site.

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AACTE: The Premier Voice on Educator Preparation
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is a national alliance of educator preparation programs dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are ready to teach all learners on Day 1. Its over 800 member institutions represent public and private colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam. AACTE leads the field in advocacy and capacity building by promoting innovation and effective practices as critical to reforming educator preparation. For more information, visit www.aacte.org.