70th Annual Meeting Under Way in Baltimore for American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

(March 1, 2018, Baltimore, Md.) – Today kicks off the convening of nearly 2,000 teacher educators at the Baltimore Convention Center and Hilton Baltimore for the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). The conference, themed “Celebrating Our Professional Identity: Shared Knowledge and Advocacy,” runs March 1-3. Participants include faculty, students and administrators from undergraduate and graduate education programs, community colleges and K-12 schools as well as representatives from state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and foundations.

“Representatives of the whole education community have gathered at AACTE’s event as one profession focused on tackling the pressing challenges impacting teaching,” said Lynn M. Gangone, president and CEO of AACTE. “We are here to discuss ways to maintain teacher and students’ safety in the classroom, sustain public education and develop new and better pathways toward solutions.”

Attendees are engaging in interactive symposia and presentations on topics such as teacher shortages, technology and innovation, social justice and equity concerns, clinically based preparation, performance assessment and strategies to increase teacher diversity. Two keynote addresses bookend the conference. The Opening Keynote is a panel discussion on strengthening teacher recruitment and retention, featuring Marquita Grenot-Scheyer, assistant vice chancellor for teacher education and public school programs for the California State University System; Kimberly Tobey, executive director of the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs; and Gangone, who will facilitate the interactive dialogue. The Closing Keynote features Diane Ravitch, professor at New York University and outspoken advocate for public schools.

The conference is made possible by premier sponsor Watermark; featured sponsors Edthena, Evaluation Systems Group of Pearson, Horace Mann and the University of Nevada Las Vegas College of Education; and general sponsors Educational Testing Service, Motivis Learning and the State University of New York/SUNY Press, as well as other generous supporters.

On-site registration is available at the Baltimore Convention Center. Three-day general admission: $525 for members, $710 for nonmembers and $120 for students. For more information, visit aacte.org and access the full list of sessions and events at the AACTE Online Event Planner. Follow the event’s happenings at #AACTE18.

To register for media credentials or request interviews with featured speakers or association leaders, send your name, title, name of media organization or publication, address, phone number and e-mail address to Jerrica Thurman at jthurman@aacte.org.

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About AACTE

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 profession-ready as they enter the classroom. The 800 member institutions include public and private colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam. Through advocacy and capacity building, AACTE promotes innovation and effective practices that strengthen educator preparation. Learn more at www.aacte.org.