National Teacher Educators Conference in Atlanta to Explore Actions Needed to Establish a Sustainable and Diverse Profession

MEDIA ALERT                                           

Contact: Jerrica Thurman
Tel: (202) 478-4502
E-mail: jthurman@aacte.org

National Teacher Educators Conference in Atlanta to Explore Actions Needed to Establish a Sustainable and Diverse Profession
Compelling political and social forces are disrupting “business as usual” in teacher education. Bankrupted state budgets, teacher shortages, school violence, and fractured communities threaten the sustainability of public education. To ensure students flourish, teacher educators from across the nation will discuss how educational structures must be designed to support schools, teachers, students, families, and communities at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) 72nd Annual Meeting. Teacher educators and practitioners will partner to disrupt existing inequitable social and organizational structures and invent an educational/schooling system that supports social justice, creates culturally-responsive curriculum, and provides an infrastructure to support mental health, wellness, and self-care.

WHO: 
AACTE, the leading voice on educator preparation, will host its 72nd Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., February 28 – March 1. This year’s event will bring together education leaders to engage in meaningful discussions, share research and practices, and become better equipped to drive change in the educator preparation field.

WHAT: 
Themed “Disrupting Inequities: Educating for Change,” the conference will feature four strands. The “Establishing a Sustainable and Diverse Profession” strand will provide research to describe innovative, culturally-responsive curriculum and new school structures to support mental health and improved methods for achieving safe schools. Sessions include the following:

• Preparing Teachers to Support Social and Emotional Learning: From the University to the Classroom
• Creating Community Partnerships to Support Teacher Recruitment
• Mindfulness as a Path to Teacher Well-being and Retention
• Bringing Teachers of Color to the Center of Teacher Preparation
• Examining the Impact of Stereotype Threat and Index of Dissimilarity to Increase Gender Diversity Within the Teacher Workforce

During the three days of programming led by top educational leaders, participants will choose from over 300 concurrent sessions and presentations to gain new strategies in preparing future educators.

Check out the full lineup of conference activities and sessions at aacte.org and the AACTE Online Event Planner.

WHERE:
All events will take place at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel.

WHEN: 
Six interactive preconference workshops will take place on February 27. The AACTE 72nd Annual Meeting will be held February 28 – March 1, 2020.
MEDIA CONTACT: To request media interviews or a press pass, e-mail Jerrica Thurman at jthurman@aacte.org.

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