AACTE Celebrates SCOTUS Decisions Supporting Diversified Educator Workforce

(June 25, 2020, Washington, D.C.) The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) celebrates the recent rulings of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in support of the LGBTQ community and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. AACTE commends the two decisions and their significant impact for growing a diversified educator workforce prepared by AACTE member institutions to meet the needs of diverse learners.

For the first time in American schools, LGBTQ teachers will not fear the loss of employment when self-identifying thanks to the SCOTUS June 15 ruling. It affirms the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects gay, lesbian, and transgender employees from discrimination based on sex. AACTE believes representation of LGBTQ educators in schools is vital to the mental and physical health of LGBTQ students, particularly Black transgender youth. The SCOTUS decision will increase the visibility of gender diverse teachers on all levels of the education system and will help students gain a deeper understanding about the LGBTQ community.

AACTE also stands with the approximate 216,000 DACA-mented and DACA-eligible students enrolled in our nation’s colleges and universities in applauding the SCOTUS June 18 decision to reverse the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to end the DACA program. AACTE agrees with the court naming the rescission of the DACA program as “arbitrary and capricious.” Colleges of education prepare thousands of DACA-mented and DACA-eligible students to become future teachers who will lead students across the country and across the world towards a bright future.

AACTE and its members are committed to challenging the systemic racism that lie at the center of the issues addressed by the recent court rulings. The rights of the LGBTQ community, undocumented students and educators, and all marginalized groups in America will not be secure until racial injustices come to an end. AACTE encourages legislators to address The Equality Act to protect LGBTQ people from harassment, bullying, and violence in all public spaces, and reintroduce a version of The American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which provides a legal pathway to citizenship for undocumented DREAMERs. AACTE also calls on the educator preparation community and all educators to dismantle the discrimination of marginalized groups so often propagated within oppressive educational systems.

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AACTE: The Leading Voice on Educator Preparation

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education is a national alliance of educator preparation programs and partners 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 aacte.org.