Home > Press Releases & Statements > America’s Teacher Educators Convene to Revolutionize Education
(March 4, 2022, Washington, D.C.) – The 74th Annual Meeting of AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education) begins today. The conference, themed “Rethink, Reshape, Reimagine, Revolutionize: Growing the Profession Post Pandemic,” takes place in New Orleans, La, March 4 – 6. Attendees include presidents, provosts, deans, faculty, students, and administrators from undergraduate and graduate education programs, community colleges, and PK-12 schools, as well as representatives from state and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and foundations.
Over the past two years, the effects of the pandemic and events related to social injustice are challenging the field of education and educator preparation in dramatic ways. Educator preparation sits at a crossroads, with increasing public scrutiny of K-12 teachers and college faculty, and legislative challenges calling teaching practices into question. At the same time, state governors and legislatures are introducing record numbers of educational censorship measures. These measures are creating a chilling climate and impacting interest in education as a career, adding to over a decade of declining enrollment in preparation programs.
AACTE’s 2022 Annual Meeting presents an opportunity for participants to reflect upon current challenges and plan for a post-pandemic future. Attendees will share the innovations they have created, learn from the work of colleagues and peers, and find inspiration to create the next set of breakthroughs in reimagining educator preparation. Most importantly, attendees will assess the advancements made and gaps that exist to establish an equitable, accessible education for all students.
Annual Meeting sessions are organized into four strands of learning:
Distinguished keynote speakers include Derek W. Black, J.D., professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law and one of the nation’s foremost experts in education law and policy. During today’s Opening Keynote Session, Black will discuss his book Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy (PublicAffairs, 2020). Leslie T. Fenwick, Ph.D., nationally renowned educator, education policy scholar, best-selling author, and AACTE’s Dean in Residence will discuss her upcoming book, Jim Crow’s Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership (Harvard Education Press, 2022) at the Closing Keynote Session on March 6.
AACTE President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D., states, “During this time of national crisis in education, I’m honored that 1,300 educator preparation professionals are gathering in person at the AACTE Annual Meeting to solve education’s most pressing problems. Our work has always been essential, but at no time has it demanded as much from us, or have the stakes been as high. The future of our democracy rests upon each of us and the shoulders of the educators we prepare. No small task, but I have every confidence we are up for the challenge.”
Learn more about the AACTE 74th Annual Meeting at aacte.org.
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AACTE: Leading Educator Preparation Since 1948
AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education) is the leading voice on educator preparation. A national alliance of colleges of education, educator preparation programs, and partners, AACTE represents nearly 700 member institutions and strategic partners, including public and private colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam. AACTE engages with its international partners in furthering the growth and development of educator preparation worldwide. Through advocacy and capacity building, AACTE promotes innovation and effective practices that strengthen educator preparation. Learn more at aacte.org
