Advocating for Educator Preparation: Strategies and Resources for Success

Is your New Year’s resolution to become more involved in educator preparation advocacy? Join leaders from the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center as they share resources and best practices for faculty, state and district leaders, and teacher and leader candidates on important issues facing the field. Discussion will focus on addressing educator shortages, expanding high-quality pathways to the profession, and diversifying the educator workforce.

Speakers:

Melinda Leko, Ph.D.
Professor & Associate Director, University of Florida
Co-Director, CEEDAR Center

Melinda Leko, Ph.D., is a professor of special education in the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies at the University of Florida. Prior to her appointment at UF, Leko held tenured faculty positions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Kansas.  Leko’s research focuses on (a) educator preparation to promote inclusive and equitable practices for students with disabilities, (b) reading instruction for adolescents with disabilities, and (c) educators’ implementation of evidence-based practices and high-leverage practices. She also writes about the rigorous application of qualitative and mixed methods research in special education. Leko is a co-director on the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funded Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform (CEEDAR Center). She has been the principal investigator (PI) of two OSEP doctoral leadership preparation programs and co-PI on an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Development and Innovation grant designed to enhance the preparation of emergency certified special educators in rural areas.

Lindsey Hayes, Ph.D.
Principal Researcher, American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Co-Director, CEEDAR Center

Lindsey Hayes, Ph.D., is a principal researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). Hayes serves as a co-director of the CEEDAR Center. In this role, she supports intensive technical assistance teams to create robust networks between state education agencies, educator preparation programs, and local districts to build the capacity of teachers and leaders to effectively serve students with disabilities. She currently serves as a CEEDAR state lead in Colorado, Connecticut, and South Carolina, and has worked in various capacities with many other CEEDAR states since joining the center in 2013. She has over a decade of experience leading technical assistance efforts for U.S. Department of Education-funded national centers related to special education, educator preparation, and educator quality. Hayes previously worked as a special education teacher and administrator in the District of Columbia.