Leading Through Crises: Results of the Fall 2020 AACTE Member Survey

How are education leaders responding to the twin crises of the coronavirus pandemic and racial injustice? What can we learn from each other and how can AACTE best support its members as they navigate these unprecedented times? This webinar will feature the results of AACTE’s recent member survey and reactions from leaders in the field of educator preparation.

Speakers:

Malcolm B. Butler
Professor and Director of the School of Teacher Education
College of Community Innovation and Education
University of Central Florida.

Dr. Malcolm B. Butler is Professor and Director of the School of Teacher Education in the College of Community Innovation and Education at the University of Central Florida. In addition, Butler is Coordinator of the PhD Program in Science Education, and he has a secondary appointment with the Learning Sciences Faculty Cluster.  After earning a BS in Physics from Southern University in Baton Rouge, he began pursuit of a Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Florida. While in Gainesville, Butler became fascinated with the idea of “growing” more scientists, subsequently changing his degree plans, and ultimately earning a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Science Education. Butler has taught and learned mathematics and science from elementary, middle and high school students. In addition, he has been affiliated with several institutions of higher education, including the College of William and Mary, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the University of Georgia, and the University of South Florida. Dr. Butler has secured over six million dollars in funding to support his research and scholarly initiatives. He has presented his research findings and conducted workshops across the United States, as well as Canada, Japan, The Philippines, Singapore, Cyprus, South Africa, and Botswana. He has co-authored and co-edited three books and numerous book chapters and journal articles. Dr. Butler is also one of the authors of the K-5 science curriculum, National Geographic Science, “a research-based program that brings science learning to life through the lens of National Geographic.”

During his career, Dr. Butler has served in several appointed and elected leadership positions in his field. He recently served as President of the Association for Science Teacher Education, and currently serves as Chair of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents.

Mary Churchill
Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement
Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

Dr. Mary L. Churchill joined Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development as the inaugural Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement. Prior to her time at Boston University, she served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Wheelock College where she helped lead the merger of Wheelock College and Boston University. Before she joined Wheelock College, Dr. Churchill was part of the leadership team at Salem State University, where was Associate Provost, Innovation and Partnerships; Interim Dean, School of Graduate Studies; and Dean, School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Churchill was born in Flint, Michigan and was the first in her family to attend college. She graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and earned Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Sociology at Northeastern. Dr. Churchill has taught undergraduate and graduate courses focused on social and political theory; quantitative methods; social movements; race, class, and gender; and cross-cultural understanding in the departments of Sociology, Political Science, and International Studies.

Jacqueline E. King
Consultant to AACTE

Jacqueline King is an independent consultant who works with K-12 and higher education leaders to improve student outcomes. She has had a long career in education, including 15 years at the American Council on Education (ACE) where she established the ACE Center for Policy Analysis. Dr. King is the author or co-author of numerous reports, articles, and book chapters on college readiness, student financing of higher education, access and persistence in postsecondary education, student demographic trends, and trends in the leadership of higher education. Her work has been featured on CNN and in national publications such as The New York Times, Time, USA Today, and the Washington Post.

Dr. King holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, an MA from Teachers College, Columbia, and Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Jan Lacina
Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
College of Education
Texas Christian University

Jan Lacina serves as Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Studies within the College of Education at Texas Christian University (TCU).  Jan has more than 15 years of leadership experience in roles such as Interim Dean, Post Baccalaureate Graduate Coordinator, Early Childhood Coordinator, and she has served for ten years as Associate Dean.  Jan began her career as a Texas public school teacher.

Jan’s teaching and research experiences are in the areas of literacy instruction; she is an accomplished author and editor; she has authored more than 100 publications, including four books. Routledge (2020) published her most recent book, Preparing Globally Minded Literacy Teachers: Knowledge, Practices, and Case Studies. Jan served as Associate Editor and then Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Research in Childhood Education (JRCE). She now serves as Co-Editor of the journal The Reading Teacher 2015-2021. She also serves as the U.S. Ambassador for the United Kingdom Literacy Association.  Jan is an alumna of the Harvard Institute for Higher Education Management Development Program (MDP) and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Leadership Academy.

Kimberly White-Smith
Professor and Dean
LaFetra College of Education
University of La Verne

Dr. Kimberly A. White-Smith is Professor and Dean of the LaFetra College of Education (LFCE) at the University of La Verne (ULV), which houses more than $10 million in grants and donor monies to create innovative programming, unique district partnerships, and scholarships for students. ULV is a Hispanic Serving Institution, serving approximately 50% Latinx students and about 60% first-generation students. With more than 25 years of experience in urban education and teacher development, Dr. White-Smith is the intellectual force behind endeavors that foster academic justice for “minoritized” students through enhanced educational environments, organizational structures, policies, and teaching strategies. She has authored articles, books, and book chapters on diversity, inclusivity, and leadership, such as, “That’s why I say stay in school”: Black Mothers’ Parental Involvement, Cultural Wealth, and Exclusion in their Sons Schooling, co-authored with Dr. Quaylan Allen. Her current book is Through the fire: From intake to credential, teacher candidates share their experiences through narrative, co-authored by Hayes, Fashing-Varner & Eisworth. It explores how teacher educators can better prepare teachers against a backdrop of historical schooling inequalities. Dr. White-Smith engages the national conversation on teacher education through critical positions. She is Vice-president of the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE) and Member of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) and WestEd, a non-profit research lab that generates over $167M to study and transform education in the US.