AACTE Research, Reports, and Briefs

National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards K-12 Teacher Occupation

The Pathways Alliance, a national coalition of K-12 and higher education organizations, convened a working group to draft National Guidelines for Standards for K-12 Teacher Apprenticeships (NGS) for registered apprenticeships in K-12 teaching. This working group was co-chaired by representatives from AACTE, Deans for Impact, and the National Center for Grow Your Own. The guidelines have been approved and published by the U.S. Department of Labor. This fact sheet, developed by AACTE and the Pathways Alliance, summarizes key information from the NGS for educator preparation programs. Read More.

The Role of Educator Preparation Programs in Preparing Teachers in the  Science of Reading

The “science of reading” has garnered enormous attention among educators and the general public over the past few years. In this report, authors define the science of reading, discuss effective reading instruction and teacher preparation, share voices from the field and provide recommendations for educator preparation programs as well as resources. Read More.

Higher Education-Based Alternative Teacher Preparation
Programs

AACTE released a new analysis focusing on alternative preparation programs run by institutions of higher education (IHE-based alternative programs). The study shows that IHE- based alternative teacher preparation programs are bringing more educators to the strained workforce than alternative programs run by organizations other than colleges and universities. The data reveals that university-based alternative teacher preparation programs more effectively address the educator shortage. Read More.

The State of Education Censorship in Institutions of
Higher Ed and Implications for the Field

AACTE released this commissioned report in October 2022, a comprehensive overview of proposed an enacted censorship in education impacting educators, students, and training for the next generation of teachers. Read More.

Trends in the Alternative Teacher Certification Sector Outside Higher Education

AACTE has partnered with the Center for American Progress (CAP), which had previously published a study of alternative teacher certification programs, to update and extend that analysis. In this report, AACTE and CAP examined trends among alternative certification programs run by organizations other than institutions of higher education (IHEs) between 2010-11 and 2018-19, the last full academic year prior to the pandemic. Read More.

Colleges of Education: A National Portrait, Second Edition

Colleges of Education: A National Portrait, Second Edition (2022) provides an update of AACTE’s signature report first published in 2018, describing the key trends and challenges in meeting the nation’s need for highly skilled educators. The report offers a comprehensive picture of the nation’s schools, colleges, and departments of education: the work that they do, the people who do that work, and the students they serve. This edition features a special analysis on the contributions that community colleges make to educator preparation. Read More.

Fall 2021 Member Survey – Educator Preparation Responds to COVID-19

Since spring 2020, when schools and colleges around the country switched to online instruction due to COVID-19, AACTE has periodically surveyed its members on the impact of the pandemic on educator preparation. This report updates that series with information collected in fall 2021. It describes how conditions have changed since 2020, highlighting the lasting effects of the pandemic. Read More.

A Tale of Two Cities: State Evaluation Systems of Teacher Preparation Programs

This report, commissioned by the National Academy of Education (NAEd), is a teacher evaluation system landscape analysis, including a state-by-state summary of the evaluation system components and an analysis of similarities and differences between and among states. This report is accompanied by a web-based interactive state map of state statutes governing teacher preparation programs and providers.  Read More.

The History, Current Use, and Impact of Entrance and Licensure Examinations Cut Scores on the Teacher-of-Color Pipeline

The Consortium for Research-Based and Equitable Assessments (CREA) project has released a white paper to examine the history and baseline of entrance and licensure examination cut scores and its impact on the teacher-of-color pipeline. The paper addresses these three questions: (1) How are standardized entrance and licensure tests being used as a gateway into the profession?, (2) Who determines cut scores for these tests?, and (3) What is the historical significance and implications of these tests on the diversity of the profession today? Read more.

Revolutionizing Education for All Learners: A Road Map to the Future (2021)

Over the past three years, AACTE has been engaged in a strategic planning process that will guide the organization through the coming decade. This report reflects findings from a vital part of the planning process: input from a cross-section of deans of education and public policy and foundation leaders outside the AACTE organization who are engaged in supporting education. What do these leaders think of the new AACTE strategic plan, its vision, mission, and goals? What insights do they share? Read more

Fall 2020 Member Survey (2021)

In early October 2020, AACTE invited the chief representatives of its member institutions to complete a survey on how the twin crises of COVID-19 and racial injustice had affected their educator preparation programs and how they have responded to these crises. Nearly 170 AACTE members completed the survey, for an overall response rate of 26%. Respondents were very similar to the population of AACTE members in terms of institution type. AACTE conducted a similar survey in April 2020, asking members about the immediate impact of COVID-19 on their educator preparation programs. That survey had a similar response rate (27%) and was also representative of AACTE’s membership. Where applicable, this summary includes an indication of how conditions changed between the spring and fall of 2020.  Read More.

Degree Trends in High-Demand Teaching Specialties: 2009-10 to 2018-19 (2020)

Provides detailed information on degree trends in four high-demand teaching specialties: special education, math and science education, English as a second language, and foreign language education.  Read More.

How Do Education Students Pay for College? (2020)

To help AACTE members better understand the financial pressures impacting education students, this issue brief takes a detailed look at how students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education pay for college, including the costs that they face and the financial sources that they tap to meet those expenses.  Read More.

Institutions Offering Degrees in Education: 2009-10 to 2018-19 (2020)

This brief examines recent trends in the number of institutions awarding degrees in education and the size of those programs. Read more.

“Strategies that Promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Educator Preparation” (2020)

Select AACTE members featured within this Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Handbook share their strategies to diversify the profession: Strand I strategies focus on faculty and staff professional development to increase cultural competency, while Strand II strategies describe initiatives to recruit and retain a diverse educator workforce. AACTE encourages policymakers’ investment in the strategies described within this Handbook given the significant positive impact the strategies have on the education workforce and the education of our PK-12 students. Investing in strengthening and transforming university-based preparation and ongoing professional development for educators is crucial to enhancing academic success for the nation’s learners. Read more.

State Policy Recommendations Report (2020)

In response to the changes in state policies and practices as a result of COVID-19, AACTE has also released a report of recommendations to state leaders on how to support educator preparation programs (EPPs) and novice teachers as they navigate new and unexpected challenges. This report and infographic, Teaching in the time of COVID-19: State Recommendations for Educator Preparation Programs and New Teachers, discusses 10 recommendations to strengthen teacher licensure and certification, clinical experiences and new teacher induction during and post-COVID.

Education Students and Diversity: A Review of New Evidence (2019)

This issue brief examines the personal, family, and socioeconomic characteristics of students working toward bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education. It then compares these students to the general student population and identifies key differences by race/ethnicity. Read More.

Special Education Tenets of Clinical Practice (2019)

This publication is a compendium to the AACTE Clinical Practice Commission report, A Pivot Toward Clinical Practice,Its Lexicon, and the Renewal of Educator Preparation. It is to be used to identify and define key areas of consideration in special education clinical preparation. Read More.

The Black and Hispanic/Latino Male Teacher Networked Improvement Community: Promising Practices to Recruit and Retain Male Teachers of Color Phase I: Exploring New Pathways to Recruit and Retain (2019)

This report documents promising practices and significant challenges that schools, colleges, and departments of education around the country may face as they prepare professionals for increasingly diverse and complex educational environments. Read More.

Colleges of Education: A National Portrait (2018)

This report provides a comprehensive picture of colleges of education: the work that they do, the people who do that work, and the students they serve. Read More.

Clinical Practice Commission Report (2018)

This report (2018) highlights research-based recommendations, including a shared professional lexicon, for all educators to embrace as a foundation for effectively implementing evidence-based clinical practice. Read More.