August Leadership Message
August 2023
Welcome to August! I know everyone is busy preparing for the new academic year and many are also working on grant proposals, so I will be brief. As a lifelong educator and student, I think of August as more of a beginning than I do January. I think about the excitement of the (mostly) kindergarteners getting onto the school bus for the first time, the anxiety of the 9th grader headed off to high school, and the frantic questioning of the freshman trying to find the building where their class starts in two minutes! It’s also a time for new appointments (congrats to Board members Andy Markelz and Wendy Rodgers for earning tenure and promotion! Congrats to Frank Dykes for being named Distinguished Teaching Professor!). As a teacher and then a teacher educator, the new academic year always begins with high hopes of making a difference in the knowledge, skills, and eventual outcomes of my students. Unlike the New Year’s resolutions that leave gyms pretty empty by the beginning of February, teaching and learning go on. My hope is that you and your students feel a little bit of that first day excitement all semester long.
Peggy
And now what’s happening at TED!
Don’t forget to make plans to attend the TED Conference in Long Beach, CA! Register Here
• From the Board: It’s time to start thinking about getting involved in TED! Elections will be held immediately after the conference in November. There are a number of positions opening on the Board (e.g., president, treasurer) and in committees/caucuses/SIGs (e.g., member at large for membership and diversity). We will have information sessions at the conference but feel free to contact me at any time with any questions and about how you can get involved. Mweiss9@gmu.edu
• From Early Childhood: ECF will be hosting another Zoom event for our members in August. The date has not been set yet. The topic is about transitioning between schools and/or transitioning from academia to non-academia. Still working on a topic!
We will post on our ECF Facebook as soon as we have all the details.
• From the PD Committee: We are hosting a PD webinar for secondary teachers on August 10th at 6:30pm ET. Dr. Kelly Williams will lead: Improve Reading Outcomes for Secondary Students with Dyslexia: Implementing Intensive Reading Interventions.
Please help us publicize and market this event. Information is available at https://tedcec.org/
We will have two presentations led by TED PD Committee members at CEC’s virtual PD fair on September 28th.
Dr. Kate Peeples and her colleague, Dr. Allison Kroesch, will present: Keep CALM and Teach On! Developing Accessible Learning Materials in Educator Preparation Programs and Dr. Dena Slanda and her colleagues at AIR will present: Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Programs: How Educator Preparation Programs Can Lead the Way
• From Kaleidoscope: Are you attending TED 2023 In Long Beach? If so, we would like your help in supporting our student TED members. We are seeking faculty members that would be interested in mentoring a student! Your paired student will contact you to schedule one virtual meeting before the conference and one in person meeting at the conference. If you are able to mentor a student, please complete this form; https://forms.gle/GZwtbJDvyyKCQ2Nr6
• From the Research Committee: Early Career Teacher Education Scholars - Save the Date: Teacher Education Division Conference in Long Beach, California October 31st, 2023 from 8:00 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.
Join the TED Research Committee for the Research Mentorship Roundtable, an annual event at which early career scholars (i.e., advanced doctoral students & early career faculty) can receive feedback from colleagues and senior scholars on their research ideas.
To apply as an early career scholar, please complete this form, by August 31st. On this form, you will be asked to provide:
● Your area of research interests
● A one-page description of a research study you are conceptualizing, proposing, or conducting
This information will inform pairing of early career and senior
scholars.
If you have any questions about the process or session, please contact:
Dr. Ambra L. Green (ambra.green@uta.edu)
Dr. Wendy Rodgers (rodgerswj@vcu.edu)
• From the Policy and Advocacy Committee: TED was well represented at SELS! Thanks to all of the members who turned out for a great event. Thanks to Lucky and Kait for making TED’s presence known! If anyone has photos, please send them our way.
• From Kaitlyn Brannan, Policy Advisor
Hi everyone and happy August! I hope you all had a fantastic summer and the transition back to the fall semester is as seamless as possible.
I want to first thank each of you for your ongoing advocacy and support over the past year. Together, we are moving the needle for educator preparation and special education at large.
Our monthly virtual Washington Update's will begin again in September following an August hiatus. This is a great opportunity to come and learn more about what is happening in federal policy as it relates to education and to consider how this impacts your work. The virtual updates are also an opportunity to engage in dialogue with your colleagues, present ideas and so forth. This has been especially beneficial for me to hear from members and I thank all of you for your participation and partnership over the year.
We also have our Weekly Washington Update that should hit your inboxes Friday afternoons. If for some reason you are not receiving this please reach out and let us know.
It was great to see TED members at the OSEP Project Directors convening last month. Along with our partners at the OSEP Centers, CAST, HECSE, and CEC, a convening was held during Project Directors focusing on Artificial Intelligence and implications for special education- stay tuned for more on this.
Finally, our state work continues where we are working alongside state divisions to support policy work at the state level. If you are interested in support for your state, have any questions or feedback, or would just like to grab a virtual coffee, please don't hesitate to contact me anytime at kbrennan@kbstatrategies.org. Looking forward to seeing many of you in person in Long Beach! Take care, Kait