Happy Spring Semester to all LTEL Members!
With about a month until AERA, I wanted to provide some important information to you that I hope will shape your planning for AERA and travel to Chicago. I want to draw attention to two events: 1) LTEL's Business Meeting and 2) a special session (by invitation to you/with RSVP required) that will be held at the University of Illinois Chicago. I also wanted to share some forthcoming work that will occur by the LTEL Executive Committee.
1. LTEL Business Meeting
Our business meeting will be held on Thursday April 13 at 2:50-4:20pm at the Sheraton Grand Riverwalk, Level 4, Chicago Ballroom IX. New this year (and supported by AERA) is a virtual component (via Zoom) to our meeting--meaning that those who are unable to join us in Chicago can join remotely.
I want to draw your attention to four things (from a slightly broader agenda) that will be happening during our business meeting: a) transition of LTEL executive committee members, b) presentation of LTEL graduate student and faculty awards, c) formation of a work group to consider action and advocacy in the context of recent state education policy initiatives, and d) sharing of equity-focused principal preparation program improvement work occurring within the Wallace Foundation's Equity-centered Pipeline Initiative (ECPI) project.
LTEL Executive Committee Transitions: Dr. Julie Gray is completing her term on the Executive Committee. Dr. Jo Beth Jimerson and Dr. Jennifer Clayton are newly elected to our executive committee. We will be collectively thanking Julie for her service and welcoming Jo Beth and Jennifer to our leadership team. Our graduate student representative, Dr. Meagan Richard has successfully defended her dissertation and has accepted an Assistant Professor post a Old Dominion University. We will be thanking her for her service and celebrating these two achievements.
LTEL Awards: We have two award winner who will be recognized at our business meeting: Dr. Liz Hollingworth for LTEL's 2023 Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award and Dr. Ainsley Rudolfo for LTEL's 2023 Kottkamp Dissertation of the Year Award (and faculty advisor Dr. Terry Orr). Congratulations!!!
Working Group: At our business meeting we will be seeking interested parties to join a working group focused on considering LTEL's action and advocacy in the context of some troubling recent state education policies/initiatives. If you won’t be attending our business meeting but would like to join this group, please email Meagan Richard at mricha44@uic.edu with your interests.
Learning About Equity-oriented Preparation Program Improvement: We have invited programs engaged in the Wallace Foundation's ECPI project to share their work improvement work with us at our business meeting. We will be able to consider how these programs have defined equity and how they have conceptualized their graduate profiles for equity-oriented leaders (e.g. what are the key equity-oriented practices of program graduates). We will also learn about their work processes for taking on these areas of improvement work within their respective programs. A variety of program will be sharing their work with us including such programs as George Washington University, Towson University, University of Louisville, and University of Texas Austin.
2. Special Invitation Only Event hosted by the EdPrepLab and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)
UIC is collaborating with the EdPrepLab to provide an AERA pre-con session on Wednesday April 12 from 1-4pm at UIC. IF you are interested in this event, you must RSVP (you can include other faculty members from your program on your RSVP). RSVPs are accepted as space is available so please be sure to RSVP as soon as possible. RSVP at the following link: https://forms.gle/nYPijh3iBMB7v9zC9
For this afternoon session, the College of Education at the University of Illinois, Chicago invites you to a learning event with two areas of focus. First, this session will explore what it takes to establish and strengthen an assortment of diverse partnerships (e.g., local school districts, community agencies, city government) within a college of education for local impact. UIC's College of Education, which orients around a vision of community engagement, has nurtured an array of formal partnerships with organizations and agencies in its community. At this session, we will explore five different partnerships that have been formed for such purposes as early childhood educator preparation/development, principal preparation/development, and research practice partnerships. Secondly, we will explore how a college of education could impact state education policies. UIC faculty who have engaged in this work will discuss their efforts and impacts.
3. Executive Committee Vision Building Work Session
The LTEL executive committee is meeting during AERA to consider our organization’s vision for the next five years. We will be thinking about what we most want to impact from our organization’s collective work from now through 2028. If you have thoughts/ideas to share, will you please advance these to Meagan Richard at mricha44@uic.edu.
Looking forward to seeing you in my hometown for AERA. Here’s to a fab spring semester. Safe travels to Chicago!
Shelby