tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post5676647872272592830..comments2024-01-04T05:57:26.735-06:00Comments on Education Policy Blog: Hosted by the Forum on the Future of Public Education: Questions for the AESA Executive CommitteeCraig A. Cunninghamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18160288758906798678noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-82739410004764108992007-10-18T08:57:00.000-05:002007-10-18T08:57:00.000-05:00I suppose we could go the "press-release report" r...I suppose we could go the "press-release report" route and create a small group to "grade teacher education" programs for their attention to liberal-arts perspectives on education. That would probably gain significant attention, it would involve a relatively small number of people doing the work... and would be hypocritical, given the anti-reductionist nature of liberal arts.<BR/><BR/>Or we could do some hybrid form of using the CSFE standards and simply describe where programs are in terms of hiring people with social foundations backgrounds, having courses in liberal-arts perspectives on education in different programs, and having commitments to liberal-arts perspectives in the college's curriculum guidelines (whether NCATE conceptual frameworks or something else), etc. That would also involve a more restrictive number of people, but I'm not sure if it would gain as much attention as crisis-mongering.Sherman Dornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00491045214079619658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-32591574899658103802007-10-18T08:36:00.000-05:002007-10-18T08:36:00.000-05:00My personal opinion is that a group like AESA is u...My personal opinion is that a group like AESA is unlikely to be the most effective way for foundations to enter the realm of policy.<BR/><BR/>Instead, I think a different organization designed specifically to do this, with pathways designed to allow it to act is more likely to work. Of course, it is nice when a group like AESA takes a stand, but this is mostly in the form of a vote in principle, or a report. This matters if you are the American Medical Association. It doesn't matter much if you are some vague group no one knows about like AESA. When you don't have the power of a brand like AMA, then you need to actually do things to have an effect. <BR/><BR/>Such an organization would need to be able to respond to things like a state's effort to remove social foundations issues from its standards, NCATE and its similar action, etc. And it would need to go beyond stern finger-shaking in blogs and journals.<BR/><BR/>I'm not offering to spend a lot of time creating such an organization, which may be hypocritical of me, but that doesn't change the reality of the situation as I see it.Aaron Schutzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10667097977144954236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-88612716037477425222007-10-18T08:05:00.000-05:002007-10-18T08:05:00.000-05:00Thank you David, I appreciate the reminder that AT...Thank you David, <BR/><BR/>I appreciate the reminder that ATE is a major group within teacher education. My sole reference to AACTE was not meant as a slight. But your comment makes my argument that much more applicable, as I am sure that AESA has no relation with ATE that I am aware of. It should.Dan W. Butinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08543447769350980289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21843852.post-67883737837816808892007-10-17T11:45:00.000-05:002007-10-17T11:45:00.000-05:00Note to Dan Butin and others: Appreciate your comm...Note to Dan Butin and others: Appreciate your comments about AESA but I would like you and other readers of this blog to be aware of the Association of Teacher Educators and its work. ATE has been around since the 1920s and is tackling some of the same issues you highlight -- for instance, as one of the founding groups of NCATE we have representation on their governing boards and visiting groups, and we are in discussion with TEAC to see how we can work with them. The third edition of <I>Handbook of Research in Teacher Education</I> will be published in time to be released at our February Annual Meeting in New Orleans, and we expect it to be a fundamental resource for teachers and teacher educators. Additional information about our association is at <A HREF="http://www.ate1.org" REL="nofollow">www.ate1.org</A>. I invite you and others to find out more about ATE.<BR/>Thanks for the opportunity,<BR/>David Ritchey, Executive Director<BR/>Association of Teacher EducatorsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com