Message From The President

Dear NACCTEP Members:

Within the past few weeks, two major conferences have taken place here in Louisiana. First, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) hosted the 10th Annual Statewide Conference in Baton Rouge. Immediately following, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) hosted the 91st Annual Convention in New Orleans.

I was humbled to receive this year's LCTCS Service Award and honored to represent you at AACC. While there were reportedly more than 2,000 in attendance at AACC, I know that many were unable to attend because of budget constraints. For the benefit of those unable to attend, let me touch upon some of the highlights. READ MORE

Director's Note

Dear NACCTEP Members,

This year continues to provide a number of challenges for community colleges across the nation. At the recent American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) conference in New Orleans, LA, AACC President Dr. Walter Bumphus shared that it is crucial for community college leaders to be bolder in speaking up to policy makers about college needs. He stated at times the community college voice is too timid. READ MORE

Reflections of a First Year Teacher – Part 5

Melissa Rose Nelson, a former National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs Scholarship recipient, has agreed to write a series of articles for this year's Newsletter documenting her experiences as a first year teacher. This edition contains Part 5, a look at her first semester as a new teacher. See previous articles in the past three editions of the NACCTEP Newsletters. READ MORE

The Teaching Foundations Project is part of a large federal grant that was awarded to Arizona State University (ASU). The goal of the project is to improve teacher education programs and serve as a model for the country. One of the mandates of the project is for ASU to partner with Arizona community colleges in the reform effort. The charge is to redesign general education classes to meet the needs of prospective elementary education teachers in the first two years of their program. For example, a science class in biology might be redesigned in a special section for education students and extend problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and the use of technology. There are five consortium groups and each has ASU and community college co-chairs. The five groups are math, science, English, social studies, and the arts. Because of my experience in art education, I was recommended for the position of co-chair of the arts consortium and have served as such for the past year. READ MORE

Thank you to all 2011 NACCTEP conference attendees who completed an online conference evaluation. Your input is important to us as we assess what aspects of the conference were well received, and in what areas we can continue to improve. As of March 28, 2011, we received 74 evaluations from conferees. See a summary of evaluation results and comments below. READ MORE

With public and political emphasis on the importance of quality education, many people are turning to the research on brain development during the first three years of life. ZERO TO THREE highlights the importance of this period of life as brain growth before age three is greater than any other time. "A newborn's brain is about 25 percent of its approximate adult weight. But by age 3, it has grown dramatically by producing billions of cells and hundreds of trillions of connections, or synapses, between these cells." In addition, during this age period the foundation for later learning and ultimately school readiness is built. Today many more parents need and choose child care for their babies. As a result, practitioners caring for young children are much more instrumental in supporting the healthy growth and development of infants and toddlers. READ MORE

Growing a Baccalaureate Teacher Education Program in a Community College

By Cindy Kelley, West Virginia University at Parkersburg, Parkersburg, WV

West Virginia University at Parkersburg (WVU Parkersburg) is a community college that is approved by the Higher Learning Commission to offer select baccalaureate degrees. This approval came in 1991 and made WVU Parkersburg one of 15 community colleges in the nation to hold such approval. In 1991, the college was approved to offer bachelor's degrees in business administration and elementary education. Since that time, the teacher education program has flourished and grown within the community college environment.
To gain a complete understanding of the education program at WVU Parkersburg one must understand its beginnings. Teacher education began in Parkersburg, West Virginia in the late 1960's when the institution was known as West Virginia University – Parkersburg Center. READ MORE

NACCTEP membership expires on June 30th of each year. Renewal invoices were mailed in late March to the primary member. Convenient membership renewal is available online at www.nacctep.org.

Your membership is what helps to make NACCTEP a stronger unified voice for community college teacher education programs nationwide. The Executive Board and NACCTEP staff are working hard to provide additional benefits to members each year and we need your continued support.

As a NACCTEP member, you have the opportunity to be at the forefront of change, by advocating and promoting the role of community colleges in teacher education at your campus and nationally.

If you have questions about your membership, contact NACCTEP at 480.731.8760 or nacctep@domail.maricopa.edu. Thank you for your continued support!

The goal of this scholarship program is to provide graduates with a smooth transition between the two-year teacher education associate's degree programs and finishing their bachelor's degree online. As part of the program, WGU will provide both graduates and staff members of a NACCTEP member institution the following benefits:

• An application fee waiver (a $65 savings).
• Eligibility to apply for the WGU NACCTEP Teacher Education Scholarship - WGU has agreed to fund 20 annual scholarships, each valued up to $2,000, which are disbursed at $500 per six-month term for up to four terms.
• This scholarship is available only for graduates and staff members who want to earn one of WGU's teaching degrees.

Details can be found by clicking here.