Good morning everyone and thank you for the opportunity to provide comments to the State Board of Education at your November 3rd Board Meeting. My name is Katherine Roe and I am the Chair of the Education & Educational Psychology Department at Western Connecticut State University. AACTE-CT is an association of thirteen public and private colleges and universities that provide Educator Preparation Programs to students interested in the education profession. We promote and strongly support high quality teaching and education in the state’s schools and are advocates for robust educational
leadership.

On behalf of the AACTE-CT, thank you to the Board of Education, Commissioner Russell-Tucker, the Department of Education, and especially to those individuals who many of us from AACTE-CT work with on a regular basis.

Since 2020, the COVID pandemic presented significant challenges up to and including school closing and shifting to the virtual classroom. This has been well publicized. What has not been publicized, however, is how teacher education programs were additionally charged with identifying alternative means for fieldwork and student teaching placements to meet the Connecticut Teacher Certification requirements. With this in mind, Western Connecticut State University worked with the Connecticut state department of Education to implement COVID protocols. As a representative from Western Connecticut State University I would like to extend our gratitude to the CSDE and staff for their responsiveness and collaborative support during this crisis.

While the COVID situation continues, our school districts are experiencing critical shortages for teaching and staff. Western Connecticut State University in collaboration with other AACTE-CT EPPs work to support our school districts in several ways. To address the immediate need, we partner with local school districts. Identifying high-need districts, we identify ways to support schools using teacher education candidates as substitute teachers and paraprofessionals. Additionally, student teachers provide direct support to the classroom teacher and are often times hired by the districts. For a longer-term plan, we have established partnerships with diverse school districts, to recruit and train teacher candidates with the understanding that student participants are promised employment from the partnering district.

In the near future, Western Connecticut State University in conjunction with AACTE-CT EPPs, hope to benefit from the proposed, “Build, Back, Better” initiative with particular attention to expanding Early Childhood, New Language Learner, and special education programs.

AACTE-CT will continue to work together with the Department of Education, the Board, and the various educational stakeholders such as the Connecticut Association of Public-School Superintendents (CAPSS), the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), and other education organizations where appropriate.

Please continue to feel free to reach out to our association on issues of mutual interest. Our faculty and staff are a resource.

Thank you again for the opportunity to address the Board this morning.

Katherine Roe, Ph.D.
Education & Educational Psychology
Elementary Education Program
Western Connecticut State University
WH 321A
Danbury, CT 06810
(203) 837-3263
roek@wcsu.edu
Twitter: @katherine_roe
Instagram: WCSU Education Programs