GACTE Strategic Plan 2022-25

Combination Action Items

Mission: GACTE provides leadership on issues related to professional education, promotes effective public policy, and enhances and improves professional education programs at member institutions.

Vision: GACTE is the leading voice in Georgia on educator preparation

Value Statements: GACTE and its members hold central key values that undergird their work.

Serving all learners: Today’s educators enter highly diverse schools – students with disabilities, English language learners, gifted and talented students, children from low- income families, children with a multitude of racial, ethnic, cultural backgrounds, etc. and GACTE members are committed to ensuring that their candidates are ready to be successful with all of their students.

Equity: Preparation programs are committed to  preparing  educators  who  have  a  deep belief that every child can learn and should be given equitable access to effective educators.

High-quality learning: GACTE members are committed to providing high-quality learning environments both on their campuses and in PK-12 classrooms, where candidates practice what they learn frequently and under the supervision of faculty and PK- 12 practitioners.

Professionalism: GACTE and its members prepare candidates who are ready to be not only successful educators but also members of the larger professional community. Candidates graduate from their programs with a clear understanding of the ethical responsibilities of being an educator and the opportunities for contributing to the larger good of their districts and states.

Diversity: GACTE members are committed to increasing the diversity of their faculty and the educators they prepare so that they more accurately reflect the diversity within PK-12 schools.

Scholarship and knowledge production: GACTE members are committed to high research standards and to producing scholarship that contributes to educational practice.

Accountability: GACTE members hold themselves to high standards and embrace accountability measures that demonstrate programs’ effectiveness and contribute to program improvement.

Infusing current knowledge and practices into programs: GACTE members are committed to preparing educators who understand how children learn and can utilize high- impact instructional strategies in their classrooms – such as leveraging technology, analyzing student data, etc.

Advocacy: GACTE will engage in advocating for educational policy and practice at the state level and will promote and support student and P-12 teachers engagement in advocacy for

educational policy and practice endeavors to expand the influence its members have on educational policy and practice.

Professional development: GACTE is committed to supporting leadership development of its members.

Collaboration with PK-12 education stakeholders: GACTE values partnerships with stakeholders such as professional organizations, agencies, businesses, and non-profit  groups that promote the successful professional preparation of effective P-12 practitioners

Strategic Initiative 1: Education as a Profession

(Mother/Inclusive Category—closely related to our Value Statement)

Goal: To ensure continuing attention to GACTE Strategic Plan.

Action Items:

• Establish a Strategic Plan Committee that operates continuously and reports with the Executive Committee at each annual meeting, successes and challenges.

Strategic Initiative 2: Advocacy

Goal: Advocate for GACTE is the group buy-in/support for a particular cause or recommendation that benefits the entire group.

Action Items:

• Create a GACTE board-level Advocacy Committee to support/lead GACTE advocacy work.
• Institutional members take part in the effort and sign on to AACTE’s aim
• Involving University leaders in aims and outcomes of AACTE membership
• Seeking funding for local EEP GAs to assist in advocacy and partnership work
• Seeking funding for GACTE GA to assist in advocacy, marketing and partnership work

Strategic Initiative 3: Diversity

Goal: To ensure all programs have resources (financial and commitment) to increase program diversity.

Action Items:

• Create a GACTE board-level Diversity Committee to support/lead GACTE diversity work.
• Create a resource for all pre-service teachers in cultural diversity understanding
  • Survey current resources available for adaptation

• Train RESA School Climate Specialists in Cultural Diversity in order to support LEA teachers and administrators

• Increase the number of Teachers as a Profession/Early Childhood pathway programs in 6-12 schools
• Encourage and support strategic planning sessions within each P20 to increase diversity in the profession
• Increase the diversity in Education pathway programs
• Initiate a five-year pilot to allow 10% of students into EPPS who do not meet program admission requirements with continued support
• Initiate financial incentives for students of color to fill critical fields and district positions
• Launch a public campaign to increase diversity in teaching field (include link to interest site)
• Launch a campaign to elevate the profession
• Support conversations within institutions of higher education surrounding bias and diversity
• Highlight successful programs that increase diversity in the profession

Strategic Initiative 4: Partnerships

Goal 1: To define and measure the quantity and quality of existing and new partnerships.

Action Items:

• Create a GACTE board-level Partnership Committee to support/lead GACTE partnership work.
• Develop a partnership tracking system and differentiate the types and levels of partnerships (early, mid-program, culminating experiences)
• Stratify various types of partnerships without indicating one type of partnership is more beneficial than others–with intentional measurable outcomes that are mutually beneficial.
• Develop a rubric/matrix to identify the different levels of partnerships.
• Increase a model to increase the engagement of university-wide faculty and staff in school and ed prep partnership work.

Goal 2: To intentionally target new strategic partnerships.

Action Items:

• Create and deliver a focused plan to legislative leaders to promote understanding of, and voice for, the complexity of educator prep.
• Increase in Georgia institutions with educator preparation programs seeing the value of joining GACTE as a full paid member and other groups joining as associate members.
• Increase associate membership of like-minded groups—PAGE, GAEL, GPEE, GAE, PTA, USG, etc.
• Train RESA School Climate Specialists in Cultural Diversity in order to support LEA teachers and administrators

• Create a plan to locate Diversity materials2workshops already developed and disseminate them widely (AACTE, GaDOE, NEA, ‘Call me Mister’ etc.)
• Seek funding for AACTE grant to develop and implement Diversity and Advocacy plans.

Goal 3: To provide awareness and understanding of recruitment, preparation and retention of GA educators to State/local decision-making partners and local communities (USG, legislators, college presidents, provosts, local mayors, etc.)

Action Items:

• Develop and implement a focused and intentional ‘Inclusive Model’ to support GACTE work appropriate for different needs— immediate response to policy/legislative changes, increased membership, communication across agencies, etc.
• Identifying model programs and disseminate to all institutions