With the development of all grades special education certification and the elimination of developmental level options, teacher preparation programs have had to shift in order to make all the pieces for together. We are hoping to spark conversation about how to make all the pieces fit together from curriculum to clinical practice and everything in between.
Dr. Rene' Hauser has been an educator for over 30 years. Formerly a P-12 special education teacher, she has been teaching in higher education since 2004. She is an associate professor at St. Bonaventure University in Western NY where she also serves as the Assessment and Accreditation... Read More →
This study examines whether the edTPA predicts first-year teacher effectiveness more accurately than traditional university evaluations. Using a longitudinal mixed-methods design, it tracks teacher candidates into their first teaching year through student achievement and principal evaluations. The research also explores alignment between assessment systems and potential effects on workforce diversity among Hispanic and multilingual candidates.
This session explores how engaging, inquiry-based mathematical tasks and routines can serve as a context for examining and strengthening teacher questioning practices. We will discuss teacher questioning strategies and talk moves that promote justification, productive struggle, equitable participation, and mathematical reasoning.
This phenomenological study examines how experiential learning and university-district partnerships cultivate cultural humility in pre-service teachers. Analysis of survey data from Roberts Wesleyan University students revealed significant growth in professional identity and bias awareness. Findings underscore the necessity of moving beyond traditional coursework toward transformative, collaborative, and reflective practice.
This presentation examines the design of experiential learning within an early childhood literacy course developed through a university-school district partnership. Teacher candidates engaged in authentic literacy assessment, data analysis, and intervention planning, illustrating how school-university collaboration can support P-12 literacy initiatives while strengthening clinically rich educator preparation.
This paper examines how the Creative Scaffolding Model uses dialogue, visual representation, and collaborative artmaking to support reflective praxis and transformative agency in educator preparation. Findings highlight multimodal learning as a pathway for cross-generational collaboration, inquiry, and socially just professional growth among teacher candidates and teacher educators.
Assistant Professor, Lead Residency Coordinator, Touro University
Sharon Sullivan-Rubin, EdD, is an Assistant Professor and Lead Residency Coordinator at Touro University, GSE in New York City. With over a decade of experience in teacher education, curriculum development, and academic leadership, Dr. Sullivan is recognized for advancing practitioner... Read More →
This session explores how a modern approach to social emotional learning have been effectively integrated in a Buffalo State freshman seminar to support student transition, self-awareness, emotional regulation, belonging, and academic success through brief, accessible, trauma-informed classroom practices. Mindfulness and meditation are knowledge and skills that are part of a new landscape in effectively working with today's learners.
This session explores multimodal Descriptive Inquiry as an approach for advancing radical care in early childhood special education teacher preparation. Through cases of graduate students working with young disabled children and their families, we demonstrate how multimodal Descriptive Inquiry offers innovative, transformative, humanizing experiences for children and teachers alike.
The presenters will share how they have used multiple modalities that extend beyond the scope of the math classroom that boosts learning and engagement(including graphing tools, Vertical Non-Permanent Surfaces, and Think Pair Share) to appeal to a variety of teacher candidates, K-12 students and new and seasoned teachers according to Dual Coding Theory.
Over the past decade, a profound shift has reshaped early literacy education across the United States: the widespread legislative and institutional adoption of the Science of Reading (SoR). This movement prioritizes explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. As one of the pilot campuses in New York State's The Path Forward Literacy Initiative, St. Francis College's teacher preparation programs join many others in redesigning course syllabi in order to better align with the SoR research. Our work thus far has demonstrated that a challenge arises during the supervised student teaching semester. Student teachers are frequently caught between two worlds: the evidence-based frameworks taught in their college courses, and the practices often used by their cooperating teachers. This study examines this intersection, evaluating how student teachers navigate the mentorship of their cooperating teachers and how they ultimately perform when formally observed by college faculty members. Because the study will still be in progress, we are very interested in sharing the design of the study, including tools used, and our initial impressions and questions as the process unfolds.
This mixed-methods study explores graduate student teachers’ perceptions of placement coordination within teacher preparation programs. As field experiences play a critical role in developing effective teaching practice, the process of how placements are coordinated—including communication, support systems, and alignment between university expectations and school-based experiences—can significantly influence candidate development. Despite the importance of these experiences, variability in placement processes may lead to inconsistencies in preparation and overall candidate satisfaction. Using a combination of surveys and focus group interviews, this study examines graduate student teachers’ experiences with placement coordination. The survey component gathers broad quantitative data on perceived clarity of communication, responsiveness of support personnel, and overall satisfaction with placement assignments. The focus group component provides qualitative insight into participants’ lived experiences, allowing for deeper exploration of challenges, strengths, and suggestions for improvement within the placement process. This study specifically investigates how well placement experiences align with program expectations, the effectiveness of communication between candidates, universities, and school sites, and the degree to which candidates feel supported throughout their fieldwork. By integrating both quantitative and qualitative data, the study aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how placement coordination impacts the teacher preparation experience. The findings of this research are intended to inform improvements in teacher education programs by identifying strengths and areas for growth in current placement practices. Ultimately, the study seeks to contribute practical recommendations for enhancing communication systems, strengthening support structures, and improving alignment between university coursework and field-based experiences, with the goal of better preparing future educators for success in the classroom.
Research shows that programs that explicitly prepare preservice teachers to engage with families can have a positive impact on teachers' abilities to do so (Mancenido & Pello, 2020). This presentation explores the ways in which a course entitled Families, Communities & Schools has leveraged cross-generational learning to help preservice teachers to develop positive dispositions and practical strategies for working with diverse families in an urban school district.
Senior Lecturer, Barnard College, Columbia University
I am the Certification Officer for the Barnard Education Program. I advise all of the students in our EPP. Additionally, I teach many of the courses for our EPP. While much of my work revolves around policies regarding the preparation of educators, I am also interested in the relationships... Read More →
This study used a survey research design to examine K–12 in-service teachers’ practices and perceptions regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. Data were collected from 202 teachers between May 2024 and December 2025 to explore teachers’ AI use, perceived benefits and challenges, and professional learning needs. Findings indicate that AI use remains in an early adoption stage and is not yet consistently integrated into daily teaching practice. Teachers primarily used AI to improve efficiency through lesson planning, content generation, assessments, and instructional support. Commonly used tools included ChatGPT and MagicSchool AI, reflecting teachers’ preference for accessible and practical platforms. Teachers also reported actively reviewing and adapting AI-generated content to align with instructional goals and student needs, suggesting that AI functions as a support tool rather than a replacement for teacher judgment. While some educators explored AI for differentiation and personalized learning, more transformative and student-centered uses remained limited. The findings suggest important implications for teacher education and professional development programs, emphasizing the need for ongoing support that promotes ethical, pedagogically meaningful, and student-centered AI integration.
Generative AI has fundamentally disrupted traditional approaches to writing assessment in higher education, rendering text-based AI detectors inadequate and ethically problematic tools for evaluating student authorship. This presentation introduces the Write–Present–Defend (WPD) model as a multimodal, theoretically grounded assessment framework that addresses AI-related academic integrity concerns while simultaneously advancing oracy, metacognition, and disciplinary communication. Drawing on behavior-analytic theory and authentic assessment pedagogy, WPD repositions integrity as an assessment design problem rather than a surveillance challenge. The model's five stages increase the effort cost of AI substitution, provide contingent feedback, and develop skills valued across generations of learners and professionals. Attendees will examine implementation tools including dual rubrics, defense question banks, behavioral indicators of authorship, and a student AI-disclosure framework. Implications for teacher preparation programs, faculty professional learning, and institutional AI governance are discussed.
Touro proposes the creation of the Teacher Development Network (TDN), a comprehensive educator development ecosystem with a community of outreach, mentoring, and support for teachers across their careers. Through a process of continual improvement, TDN will expand in NYCPS increasing the number of highly effective educators entering, sustaining, and improving the workforce.
This study examines the impartial hearing process in New York State through the perspectives of families of children with disabilities and professionals involved in impartial hearings. Surveys explored motivations for initiating hearings, experiences navigating the process, barriers encountered, and supports needed.
The presentation explores how the use of BranchED’s Mixed Reality Simulation (MRS) can operationalize Education First’s Meaningful Shift #3: “From General Feedback to Curriculum-Based Coaching.” Specifically, the work investigates how multimodal simulation environments enable candidates to practice high-leverage instructional behaviors, engage in structured reflection cycles, and receive curriculum-anchored feedback before entering high-stakes classroom environments. The presentation also examines how MRS supports movement across the Teacher Candidate-to-HQIM Practitioner Learning Continuum by strengthening teacher candidates’ confidence, responsiveness, and ability to transfer rehearsal-based learning into authentic teaching settings. At the center of this work is the belief that effective teacher preparation requires opportunities for interactive practice, emotionally safe risk-taking, and aligned coaching experiences that mirror the instructional realities candidates will encounter in classrooms using HQIM. This presentation, therefore, explores simulation as a scalable and practice-centered approach to strengthening coherence between educator preparation and district instructional expectations. Attendees will engage in reflective discussion around how simulated learning environments can support adaptive instructional expertise, curriculum literacy, and equitable access to authentic teaching practice before full classroom responsibility.
NYSED’s Portrait of a Graduate Framework (POG) promises to inspire change in curriculum and teaching across the K-20 spectrum. In K-8, schools are preparing students to be ready for high school and career, while colleges are receiving the newly conceived HS graduates and also preparing the next generation of teachers. NYSED’s NY Inspires Initiative calls on the field to reimagine not only our state requirements for high school graduation, but the intricate series of experiences before and after the completion of high school. It may spawn new policies or regulatory change. In this panel presentation, experts from various disciples will discuss how the POG fits into curricular planning for this new state initiative.
I am the coordinator of the Exceptional Education Early Childhood (B-2) Students with Disabilities Program. This graduate program prepares pre-service and in-service teachers to work with young children with disabilities. My research interests center around autism spectrum disorder... Read More →
Joette Stefl-Mabry, PhD is a Professor of Information Sciences and Technology in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity at the University at Albany. Her areas of research focus on program evaluation, educational assessment, curriculum design, and... Read More →
Centering joy as an act of resistance, presenters share multimodal strategies — literature circles and restorative practices — designed to help teacher candidates cultivate identity, criticality, and belonging. Grounded in Muhammad's Culturally and Historically Responsive Model (2020, 2023), these approaches model humanizing pedagogies to sustain both educators and students in challenging times.
This presentation focuses on the results of an implementation evaluation of a college-wide teacher performance assessment (TPA) framework which was developed collaboratively by the College's Assessment Taskforce in 2022-2023. The assessment was implemented in 13 initial and dual certification programs in 2023-2026. The TPA framework was intentionally designed to be adapted to varied programmatic contexts, to emphasize local knowledge and expertise, to prevent a narrowing of teacher education curriculum, and to encourage innovation. The three-year implementation study consisted of investigation of implementation fidelity (based on faculty interviews and reviews of program materials), participant satisfaction (based on completer survey), and educational effectiveness (based on the analysis of assessment data). We briefly describe the results of these three-part investigation and discuss the TPA framework potential to serve multiple purposes of accountability, improvement, and innovation.
As schools increasingly seek to prepare students for a complex and rapidly changing world, decision making has emerged as a critical competency for success in education, employment, community participation, and independent living. In response to this need, the Hunter College School of Education, in partnership with the New York State Council on Developmental Disabilities (NYS CDD), developed the Hunter SOE Decision-Making Curriculum, a comprehensive P–12 resource designed to explicitly teach decision-making skills to students with and without disabilities. This presentation examines the development, implementation, and statewide dissemination of the curriculum through successful partnerships with hundreds of schools across New York State. Grounded in principles of self-determination, student agency, and inclusive education, the curriculum provides developmentally appropriate lessons that help students evaluate options, consider consequences, solve problems, and make informed choices across academic, social, and real-world contexts.Presenters will share lessons learned from collaborating with P–12 educators, administrators, and community partners to bring decision-making instruction into classrooms, highlighting implementation successes, educator feedback, and examples of student impact. Particular attention will be given to how the curriculum aligns with the emerging NYS Portrait of a Graduate Framework by fostering essential competencies such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, responsible citizenship, self-advocacy, and lifelong learning.Attendees will explore how explicit decision-making instruction can serve as a powerful bridge between academic content and real-world readiness, supporting students in becoming confident, engaged, and self-directed learners. The session will offer practical strategies for integrating decision-making instruction into existing curricula while demonstrating how school-university partnerships can successfully scale innovative educational initiatives that prepare all students for future success.
Teacher preparation programs are increasingly challenged to create meaningful clinical experiences that strengthen candidates’ understanding of evidence based literacy instruction while responding to evolving expectations surrounding the Science of Reading. This presentation highlights a course embedded tutoring initiative implemented within EDR 360: Foundations of Literacy at SUNY Plattsburgh, in which undergraduate teacher candidates provide structured early literacy intervention to K–2 students through the Reading Ready tutoring model.This project examines how participation in structured literacy tutoring experiences influences teacher candidates’ literacy content knowledge, instructional decision making, and self efficacy related to teaching early reading. Coursework artifacts and field based reflections are used to explore candidates’ developing understanding of evidence based literacy practices across the five pillars of reading, as well as their perceptions of student growth and professional learning.Presenters will discuss the design and implementation of this university/school partnership, including opportunities, challenges, and practical considerations for embedding structured tutoring experiences within teacher preparation coursework. Findings and lessons learned may offer a promising model for educator preparation programs seeking innovative, practice based approaches to literacy instruction and clinical learning.
Emily Hoeh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh. She earned her doctorate (PhD) in Special Education from the University at Buffalo, as an Office of Special Education Programs research fellow. Her professional experience... Read More →
Thursday October 22, 2026 10:45am - 11:35am EDT Geyser Room
This qualitative study examines how modeling a pedagogy of play in higher education shifts pre-service teachers’ perceptions. Findings reveal a transition from viewing play as just fun to recognizing it as an intentional pedagogical tool that supports engagement, problem solving, and deep learning across grade levels.
This session presents a Multimodal Candidate Engagement Framework designed to amplify voice, agency, and reflective capacity through:Video-based reflective practice (recorded lessons with guided self-analysis) Audio reflections and podcasting to articulate instructional reasoning Digital portfolios that integrate artifacts across coursework and clinical experiences Peer multimodal feedback (video/audio commentary instead of written-only responses) Identity-centered prompts connecting personal, cultural, and professional perspectives The model is embedded across coursework and clinical experiences, ensuring coherence between theory and practice while fostering continuous reflection.
This workshop combines research, practitioner inquiry, and interactive learning experiences to explore multimodal innovation in educator preparation. Participants will engage with scholarship related to multimodality, restorative pedagogy, and transformative learning before examining examples of multimodal instructional practices implemented within graduate educator preparation coursework.Interactive activities will include restorative dialogue, visual analysis, collaborative reflection, and multimodal lesson design. Participants will analyze classroom and educator preparation scenarios through justice-centered frameworks and consider how multimodal engagement supports deeper participation and critical reflection.The session emphasizes both theory and application, positioning participants to critically examine their own pedagogical approaches while developing a concrete multimodal instructional activity or assignment for implementation in their educational context.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING Participants are encouraged to bring: A syllabus, lesson plan, assignment, or curriculum artifact from their educator preparation context A laptop or tablet for collaborative design and reflective writing Optional examples of student work or instructional materials
Institutions of higher education have a responsibility to prepare future educators not only to teach effectively, but to navigate the complex realities of today’s school environments. Increasing concerns about campus and school-based violence have heightened the need for intentional, research-informed preparation for preservice teachers, particularly in relation to active shooter scenarios and broader safety challenges. Together, we can move from fear and uncertainty toward preparedness, responsibility, and collective action, ensuring that future educators enter the profession equipped to teach, lead, and protect themselves and their students.
As Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs) engage in curricular redesign to include the components of the Science of Reading, they face challenges of ensuring consistent candidate learning across courses and faculty. This panel shares the development of course-embedded literacy micro-credentials designed to strengthen literacy preparation while creating coherence across early childhood and childhood education programs.
The special education faculty at SUNY Geneseo rewrote the Teaching Students with Disabilities Programs All Grades to meet the new certification in New York State. We also needed to think about the key assignments for our classes and the skills we wanted to measure to meet the Standards for the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). We wanted to be sure to develop key assignments that would meet AAQEP Standards but also meet the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Standards as well so that we could apply for recognition from CEC as well. (Although we have faced some funding issues, we are hopeful this will be a priority for the 2026-2027 academic year). The overarching goal we had to referring to for our assignments was making sure we prepared students for the changing workforce they would enter and created problem solvers who could teach all students. Our key assignments reflect a broad range of skills and start in Block I of our program and culminate in Block VI, student teaching. We would like to share our thought process with you and the rubrics developed.
Teacher Education, Assessment for Learning Disabilities and Dyslexia, Best practices for teaching students with Learning Disabilities, IEP development, Special Education Program development, my grandkids, and dog!
This presentation shares exploratory findings from a New York State survey of teacher educators examining AI beliefs, attitudes, use, and expertise. Results highlight gaps between faculty beliefs and institutional readiness around policy, professional learning, and ethical guidance. Findings suggest that clear AI standards and guiding principles were associated with more meaningful AI adoption in teacher education programs.
We have been aligning our programs with the science of reading (SoR) as part of the New York State Path Forward. After implementing a microcredential and a tutoring program, we conducted research to examine how these initiatives impacted candidates’ experiences and perceptions of their preparedness to effectively conduct instruction associated with SoR.
Katie McCabe is an Assistant Professor in the Exceptional Education Department at Buffalo State University, with a Ph.D. in Special Education and a minor in Qualitative Research Methods from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A former special education teacher in rural Upstate New... Read More →
Thursday October 22, 2026 11:45am - 12:35pm EDT Geyser Room
Drawing on an 18-month ethnography of a public high school's journey toward LGBTQ+ inclusivity, this presentation examines how schools become more inclusive and explores implications for teacher preparation. Findings highlight the importance of educator decision-making, student voice, professional learning, and practical strategies for preparing teachers for inclusive practice.
This presentation examines the development of an Integrative Coursework Model that embeds literacy into mathematics and STEM methods courses in teacher preparation. The session highlights features of the model and how coordinated coursework, learning experiences, and planning can support educator preparation programs responding to changing interdisciplinary instructional expectations and literacy initiatives.
Dr. Caitlin Riegel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Daemen University and previous program coordinator for online graduate elementary and secondary education programs at two institutions. As the current president of the International Society for Educati... Read More →
As teacher educators, the way we design our own courses sends a powerful message to our students, who are future teachers themselves, about what equitable, engaging, and caring instruction looks like in practice. At the same time, professional development works best when it feels less like a presentation and more like a conversation. This workshop seeks to honor both of these ideas by creating a collaborative, low-stakes environment where participants can take an honest look at their own online courses and explore humanizing strategies grounded in research. By the end of the session, participants will have retooled a course artifact ready to use in their online course. More importantly, they will leave thinking differently about what it means to design online learning experiences that are equitable, inclusive, and worthy of the diverse students they serve.The purpose of this workshop is to share common problems of practice and solutions developed to address such problems. The two main problems discussed are surface-level reflections in candidates’ work, and limited practice interacting with parents over difficult topics. After exploring candidates’ work before and after the use of an AI chatbot, participants will be coached to develop their own chatbot prompt to push their own candidates’ thinking or experiences in the college classroom.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING A Wi-Fi enabled laptop or tablet. A sample artifact from a current or future online course, such as a syllabus, a weekly module introduction, a major assignment description, or a discussion board prompt. Access to their institution's Learning Management System (LMS), such as Canvas or Blackboard, if participants wish to build their redesigned elements directly into their course.
The purpose of this workshop is to share common problems of practice and solutions developed to address such problems. The two main problems discussed are surface-level reflections in candidates’ work, and limited practice interacting with parents over difficult topics. After exploring candidates’ work before and after the use of an AI chatbot, participants will be coached to develop their own chatbot prompt to push their own candidates’ thinking or experiences in the college classroom.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING Participants only need to bring a device so they can interact with the chatbots I share, as well as then begin to draft a prompt for their own chatbot.
This panel explores how artificial intelligence has reshaped, supported, and at times complicated the ways educators and student support professionals work with students. Panelists will reflect on the benefits and challenges of AI use in advising, teaching, communication, accessibility, feedback, and relationship-building, considering where AI has enhanced student support and where human connection remains irreplaceable. Together, the discussion will examine how institutions can thoughtfully integrate AI while keeping student well-being, belonging, and individualized support at the center of educational practice.
This presentation examines the development and implementation of a residency apprenticeship teacher preparation program at St. John Fisher University. Presenters representing district and university personnel will discuss university and district partnerships, program redesign, supervision structures and restructuring, implementation challenges, and early outcomes related to teacher preparation and candidate support.
Rapid developments in digital technologies have significantly transformed teaching and learning processes, increasing expectations for teachers to integrate innovative tools into classroom practice. Virtual Reality (VR) has gained attention in education due to its immersive, interactive, and experience-based learning opportunities. VR has the potential to enhance students’ engagement, motivation, and conceptual understanding.
This proposal examines how multimodal assessment and data visualization can strengthen educator preparation by expanding the ways candidates, faculty, and program leaders engage with evidence. Building on scholarship in multimodality and multiliteracies, the session argues that contemporary learning is increasingly mediated through visual, textual, oral, and digital modes, requiring teacher education programs to design assessment systems that reflect this complexity.At Touro University Graduate School of Education, assessment data had been fragmented across multiple Excel files, limiting timely analysis and obscuring patterns across programs. To address this challenge, we integrated Watermark Student Learning & Licensure with Microsoft Power BI to consolidate candidate submissions, key assessments, and placement data into interactive dashboards. This shift enabled real-time analysis of program-level and cross-program performance, including comparisons across traditional and alternative certification pathways. Research on multimodal digital classroom assessment suggests that combining multimodal perspectives with performance assessment theory can broaden the kinds of evidence available for instructional decision-making while also raising important questions about validity, literacy demands, and the interpretation of evidence. Similarly, scholarship on multimodal teacher education emphasizes that such work requires strong assessment support and reconceptualization of how learning is represented and evaluated.The session positions dashboards not merely as reporting tools, but as pedagogical and organizational instruments that support data literacy, shared inquiry, and continuous improvement. By enabling faculty and stakeholders to interpret assessment evidence through multiple modes, the approach aligns with research showing that multimodal learning can deepen understanding and engagement, particularly when preservice teachers encounter content through varied media and representational forms. Participants will learn how integrated assessment systems can support transparency, accreditation readiness, and evidence-based program improvement in educator preparation contexts.
There is an overall lack of engagement in undergraduate classrooms across college and university settings, even though student engagement contributes to positive learning outcomes and success. However, "engagement" is a broad term and can encompass many smaller, more specific measure, like in-class participation. Using in-class participation as a proxy for engagement, instructors in higher-education have tried implementing a variety of strategies, like iClicker technology, response cards, and Kahoot! to try to promote student engagement. Some of these strategies, may be costly (e.g., iClickers), time consuming or childish (e.g., response cards), or not practice (e.g., use of smartphones or other devices to participate in Kahoot! or similar programs). This study investigated the use of the Good Behavior Game (GBG), a behavioral strategy requiring minimal resources to try to increase in-class participation in a college classroom to try to promote student engagement. In the class in which the GBG was implemented, we saw a large and immediate increase in in-class participation, which lasted for the duration of the period in which the GBG was implemented, in comparison to the class that did not play the GBG, where we saw much lower levels of in-class participation. Implications of our results, limitations, and ideas for future research and implementation will be discussed.
This presentation shares preliminary insights from a school-university partnership implementing transdisciplinary teaming to support developmental complexity in PreK–2 classrooms. We discuss how researchers and special educators have begun their work to co-design a resource for the classroom to address identifying supports for children with a range of needs in early learning classrooms.
Dr. Kristen Love is an Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester Warner School of Education and Human Development. She is the Director for the Early Childhood and Childhood initial and professional teaching programs, and is an affiliated faculty member of the Learning in... Read More →
This interactive workshop engages participants in a hands-on exploration of EducAIte. After a brief introduction, participants will complete a guided AI co-planning activity and then analyze how the tool scaffolds thinking and supports pedagogical decision-making. The session concludes with a dialog in which participants discuss how AI-supported co-planning could be integrated into their own educator preparation contexts.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING Participants should bring laptop or tablet with internet access. Lesson planning template from their own EPP is optional. Provided is a link to EducAIte (QR code).
Dr. Caitlin Riegel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Daemen University and previous program coordinator for online graduate elementary and secondary education programs at two institutions. As the current president of the International Society for Educati... Read More →
In this workshop, participants will take an honest look at the relational expectations (such as expectations of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System) placed on teachers as they engage with young children, and why those relationships matter so deeply in the early years. From there, they will explore how the way leaders show up for their staff directly shapes the quality of children's experiences in the classroom.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING Participants will not need supplies other than pen and paper and their focused selves.
I’m an early childhood education leader, Assistant Professor at Touro Graduate School of Education—where I’ve been preparing educators since 2004—and a doctoral researcher. I’m fascinated by what happens when we look more closely at the everyday interactions that shape teaching... Read More →
Thursday October 22, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT Sun Room
Three faculty-led initiatives in early childhood education, teacher pipeline development, and literacy support for multilingual learners showcase how seed grants can transform innovative ideas into enduring partnerships. Panelists will share lessons on leveraging internal funding to advance equity, strengthen professional learning, and deepen an institution's role as a community anchor.
Megan Demarkis, MSW (Silberman School of Social Work), is a bilingual educator, community organizer, and coalition builder with more than 25 years of experience in NYC public education, youth development, and immigrant advocacy. She has dedicated her career to building programs that... Read More →
Associate Professor of TESOL, Hunter College, CUNY
Teacher Professional Development (P-12 and adult teachers of English language learners/ Multilinguals), Integrating Educational Technologies and Computational Thinking into Teaching and Learning/ Technoskepticism Service-Learning
This panel presentation will explore the impact of innovative and collaborative mentorship as faculty members navigate the different stages of a career in teacher education. A model for leveraging cross-generational knowledge will be discussed and five central themes will be explored: disconnect, isolation, institutional expectations, collaboration, and empowerment.
This proposal examines how a community-engaged data visualization project in art teacher preparation became a model for pedagogical transfer, as a preservice teacher adapted its multimodal methods into their student teaching practicum with K-12 learners. The project began in a university art education context where preservice teachers engaged with environmental data collected from Lake Erie as a material for artistic inquiry, visual communication, and media-based learning. Working across data literacy, visual literacy, and digital tools, students translated complex environmental information into creative forms that connected artmaking with natural phenomena.This case traces how one student team member carried their project experience forward into student teaching, designing a data visualization project for their own students. This application of university coursework to classroom practice illustrates how preservice teachers reinterpret art- and science-based methodologies in relation to learners, settings, curricular goals, and available materials. The presentation will examine this process as an example of multimodal pedagogy, cross-generational mentorship, and emerging teacher identity formation.By foregrounding the relationship between the original data visualization project and its later adaptation in a student teaching practicum, this work offers insight into how educator preparation programs can support candidates in developing transferable and innovative pedagogical practices. It also considers how data visualization can function as a bridge between art education, environmental inquiry, and digital media. Ultimately, the project demonstrates how multimodal learning experiences in teacher preparation can travel beyond the university classroom and become meaningful teaching practices in K–12 settings.
Following the 2014 “transgender tipping point,” trans visibility increased dramatically in public life while remaining understudied in teacher education. This systematic review examines scholarship published between 2014 and 2024 at the intersection of transness and teacher education, exploring how trans people, experiences, and issues are represented and what this literature reveals about the field's assumptions, gaps, and possibilities.
This presentation explores the tenure process through three interconnected perspectives emerging from a faculty mentorship initiative: non-tenured faculty, tenured faculty, and institutional leaders. Drawing on participant reflections, the session explores insights related to tenure, institutional belonging, and scholarly productivity, emphasizing the reciprocal value and renewed collegiality fostered through the initiative.
Talk to me about the tenure process and how to build a collaborative mentorship community. I’d also love to talk about preparing future teachers, the Science of Reading, getting college students to do more of the cognitive work, or what you’re noticing about engagement in today’s... Read More →
As schools of education increasingly shift responsibility for preservice teacher (PST) preparation to school-based settings, the role of mentor teachers (MTs) has become central to the development of new science educators. Two related but distinct lines of inquiry address this shift. One examines reciprocity within the MT/PST relationship — the dynamic through which mentors and mentees mutually exchange support, knowledge, and skills (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005; Homans, 1971). Although no legal mandates require MT preparation, research consistently demonstrates that mentors who receive structured training report greater confidence and effectiveness, with corresponding benefits for PST learning outcomes (Parker et al., 2021; Ambrisotti, 2014; Hudson & Hudson, 2016). Without such support, preparation varies widely, creating inconsistencies that affect both mentor effectiveness and PST development.The other examines the role a structured community of practice consisting of mentors, PSTs, and master teachers plays in PST’s ability to engage students in science practices. The integrated analysis showed that strong, collaborative mentor relationships were a primary driver of gains in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) specific to science practices (PCK-SP). At the same time, PST agency strongly predicted growth across all outcomes. The CoP served as a critical support structure, acting as a “third space” and surrogate mentor that provided access to collective expertise and experiential learning. This study’s findings support a practice-informed model utilizing “three pillars” for PST growth founded on collaborative mentorship, PST agency, and community structures. By aligning these pillars, teacher preparation programs can better equip new educators to enact ambitious science teaching, ultimately advancing equitable science education.
This interactive workshop introduces participants to the Inclusion Decision Lens, a practical framework developed from ethnographic research on school inclusion and educator learning.Following a brief overview of the research, participants will work in small groups to analyze classroom scenarios involving student participation, representation, belonging, and responsiveness. Participants will apply the Inclusion Decision Lens to identify who is visible, who may be marginalized, and what actions educators can take to create more inclusive environments.The session emphasizes practical application and collaborative problem-solving. Participants will discuss how inclusive decision-making can be taught, practiced, and assessed within educator preparation programs and professional learning contexts.The workshop concludes with participants adapting the framework for use in their own courses, field experiences, supervision practices, or professional development initiatives.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING Participants are encouraged to bring: A syllabus, assignment, observation protocol, supervision tool, or course outline from an educator preparation program (optional) Workshop materials will be provided electronically and in print, including: Inclusion Decision Lens protocol• Classroom scenarios Reflection template Implementation planning guide
No specialized technology is required. Participants may choose to bring a laptop or tablet if they wish to modify materials during the workshop.
During the workshop, participants will work individually or in institutional teams to develop a Partnership Action Blueprint that includes: (1) a shared partnership vision, (2) priority partnership goals, (3) key stakeholders and governance structures, (4) data and assessment strategies, and (5) next steps for strengthening recruitment, clinical preparation, and induction supports. Facilitators will provide templates, planning tools, and reflection protocols that participants can adapt and implement within their organizations.In this workshop, participants will take an honest look at the relational expectations (such as expectations of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System) placed on teachers as they engage with young children, and why those relationships matter so deeply in the early years. From there, they will explore how the way leaders show up for their staff directly shapes the quality of children's experiences in the classroom.
MATERIALS PARTICIPANTS SHOULD BRING Resources that will be included in the workshop activities include: the Partnership Action Blueprint Template (primary workshop product), Partnership Self-Assessment Tool, Stakeholder Mapping Template identifying key partners, roles, influence, and engagement strategies, Data Dialogue Protocol with guiding questions for analyzing partnership data and identifying priorities, Priority-Setting Matrix to help participants identify high-impact improvement opportunities, 90-Day Action Planning Template including goals, action steps, responsible parties, timelines, and success indicators.
Using a collaborative self-study methodology, we examine the design, implementation, and outcomes of a fieldwork model situated within a high school–university partnership. Drawing on reflective journals, stakeholder feedback, field notes, and program artifacts, we analyze the model from multiple perspectives to identify its affordances, challenges, and implications.
In this panel presentation, we will consider work underway at The City University of New York (CUNY) to integrate culturally responsive, evidence-based practices for teaching literacy that are grounded in the Science of Reading (SoR). We will describe work underway at 5 CUNY colleges under the Path Forward initiative, including comprehensive redesign of coursework, assessments and clinical experiences to further integrate evidence-based practices aligned with the SoR across the trajectory of candidate learning experiences. We will also consider CUNY Reading Fellows (CRF) as an example of SoR-aligned literacy fieldwork for pre-service educators. We will describe training for pre-service educators in SoR aligned reading interventions that incorporate strategies for diverse learners and techniques for ongoing support to ensure program fidelity and culturally responsive techniques. We will describe processes for data collection and analysis, impacts on pre-service educators and striving readers, and examine outcomes for multilingual learners and other subgroups. We will also describe multimodal approaches used with pre-service educators such as virtual classroom features for remote instruction, and hands-on materials used for in-person instruction.
We present findings from a study examining NYS school and district leader perspectives of teacher preparation, residency models, and school-university collaboration. Leaders valued teacher residencies and their benefits, but emphasized the need for more shared responsibility, funding, and administrative support. Findings underscore the importance of sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships between districts and EPPs and highlight areas of tension inherent to year-long residencies.
This session highlights the practices in a yearlong, field‑embedded practicum in an alternative certification program that invites novice special education teachers to view their schools not just as workplaces, but as sites of inquiry. Rather than separating coursework from practice, the course is designed around learning while doing, using ethnographic observation and action research as pedagogical approaches. Through a series of scaffolded assignments, special education teachers examine policies, practices, and student learning and engagement to understand how learners are impacted by power and structural inequities. As they analyze their school setting, teachers ask questions about their assumptions and experiences to uncover implicit biases, building critical consciousness through ongoing reflection. As part of the session, a former student, now an instructor and PhD candidate, will share her experiences in this course and how the inquiry practices developed continue to shape her current research. The ethnography project in semester one asks teachers to identify a problem of practice and consider a change they can realistically implement in semester two to ensure greater equity and inclusion for their learners. Course materials, used as data sources, include teacher reflections, ethnographic notes, student ethnography assignments, and action research plans, which will be analyzed and shared for deeper discussion. Grounded in critical reflection and Freire’s problem-posing education, this course supports candidates in moving from observer to change agent, preparing them to recognize inequities, examine practices, and design interventions within their own school communities. This session will discuss the implications of this approach to teacher training, with participants engaging in discussions about how new teachers can feel empowered to create change in their classrooms and schools.
Co-Director, School Community Organizer, Hunter College
Kass Minor is an inclusive educator who is deeply involved in local, inquiry-based teacher research and school community development. Alongside partnerships with the Teachers College Inclusive Classrooms Project and the New York City Department of Education, she has worked as a teacher... Read More →
Thursday October 22, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT Coesa Room
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into educational practice, educator preparation programs face growing pressure to determine how best to prepare future teachers for AI-enabled classrooms. At the same time, teacher candidates are expressing a desire for more learning opportunities related to AI and its role in teaching and learning. This presentation describes the design and implementation of an AI literacy module within a graduate teacher preparation program that was developed in response to candidate demand and grounded in the concept of professional judgment. Rather than focusing solely on tool use, the module engaged candidates in critically evaluating AI-generated content, considering ethical implications, identifying limitations and biases, and making instructional decisions that prioritize learner needs. The session will share the rationale for integrating AI literacy into teacher education, highlight key design principles and learning experiences, and discuss emerging lessons learned. Attendees will leave with practical ideas for incorporating AI literacy into educator preparation coursework while emphasizing professional judgment as an essential competency for future educators.
The workshop will provide tangible methods for effective communication coaching at both the pre-service and new teacher levels. Designed for educator prep professionals, instructional coaches, field supervisors, and principals/administrators.
