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.
