Dear ATE Colleagues and Future Members,

I am excited to be serving as your president in 18-19 and look forward to connecting with you at our next conference in Albuquerque – August 3-7, 2018 and our annual conference in Atlanta, February 17-20, 2019.  Our conference theme encompasses a deep dive into study of our clinical practices in development of educators.  This theme calls us to address the “invisible” aspects of our work as boundary spanners who bridge school and university contexts.  Thus the theme:  Educators at the Forefront:  New Dimensions for Clinical Preparation and Development of Educators. 

Each conference strand advocates for making the role of the teacher educator visible by:

•        synthesizing our knowledge base and developing guidelines for a repertoire of supervision and mentoring practices;

•        examining essential practitioner roles occurring in today’s new partnerships and models;

•        unpacking our boundary-spanning role and practices;

•        learning from others about current research and practices in professional development schools. 

I hope you will join in submitting your proposals to share your knowledge and expertise in the conferences to come.  You will find more detail and essential questions associated with each strand in the call for proposals.

As I begin my leadership initiatives for ATE I would like to share with you my visions for the future of our organization and the leadership roles we need to take on at local, state, and national levels.  My vision is based on the belief that teacher educators are the “essential” players in the work of developing teachers and we need to provide the foundational knowledge, research, public voice and advocacy for what we know is best for the good of the teaching profession.  I share four key visions that build on the work of our past presidents that underscore the importance of advocacy and public voice on issues affecting the teaching profession:

#1 – ATE members will be active practitioner-scholars in bridging and bringing together a new synthesis of key theoretical constructs and ethical practices essential for effective clinical practice in the development of teachers.

#2 – ATE will be the “outreach” organization for school- and university- based teacher educators through specialized programs that support their development.

#3 – ATE leaders will build on and carry forward essential coalitions with our sister organizations to be united in one voice to advocate for the teaching profession and those who prepare teachers – THE TEACHER EDUCATOR.

#4  – ATE will create and develop new venues to provide spaces and places for both virtual and face-to-face professional development opportunities for our members aimed to support them in their teacher educator roles. 

The visions I present build upon initiatives and activities that are underway, such as our recent publications and programs developed from the ATE Commission on Clinically Based Teacher Preparation (CCBTP) – formed in 2011 by Past President – Jim Alouf and chaired by John McIntyre.   The Clinical Fellows Symposium is now in its fourth year with a cadre of over 200 members.   The Clinical Fellows Program is  a direct outgrowth of the CCBTP work; and the research publications – that can be accessed through our website (i.e. So to the - Professional Resources tab – Publications) that further define and synthesize our knowledge base and current work in clinical aspects of teacher preparation: The Power of Clinical Preparation in Teacher Education:  Embedding Teacher Preparation within P-12 School Contexts, edited by Ryan Flessner and Debra Lecklider and its companion Text:  Case Studies of Clinical Preparation in Teacher Education:  An Examination of Three Teacher Preparation Partnerships.

The visions I hold in my heart for ATE have their own sources based on my experiences as a teacher educator and the current political climate.  I will be discussing the above visions in more detail through my monthly blogs.  Please feel free to connect with me – share your thoughts and concerns for our organization and ideas for how we can better ourselves to be a visible voice in teacher preparation and development. 

With Gratitude for the Honor of Serving in ATE!

Patricia Sari Tate

Patricia Sari Tate

ATE President 2018-2019