The
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education announced earlier this
month that Ira Lit, associate professor at Stanford Graduate School of
Education, has been elected a member of its board of directors. His three-year
term begins March 1.
“I am honored,” said
Lit, who is also director of the Stanford Teacher Education Program -
Elementary. “AACTE is one of the nation’s most important advocates for the
teaching profession. Its mission — to promote effective professional
development for teachers and school leaders in support of P-12 student
learning, through advocacy, leadership and service — is central to the future
of our profession, our institutions of teacher preparation, and our
pluralistic, democratic society.
The AACTE is a national alliance of
educator preparation programs dedicated to the highest quality professional
development of teachers and school leaders in order to enhance PK-12 student
learning.
The group, which was
established in 1948 through the merger of six teacher education associations,
represents some 800 institutions, including
public and private colleges and universities in every state and the District of
Columbia. A leading authority on issues pertaining to teacher quality, the
group maintains a constant presence on Capitol Hill and provides
up-to-the-minute news and analysis of education policy to its members.
Lit
began his career as a classroom teacher in public elementary schools in
Northern California. Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford, he served as the director
of the Teachers for a New Era
initiative at Bank Street College in New York.
Lit’s research and
practice focuses on teacher education, elementary education, and educational
equity. As director of STEP-Elementary, he
engages daily in the practice of teacher preparation — from program and
curriculum design, to faculty development, to program accreditation, to
building strong university-school partnerships.
Lit has been involved
in AACTE throughout his career, serving as chair of the AACTE membership development
committee and as a member of the AACTE task force on state grants initiative,
along with being on California state advisory panels on teacher-preparation
policy and teacher professional standards and other leading professional task
forces.
“I
am deeply committed to advocating on behalf of a vibrant professional community
for AACTE and its member institutions, by providing opportunities for members
to enhance their support of teachers and P-12 students and advocating for
policies that offer a supportive foundation for the essential work of our
professional community,” he said.