Vision
Our long-term vision is to become a local, national and international trendsetter in next-generation teacher education that develops a synergy between initial teacher education, induction into teaching, and in-service teacher education and blends theory, practice and policy.
Core Values
- Equity
- Inclusion
- Transparency
Mission
Our mission is to address the grand challenges of teaching and teacher education in Texas. These challenges emerge in the many sites where teaching and teacher education take place. Separations between and among content, pedagogy and clinical practice have fractionalized teaching and teacher education. An urgent need for convergence exists. At points of contact, the Collaborative for Innovation in Teacher Education will seam together previously fractured pieces and rigorously examine them from an interdisciplinary perspective. New unions and novel approaches to known problems are anticipated outcomes.
Goals
Our overall purpose is to pool our efforts and address the needs of the new-normal 21st century learners in our university classrooms and in the public schools where our preservice interns will eventually be teachers and will work alongside teachers who have their own set of needs in their particular contexts.
With this purpose, our goals address three areas of high priority.
- Practice: As we define teacher education as the education of teachers along the continuum, we aim to improve teacher recruitment, preparation and induction into the teaching profession and focus on their retention and sustenance throughout their careers.
- Scholarship: We seek contributing to evidence-based and translational teacher education research. As bidirectional (theory ↔ practice) and tri-directional (theory ↔ practice ↔ policy), our research will not simply produce findings; those findings will be made meaningful and action-worthy in practice and policy making settings.
- Support: The Collaborative for Innovation in Teacher Education will act as a clearinghouse for promising teacher/teacher education practices and a source for professional development. We will build important college and state capacity and be a catalyst for change in teacher education, teaching and school contexts. It will mend theory-practice-policy gaps by taking up a research agenda specific to teaching and teacher education
Advisory Committee
Founding Director: Cheryl Craig, Ph.D.
Dr. Cheryl J. Craig is a Professor, Chair of Technology & Teacher Education, and the Houston Endowment Endowed Chair of Urban Education in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University.
Founding Director: Cheryl Craig, Ph.D.
Financial Officer: Shaun Hutchins, Ph.D.
Financial Officer: Shaun Hutchins, Ph.D.
Dr. Shaun Hutchins is a clinical associate professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University.
Advisory Faculty: Robin Rackley, Ph.D.
Dr. Robin Rackley is a clinical professor and the assistant lead of Technology &Teacher Education in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University.
Advisory Faculty: Robin Rackley, Ph.D.
Advisory Faculty: Radhika Viruru, Ph.D.
Advisory Faculty: Radhika Viruru, Ph.D.
Dr. Radhika Viruru is a clinical professor and the director of Online Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University.
Advisory Faculty: Jemimah Young, Ph.D.
Jemimah Young serves as the Assistant Vice President for Faculty Affairs, Associate Professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, and Presidential Impact Fellow at Texas A&M University.
Advisory Faculty: Jemimah Young, Ph.D.
Advisory Faculty: Michelle Kwok, Ph.D.
Advisory Faculty: Michelle Kwok, Ph.D.
Dr. Michelle Kwok is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University.
Advisory Faculty: Trina Davis, Ph.D.
Dr. Trina Davis is an associate professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University.
Advisory Faculty: Trina Davis, Ph.D.
Advisory Faculty: Sharon Matthews, Ph.D.
Advisory Faculty: Sharon Matthews, Ph.D.
Dr. Sharon Matthews is a clinical associate professor and the program coordinator of the Online Master of Education in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University.
Special Advisor: ArCasia James-Gallaway, Ph.D.
Dr. ArCasia James-Gallaway is an assistant professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University.
Advisory Faculty: ArCasia James-Gallaway, Ph.D.
Special Advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Ph.D.
Special Advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Ph.D.
A teacher education scholar and practitioner for more than 40 years, Dr. Cochran-Smith is widely known for her work on teacher education research, practice and policy, and for her commitment to teacher education for social justice. Dr. Cochran-Smith is the Cawthorne Professor of Teacher Education for Urban at the Lynch School of Education, Boston College and the Chair of Norway’s International Advisory Panel on Teacher Education. She has written ten books, seven of which have won national awards, and more than 200 articles, chapters, and editorials about teacher education, teaching, and teacher learning through inquiry over the professional lifespan.
Practice
As we define teacher education as the education of teachers along the continuum, which is consistent with the SEHD’s 2020-2025 vision statement, we explore ways to support teachers remaining in their classrooms as opposed to fleeing the field. Also, we provide suggestions concerning how teacher attrition (including ways that pernicious school settings “waste” successful teacher preparation) may be ameliorated. Therefore, we seek to improve teacher recruitment, preparation and induction into the teaching profession and focus on their retention and sustenance throughout their careers.
Priority Initiatives for Practice
House practice grants coming from local, national and international agencies
- Project TEACH (Completed)
This successful study of classroom interactions and a novel approach to classroom management has been completed. This work could be replicated successfully in other school district sites.
- WITS Collaboration (Completed)
A successful project with the Writers in the School non-profit, which was funded by the Houston Endowment, has been successfully completed. Currently, a few schools in Humble ISD may replicate the program but need supplemental money to bring the Collaborative on as a third partner. This project would work well with the “Big 13” and other districts as well.
- 4+1 Project
The five year Master’s degree allows students to complete a Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) degree approximately one year after completion of their Bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Eligible students are extended an invitation during the semester prior to their senior year. These students take graduate course work during the last two semesters of their undergraduate experience. The five-year Master’s program follows a cohort model in which students take all classes with the same peers in the same order. The first cohort (n=5) started course work in the fall of 2014. 18 cohorts have since been admitted with the 19th cohort currently being recruited. In the fall of 2022, 45 students were accepted into the program. To date 280 students have graduated with a Master’s degree from this program and 185 students are currently enrolled in the program.
Students begin graduate course work during the last year of their undergraduate program The first semester students enroll in a three-hour graduate course concurrent with their senior field-based courses. During the student teaching semester these students also enroll concurrently in a three-hour graduate level course on mentoring. The objectives of the course work for this degree is designed to prepare these graduate students to observe, evaluate, and reflect upon teaching, mentoring, communication, and supervision skills that support the novice or pre-service teacher with tools necessary to be successful. Students are taught the use of reflective practice to establish and be able to communicate their strengths and weaknesses so that they are better able to communicate their needs and abilities to the mentor teachers. Through guided analysis students are encouraged to examine self-beliefs that have an impact on personal teaching, mentoring and leadership style These courses help students to define and identify effective teaching behaviors and the mentoring roles based on evidence.
from experience and research. Students identify and utilize different operational systems for developing a cycle of assistance and mentoring that meets the developmental needs of the pre-service and/or novice teacher. The development of a repertoire of communication skills that support the role of the mentor/supervisor is essential in this endeavor. While these students are still considered novice teachers, they are equipped with the skills necessary to establish a strong mentoring relationship necessary for effective teaching.
Overall, this program has been successful in keeping teachers in the field of education and providing them with a deeper understanding and appreciation of their craft. The majority of these graduates remain classroom teachers however we have several that are currently in doctoral programs. We have curriculum developers, school administrators, students working in educational technology roles, and a student serving as a university undergraduate advisor.
Sponsor a practice journal in conjunction with University of Houston, Clear Lake
- BRIDGE Journal (BRIDGE: Bringing Research In Direct Grasp of Educators)
“BRIDGE: Bringing Research In Direct Grasp of Educators is a semi-annual practitioner journal focused on summarizing educational research of all content areas and specializations for Pre-K-12 grade teachers’ accessibility and practical application in classroom instruction and management. The purpose of the journal is to forward information to the fingertips of teachers that is focused on classroom practice strategies which enhance pedagogy.”
To access the journal, please go to tx.ag/JournalBRIDGE.
Scholarship
Priority Initiatives for Scholarship
Support the Journal of Teacher Education
Journal of Teacher Education
Vision of JTE
The Journal of Teacher Education, which is also the flagship journal of AACTE, examines pre- and in-service education practice, policy, and research through a future-ready forum that is able to:
1) Attend to diverse perspectives (methodological, epistemological, ontological, and axiological) which address contemporary issues in and interconnected global society.
2) Curate spaces for transdisciplinary research to impact broader audiences. Linking research and practice remains central to the aim of the journal.
Editorial Board
Co-Editor in Chief: Dr. Cheryl J. Craig
Professor
Texas A&M University
Co-Editor in Chief: Dr. Valerie Hill-Jackson
Associate Professor
Texas A&M University
Lead and Support International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching [ISATT]
Founded in October 1983 at a Symposium for Research on Teacher Thinking at Tilburg University, The Netherlands, ISATT aims to increase insights into the identity, role, contexts and work of teachers, and the process of teaching. The key goals of ISATT are to enhance the quality of teaching at all levels of education and to act as a forum to promote, present, discuss and disseminate research findings which contribute to knowledge and the formation of theory in this field. Dr. Cheryl J. Craig is the Chair, co-edits two ISATT book series and helps to organize regional and international conferences for the ISATT organization.
Serve as a research home for several high impact journals
Frontiers of Teacher Education
Frontiers of Teacher Education is an open access journal that has recently began. Cheryl J. Craig serves as an Associate Editor of this publication.
Reflective Practice
Reflective Practice is a long-standing, interdisciplinary journal having to do with reflection in the professions, including the medical professors, the sports professions, the science professions as well as teaching.
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice is the third-ranked teaching and teacher education journal, which is closely catching up with Teaching and Teacher Education. Dr. Cheryl J. Craig is an Executive Editor with this journal.
Research Agendas
The Collaborative will create its own database having to do with the following six research thrusts and their related research topics having to do with preservice and in-service teachers.
Support
Priority Initiatives for Support
- TEA Teacher Professional Development Courses (Go to Register)
The Collaborative offers teacher professional development courses of which 1 hour of time is counted as 1 TEA credit. The professional development course model is designed based on five core themes: Strong School Leadership and Planning; Effective, Well-Supported Teachers; Positive School Culture; High Quality Curriculum; and Effective Instruction. - Annual Collaborative-Sponsored Lecture Series
The Collaborative sponsors two lectures per academic year: one in the Fall; one in the Spring. The purpose of this Lecture Series is to engender lively practical, professional dialogue in teaching and teacher education. Invited speakers will address issues of cutting-edge research, innovative practice for 21st teaching and learning, weaving theory-practice-policy threads, and issues related to racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity and education. - Symposium Series
The Collaborative organizes a regular research symposium series. This will serve as a platform where in-service/pre-service teachers, school administrative leaders, college faculty, staff, and graduate/undergraduate students learn together about their own practice by connecting research to teaching and share knowledge of evidence-based, practice-oriented strategies and technologies that support innovative teaching and learning across settings and disciplines. Through this symposium series, previously unacknowledged and unacted-upon linkages and connections will be made visible and actionable.
International Forum of Teacher Educators (InFo-TED)
InFo-TED
InFo-TED is an international forum working to Promote professional development of teacher educators. In conjunction with the InFo-TED, the Collaborative contributes to translate the knowledge bases into an international professional development programme, develop and implement supportive guidelines for induction and professional learning programmes, and explore how an enduring international supportive structure can be implemented for professional development activities.
Report, Presentations & Publications
Newsletter (January 2023)
2021-2022 Annual Report
2022-2023 Annual Report
Publications
Books
Craig, C. J., Evans, P. K., Stokes, D. W., House, H., & Lane, W. (Eds.). (2021). Preparing Teachers to Teach the STEM Disciplines in America’s Urban Schools. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Bridging a gap in the literature by offering a comprehensive look at how STEM teacher education programs evolve over time, this book explores teachHOUSTON, a designer teacher education program created to respond to the lack of adequately prepared STEM teachers in Houston and the emerging urban school districts that surround it.
Ratnam, T. & Craig, C. J. (Eds.). (2021). Understanding Excessive Teacher and Faculty Entitlement. Emerald Publishing Limited.
This book develops a significant body of professional knowledge by providing a deeper and sympathetic understanding of what manifests itself as ‘excessive entitlement’. The volume presents a theoretical framework within which one can investigate and articulate issues and helps those concerned with education and teacher education internationally to get a sense of the complexities surrounding teachers’ work.
Craig, C. J. (2020). Curriculum Making, Reciprocal Learning, and the Best-Loved Self. Springer International Publishing.
Revolving around curriculum making, reciprocal learning, and the best-loved self, this book It draws on extensive school-based studies conducted with teachers in the United States, China, and Canada, and weaves in experiences from other cross-national projects, keynote addresses, archival research, and editorial work.
Craig, C. J., Turchi, L., & McDonald, D. M. (Eds.). (2020). Cross-Disciplinary, Cross-Institutional Collaboration in Teacher Education. Palgrave Macmillan.
This book focuses on the impact of sustained and evolving collaborations, showcasing research and scholarship in a faculty group—consisting of 28 professors from five regional universities—meeting and supporting each other since 2002.
Craig, C. J., Curtis, G. A., Kelley, M., Martindell, P. T., & Pérez, M. M. (2020). Knowledge communities in teacher education: Sustaining collaborative work. Springer Nature.
This book traces the origins and activities of the longest-standing collaborative teacher group in education, the Portfolio Group. Each chapter documents, historically and conceptually, the main intellectual moments in the evolution of the idea of knowledge communities.
Asadi, L. & Craig, C. (Eds.). (2020). Truth and knowledge in curriculum making. Information Age Publishing.
This book arises from a serial interpretation of five published narrative inquiries that pinpointed complexities lived in a teacher knowledge community and addresses issues in curriculum and instruction, such as the lack of Black teachers, minority representation, and mentorship.
Craig, C. J., & Orland-Barak, L. (Eds.). (2014). International teacher education: Promising pedagogies series. Emerald Group Publishing.
This focuses on the practical(t) (Schwab, 1969), matters that have been locally deliberated and enacted. Pedagogies are named, origins (cultural/practical/theoretical/policy roots) are traced and a live example of the pedagogy unfurling in the local setting is presented from an insider-view.
Presentations
Learning to Educate All Students: Post-Pandemic Pedagogy
Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, a fellow of the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University, shares her insight on post-pandemic pedagogy in a lecture on March 28, 2023.
The “Problem” of Teacher Education: Tensions and Trends
Dr. Marilyn Cochran-Smith shares her research and perspective on the issues affecting teacher education in a “Dean’s Distinguished Lecture” on March 29, 2023.
Dialogues in Transforming Education: Drs. Gloria Ladson-Billings and Marilyn Cochran-Smith
Renowned experts in teacher education, Drs. Gloria Ladson-Billings and Marilyn Cochran-Smith, discuss navigating through K-12 teaching in a conversation moderated by SEHD professor, Dr. Cheryl Craig on March 29, 2023.
Turning Points in Research and Life: The Peripeteia of Our Times
Keynote Address at 7th International Forum on Teacher Education “Teacher Education: New Challenges and Goals” May 26, 2021
Writing Research Articles & Getting Published
Presentation at 7th International Forum on Teacher Education “Teacher Education: New Challenges and Goals” May 26-28, 2021
First generation college students who became professors of education: Experiential insights for championing inclusiveness, equity and excellence in marginalized learners
American Association of College for Teacher Education (AACTE) Virtual Conference, February 24-26, 2021
Publishing in JTE: Meet the New Editorial Team
American Association of College for Teacher Education (AACTE) Virtual Conference, February 24-26, 2021
Lost or Found in Translation? Translating Educational Research into Practice: Challenges and Promises
- Speaker: Lily Orland-Barak, Ph.D., University of Haifa
- Citation: Orland-Barak, L. (2022, November 8). Lost or found in translation? Translating educational research into practice: Challenges and promises [Lecture recording]. Collaborative for Innovation in Teacher Education Lecture Series 2022, Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
Creating Liberatory Literacy Spaces with BIPOC Students
- Speaker: Kimberly N. Parker, Ph.D., Director of the Crimson Summer Academy, Harvard University
- Citation: Parker, K. (2023, January 25). Creating liberatory literacy spaces with BIPOC students [Lecture recording]. Collaborative for Innovation in Teacher Education Lecture Series 2023, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
- Craig, C. J., et al. (2023, February 16). Learning, Learning and the Best-Loved Self in Teaching and Teacher Education [Book launch recording]. Collaborative for Innovation in Teacher Education Book Launch Series 2023, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
- Craig, C. J. (2023, February 9). The Parts and the Whole: Preparing Manuscripts for Publication [Workshop recording]. Paths to Publications 2023, CRDLLA, ELRC Education Outreach, and Graduate Student Advisory Council, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.
News and Media
SHED Catapult 2023 Seed Grant Awardees
Honors and Awards to TTE Female Faculty
Photo Gallery
On December 9, the Technology and Teacher Education (TTE) program area led by Dr. Cheryl Craig, had a very productive retreat at Dr. Patrick Slattery’s home in Hempstead, TX. The TTE group focused on the EC-Grade 3 certification plan, preparations for the Spring semester and developing the proposal for the forthcoming Collaborative for Innovation in Teacher Education. Dr. Michael De Miranda joined the TTE program area for lunch.
On August 6, Dr. Craig and her research team had a luncheon to celebrate the publication of Truth and Knowledge in Curriculum Making.
Contact
HyeSeung Lee
Address:
Cheryl J. Craig, Ph.D.
Professor
Founding Director, Collaborative for Innovation in Teacher Education (CITE)
Houston Endowment Endowed Chair of Urban Education
Address: Harrington Education Center Office Tower, Suite 402, 540 Ross Street, College Station, TX 77843
Email: cheryljcraig@tamu.edu
Personal Webpage: https://cheryljcraig.weebly.com/