Texas AFT Joins the Texas Coalition for Educator Preparation

Texas AFT has joined forces with other educator associations, several universities and alternative certification organizations, and many special interest groups to form the Texas Coalition for Educator Certification (TCEP). This new organization features many of the same members as the ad-hoc group that collectively fought against the edTPA certification exam, winning a unanimous veto from the State Board of Education in June. 

Realizing the significant gap in communication and supports across the spectrum of educator recruitment, preparation, and certification practices, the ad-hoc coalition formalized and is working to educate policymakers and other stakeholders about the challenges and opportunities in the educator preparation space. 

TCEP debuted its work in a lunch-and-learn event at the Capitol on Sept. 14. The audience was primarily staff of the House Public Education Committee and House Higher Education Committee in anticipation of the joint hearing next week. The presentation focused on a survey of the educator preparation landscape, highlighting problems and suggested solutions for maintaining the quality of educator preparation without adversely affecting the pipeline during the teacher shortage crisis.

The coalition is continuing to build, with the goal of becoming the trusted source for the Texas Legislature on this critical issue that affects all teachers and students in Texas.