Today, I am pleased to share with you a first look at AACTE’s Call to Action: Federal Support for Systemic Approaches for Educator Workforce Development and Design — before it is released nationally to media and policymakers.
As discussed at AACTE 2026, this paper represents months of collaboration, research, and partnership. It is more than a policy document; it is a bold roadmap for rebuilding and sustaining the educator workforce at a critical moment for our profession. Chronic teacher shortages, financial barriers to entry, long-term sustainability challenges, and weakening federal accountability structures demand more than incremental change. They require coordinated federal leadership and systemic solutions.
The Call to Action outlines four federal levers designed to modernize educator preparation and strengthen the profession:
- Establish national leadership explicitly charged with educator workforce strategy;
- Invest in innovative, sustainable, and clinically rich preparation models;
- Reform affordability structures that deter talented aspiring educators;
- Strengthen research and evidence to guide the future of teaching and learning.
This work did not happen in isolation. More than a dozen national organizations — representing educators, deans, school personnel leaders, researchers, advocates, and unions — partnered with us to shape and endorse these recommendations. Their engagement reflects broad national consensus that rebuilding the educator workforce must be a shared priority across sectors.
Together, we are advancing a unified message: America’s educator workforce is foundational to our democracy, our economic vitality, and the future of our students.
As members, you are the backbone of this effort. Your leadership in educator preparation gives this Call to Action its credibility and urgency. I encourage you to review the paper, share it with your PK-12 district and state partners, campus leaders, and local policymakers, and prepare to amplify it when it is released publicly.
Thank you for your continued commitment to strengthening the profession and the communities we serve.