Lessons Learned from a State Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (ACTE) on Shaping and Influencing Future Policy. Symposium presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (Washington, DC, February 24-27, 1999).

Overview & Synopsis

This presentation discusses the influence of the Connecticut Association of Colleges and Universities for Teacher Education (CACUTE) on state policy making. It provides a historical analysis of the CACUTE through an overview of the political and economic forces that have resulted in current teacher education policy in Connecticut. The presentation attempts to predict how coordinated, proactive efforts by a wider range of educational professionals might prove to be more effective in reaching the CACUTE's goals. It compares and contracts the CACUTE's experiences, offering papers by several members of the CACUTE that present their perspectives on the evolving influences of the state association on state policy. The papers are "The History of the Connecticut Association of Colleges and Universities in Teacher Education since 1983" (Walter B. Bernstein); "What Role Does CACUTE Play in Improving Teacher Education Curriculum in CT?" (Susan J. Hillman); and "The Educational Reform Process: The State, Institutions of Higher Education, and the Connecticut Association of Colleges and Universities for Teacher Education" (Ronald J. Moss). (SM)