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(Feb. 18, 2016, Washington, D.C.) – The (ÃÈÃÃÉç) is pleased to announce the 2016 recipients of its annual awards for best practice, professional achievement and writing and research. The following universities and individuals will be honored during ÃÈÃÃÉç’s 68th Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, February 23-25:

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln will receive the 2016 ÃÈÃÃÉç Best Practice Award for the Innovative Use of Technology for a collaborative partnership between UNL and eight PK-12 partner school districts. The partnership is dedicated to improving students’ 21st-century skills by preparing teachers to integrate technology in their instruction, based on the . Preservice teachers in the partnership are supported by research and theory in university courses and practical applications in schools.  

The Indiana University Bloomington School of Education will receive the 2016 ÃÈÃÃÉç Best Practice Award in Support of Global and International Perspectives for its program. The Gateway program, which now engages future educators from many institutions, places preservice teachers in immersive experiences in schools, homes and communities of culturally and linguistic diverse groups in 18 countries and in domestic placements on Navajo reservations and in urban Chicago.

The will receive the 2016 ÃÈÃÃÉç Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity. The school’s commitment to multicultural and multilingual education and to the recruitment and retention of students and faculty of color is not only a statement, but a fact evident in its demographics. The long-term success of these efforts derives from the support of the programs’ mission and vision at all levels and their core values of social justice, equity and diversity—which in turn have won LMU praise from the public, charter and faith-based PK-12 schools in its service area.

Anthony S. Bryk, president of the , will receive the 2016 ÃÈÃÃÉç Lifetime Achievement Award. Bryk will be honored especially for his transformative work at the Carnegie Foundation developing the field of . A celebrated researcher throughout his career, Bryk has spent the last 8 years studying reform efforts and other fields’ approaches to professional learning and improvement, resulting in new models and principles tailored to help the education field “get better at getting better.”

Ena Goodrich Shelley, professor and dean of the , will receive the 2016 Edward C. Pomeroy Award for Outstanding Contributions to Teacher Education. An expert on early childhood education and the Reggio Emilia approach, Shelley wins accolades not merely for her record of accomplishments but for her collaborative working style. “Everyone wants to follow her example and is inspired by her energy, focus and good humor,” writes one colleague. “She has no enemies,” says another.

Etta Hollins, in the School of Education at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, will receive the 2016 ÃÈÃÃÉç Outstanding Book Award for her edited volume , published by Routledge in 2015. This book offers a reconceptualization of how field experiences support preservice teachers while they are learning to teach. Its authors make the case for viewing program improvement and accountability in terms of service to students, not merely meeting policy and accreditation demands.

Matthew Ronfeldt of the will receive the 2016 ÃÈÃÃÉç Outstanding Journal of Teacher Education Article Award for his article “,” published in the September/October 2015 issue of the journal. Ronfeldt’s well-designed study aimed to determine the connections between teachers’ effectiveness and various characteristics of the schools where they completed their student teaching. He found that teachers who trained in schools with better professional collaboration and higher student achievement became more effective, at least judged by their students’ math scores, than those who student-taught in sites with less-positive cultures.

Monica Billen, assistant professor in the , will receive the 2016 ÃÈÃÃÉç Outstanding Dissertation Award for her study . Completed at the University of Tennessee under the advisement of Professor Richard Allington, the dissertation won praise from ÃÈÃÃÉç’s reviewers for its innovative and insightful investigation of a cutting-edge approach to reflection among preservice teachers.

For more information on ÃÈÃÃÉç’s awards program, visit www.aacte.org.

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The ÃÈÃÃÉç is a national alliance of educator preparation programs dedicated to high-quality, evidence-based preparation that assures educators are profession-ready as they enter the classroom. Its over 800 member institutions represent public and private colleges and universities in every state, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam. Through advocacy and capacity building, ÃÈÃÃÉç promotes innovation and effective practices that strengthen educator preparation. Learn more at .