Stakeholders at various levels of New Jersey's K-12 system are bidding farewell to the edTPA, the Pearson assessment which, since 2017, determined the licensing fate of new teachers seeking entry into the profession. Following the lead of many states, including neighboring New York, the New Jersey legislature voted last spring to eliminate its requirement for new teachers to take and pass the edTPA amid mounting pressure from education advocacy groups and Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs). Universities and colleges represented by the New Jersey Association of Colleges for Teacher Education submitted statements for both Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS) and Certificate of Eligibility (CE) programs operated by their IHE members.

As the end of the school year creeps closer, it’s easy to lose sight of professional-development opportunities.

Conferences and webinars are simple ways to brush up on best practices, discover new methods to connect with students, network with other professionals and much more. Even better? Many professional-development events are free to attend!

As a gift to our educator community, we’ve put in the work and rounded up 24 spring conferences and webinars, from March to May. The majority of these opportunities are virtual and free, making professional development accessible for all.

Diversity in STEM has been a decades-long challenge for the United States workforce. As underrepresented communities gain access to more opportunities, however, diversity within STEM careers has grown - especially within the past decade.

Currently, women make up 35 percent of the STEM workforce. While there is still a lot of work to do to achieve true gender equality in the sector, the gap has shrunk significantly. For example, only 8 percent of STEM workers in 1970 were women, showing a big jump over the course of 50 years.

Having spent more than 30-weeks with their assigned new teachers, showing them the tricks of the trade and observing their lessons and interactions with students, mentors of our new teachers have concluded their new teaching colleagues had an awesome first year. They make it clear that it is possible for a new teacher to make an immediate impact right from the start of their teaching career or to establish themselves quickly as an impact teacher once they learn the teaching ropes from effective mentors like themselves.

Nothing beats free, and having a library card gives you free access to thousands of educational resources. A library card also opens up unique and diverse events that expand your horizons. During Black History Month, libraries are essential in making sure Black stories are heard.

Throughout New Jersey, libraries are showcasing Black authors, artists, storytellers and more - in person and virtually. Many of these events feature local New Jerseyans who have created history or are in the middle of creating history.

January is National Mentoring Month!

Over the summer, Rutgers Alternate Route connected with our mentors to share what it was like working with their mentees. The response was unanimous: Rutgers Alternate Route mentors LOVED working with their mentees!

We've gathered mentor responses and organized them into a blog to highlight these meaningful relationships.

Alternate Route teacher candidates at Rutgers-GSE took part in a social media chat addressing the use of technology tools for teaching and learning. The program wide chat complements the instruction candidates receive at their individual sites and demonstrates the professional use of social media, making collaboration with colleagues easier, and expanding the geography of their professional learning network. Teachers are able to quickly share resources, collect ideas for classroom challenges, and connect easily with others who can support their goals as educators.

For educators that want to sharpen their already-impressive skills, there are plenty of virtual and in-person conferences happening during the winter. We’ve helped make the search easier by curating a list of 31 events specifically for our educators. The best part? More than half of these events are free, making it easy to incorporate professional development into winter schedules.

New Jersey Alternate Route candidates specializing in Business Education recently recommended free web resources that they’ve consulted when preparing lessons and engaging, relevant activities for students. Their suggested resources are a part of our blog series featuring go-to-Websites, blogs, and other online teaching and reference materials for helping our state’s youth achieve the NJ Student Learning Standards. More than 300 teachers participated in this professional swap and share, with many contributing lesser-known resources that even seasoned educators will be excited to discover. Read why our business educators love the resources they recommend.

New Jersey Alternate Route candidates specializing in Performing Arts Education recently recommended free web resources that they’ve consulted when preparing lessons and engaging, relevant activities for students. Their suggested resources are a part of our blog series featuring go-to-Websites, blogs, and other online teaching and reference materials for helping our state’s youth achieve the NJ Student Learning Standards. More than 300 teachers participated in this professional swap and share, with many contributing lesser-known resources that even seasoned educators will be excited to discover. Read why our Performing Arts educators love the resources they recommend.