Several members of the NJACTE Executive Committee had the opportunity to attend the AACTE Virtual State Leaders Institute, held on November 7, 2025. This online gathering for leaders of education preparation organizations was an opportunity to discuss policies and developments in teacher education and to learn and grow as leaders.
Dr. Punya Mishra, Director of the Innovative Learning Futures and Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton College of Teaching and Learning Innovation at Arizona State University led the engaging plenary session on Artificial Intelligence in Educator Preparation. Describing AI as a smart, enthusiastic, occasionally drunk, biased, sycophantic intern, Dr. Mishra highlighted the Jekyll/Hyde potential and challenges with AI in general and in teacher education specifically. The keynote talk left me with much to consider, including how AI might help us think about learning in new ways, how educators and teacher educators can continue to move intentionally and nurture learning when digital revolutions are occurring outside of school walls, and how to best answer the question of what do we owe our students in an AI world.
Attendees then had the opportunity to select a track, either continuing to consider “Implementing AI in Ed Prep: Opportunities and Examples from the Field” or to shift to a different topic “Communicating the Value of Educator Preparation.” I attended the second strand on AI, which featured Dr. Leticia De Leon, who outlined the process University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley used to support faculty in integrating and addressing AI in their educator preparation programs. The strategy of offering 30 minute “AI Bytes” of professional development on topics such as how to create AI agents in Copilot or how to visualize with Copilot as an assistant seemed both practical and manageable. The second speaker, Erin Mote, of InnovateEDU rounded out the session by making a case for including AI in educator preparation for three reasons: 1) AI is reshaping learning, teaching, and workforce readiness; 2) educator preparation needs to evolve so teachers and leaders can guide students in an AI-integrated world; and 3) programs that do integrate AI literacy are preparing candidates for future-ready classrooms and AI-driven school systems. Mote argued that doing so would require a two-pronged approach that includes both pedagogical preparedness and a deep understanding of ethical and critical use in relation to AI. She argued that the core pillars of AI literacy (Understand and Evaluate, Apply and Create, and Ethical and Responsible Use) are essential to preparing educators in meaningful ways and provided examples of higher education institutions engaging with these pillars in different ways.
The final session included two additional tracks: “Resources to Support State Advocacy” facilitated by Dr. Tiffany Tan and Dr. Jacqueline King or “Session for New State Association
Leaders” led by Dr. Karen Escalante and Dr. Meghan Salyers, both regional leaders of the Advisory Council of State Representatives. As the recently elected NJACTE treasurer/President-Elect, I attended the latter session, where I benefitted from the wisdom and experience of Dr. Escalante and Dr. Salyers in terms of how to lead state chapters to effect positive change. Throughout the session, Escalante and Salyers shared tools to lead state chapters effectively in relation to Education, Advocacy, and Innovation.
Submitted by:
Kate Spence, Ed.D.
Treasurer/President-Elect – NJACTE
Director, Sammartino School of Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University