Every year in the beginning of June, hundreds of state leaders, teacher educators, teachers, and graduate students gather near our nation’s capital for four days to learn an important and critical leadership skill – ADVOCACY. Appropriately named, Washington Week, AACTE members have an opportunity to advocate for legislation and tell their stories of their educational community. Washington Week 2025 was no different. This year, representing New Jersey were leaders, faculty, staff, and students from Monmouth University, Montclair State University, Rowan University, Rutgers Newark, and The College of New Jersey, and the nervous energy was palpable.
As a newcomer, much like the rest of our team, I had no idea what to expect. I’d never been to ‘the hill’ or formally spoken to my state representatives or their staffers. Even the word staffers was new to me, in this context. Political advocacy had never been on my radar – until now. It hasn’t been until the past several years coupled with my involvement with AACTE that I learned the political power in a singular voice. While I knew a collective could sway a group or bring about change for students in P-12 schools, the power of one is immense.
We had one goal — to advocate for educational access for the most vulnerable students. With our new NJACTE President, LaChan Hannon and together with colleagues from New York, our team spent hours preparing our talking points. In total, we attended seven meetings with legislative offices from both NY and NJ. Our conversations focused on reminding our senators, congresspersons and their staffers why they we need to ensure that every student has access to a qualified, well-prepared educator—and that our representatives reject proposed cuts to vital student aid programs, including Pell Grants, federal student loans, and loan repayment and forgiveness initiatives.
The message—that high-quality teacher preparation is essential to student success and to robust workforce development, was at the heart of our advocacy. We won’t have an educated workforce without committed educators.
Unfortunately, as we write this, the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ was passed by the senate and congress. But, our advocacy does not stop.
Reflecting on my experience as a first time attendee, I felt a great sense of pride in having the opportunity to advocate in support of our educators, students and our communities. I encourage others to take part in this experience—each of us has the ability to be an advocate and actively engage in our democratic process.
Washington Week was not only an opportunity to influence policy but also a powerful reminder of the collective impact we can have when we raise our voices together. NJACTE remains committed to advancing educator preparation and supporting the next generation of teachers in New Jersey and beyond.
Submitted by:
Lisa Abreu Morel, M.A., NJACTE Secretary;
with LaChan Hannon, Ph.D., NJACTE President