Listen in as assistant professors Theresa Robinson and Melissa Lebowitz from the Community College of Baltimore County share the latest updates on their programs. From receiving a Feds2Eds grant to develop programming for displaced government workers to enter the teaching workforce to the Degrees to Succeed partnerships with nine institutions, CCBC is making great strides throughout educator preparation. They also have mock classrooms being set up on both the Essex and Catonsville campuses with all the latest technology that they expect to be ready for use this spring.

Also discussed is how AI can be responsibly and ethically used in the classroom. This includes incorporating assignments that require the use of AI to create rubrics or to create letters that can be compared to one's own version.

The conversation also turns to how the Baltimore County Public School System has created two programs to introduce middle school/junior high students to community college instructors, administrators, and athletes who look like them in order to show that their futures are wide open.

In this first episode of 2026 NACCTEP chats with Rebecca Saiz - Executive Director of Lone Star College Educator Preparation Program, Dr. Christina Puente - Department Chair, and Dr. JeQuila Broussard - Lead Field Supervisor from Lone Star College about how they've transitioned from a checklist driven evaluation system for teacher candidates to a reflective system. This new method allows the college supervisor to become a coach guiding and encouraging the teacher candidates on their journey to becoming an effective teacher. As part of the transition, a common vocabulary comes into play so that both the supervisors and the teachers can communicate successes, expectations, and room for improvement, or "Glow, Grow, and Go" as they've termed it.

A further discussion of this system will be held at an interactive roundtable during the NACCTEP Pre-Conference in New Orleans on the afternoon of February 19, 2026. For further information on the 2026 NACCTEP Pre-Conference, please visit https://www.nacctep.org/professional-development-events/2026-pre-conference

In this episode we hear from Starr Sackstein of Educators Rising. Ms. Sackstein is a National Board Certified teacher with over 20 years experience in education. In addition to numerous books which you can find in the NACCTEP Book List, Ms. Sackstein also writes a column for the Kappan Magazine called Career Confidential.

Ms. Sackstein shares the extensive ways that Educators Rising introduces potential teachers to the field beginning in middle school and high school and supporting their continued studies in college as well. From curriculum, to micro-credentials, to scholarships and competitions at the state and national levels, Educators Rising helps students explore the teaching field.

mssackstein.com

Kappanonline.org

Kappanonline.org/category/career-confidential/

NACCTEP Book List