Karen Lowenstein Named Next
President/CEO of AAQEP | |
Virginia Goatley, Chair, AAQEP Board of Directors
On behalf of the AAQEP Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Lowenstein as the next president and chief executive officer of AAQEP, effective July 1, 2026. Congratulations to Karen, and thank you to everyone who participated in the search process!
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For the past five years, Karen has served as AAQEP’s director of member services, cohort and site visit liaison, workshop presenter, and more. She brings an extensive set of experiences including leading educator preparation, nonprofits, and state education work. Read more in the AAQEP announcement here.
Karen will be taking the reins from our founding president and CEO, Mark LaCelle-Peterson, who is retiring this summer after 9 years leading the organization. Mark has been an incredible leader and colleague, and it is gratifying to know that AAQEP is in great hands as he moves on to his well-deserved retirement.
| | | Virginia Goatley is dean of the School of Education at the University at Albany, SUNY. | | | The 9th annual Quality Assurance Symposium convened March 26-27 in Irving, Texas, drawing over 230 people from around the country for a full program of professional learning and networking. | | Events Committee members Alicia Kozimor (Grand Canyon University), Olga Diaz (Touro University), and Debbie Meadows (California State University, Bakersfield) welcomed participants at the registration desk at the Omni Las Colinas Hotel. | An afternoon of preconference sessions included one for state agency personnel, where Jackie Nygaard of the Nevada Department of Education shared his state’s data delivery model for EPPs. | To honor Mark LaCelle-Peterson at his last symposium before his retirement, participants wrote note cards and offered well-wishes at Friday's luncheon. | Leaders of three national education organizations—Mark LaCelle-Peterson of AAQEP, Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy of AACTE, and Jimmy Adams of NASDTEC—shared insights from their work on educator preparation practice and policy. | Many AAQEP sponsors participated by staffing exhibit tables and making presentations. Kristina Sterling of Passage Preparation copresented a session with Marla Robertson of Utah State University. | | The teacher certification crisis in Texas made a compelling topic of discussion among opening panelists Cathy Horn (University of Houston), Minda Lopez (Texas State University), Carrie Griffith (Our Schools Our Democracy), and Heath Morrison (Teachers of Tomorrow), facilitated by AAQEP’s Mark LaCelle-Peterson. | A new opportunity at the 2026 symposium was a selection of 14 peer-reviewed roundtable presentations. Katrina Roseler (Chaminade University) and Christina Wright Fields (Marist University) led a discussion on strategies for supporting mental well-being in teacher preparation. | The conference offered 48 concurrent sessions across 2 days, including one on testing measures’ reliability, presented by Josh Fyman (SUNY Old Westbury) and Sunny Duerr (SUNY New Paltz). | The Visit Irving organization was a valuable partner for the event, providing not only hospitality support but also generous registration materials. A beautiful outdoor reception on Irving’s Lake Carolyn marked the halfway point in the 2026 symposium. | | Many thanks to everyone who made this conference a success: presenters, sponsors, peer reviewers, and other participants! | | Join the Program Next Year | 2026 Session Proposals Due July 23 | | | Reaccreditation and Other Milestones | |
Mark LaCelle-Peterson, President & CEO
An exciting AAQEP milestone was reached this month as the Accreditation Commission made its first reaffirmations of accreditation. Back in 2019, Utah State University was the first provider to host a quality assurance review and earn AAQEP accreditation, and now it is the pioneer for reaccreditation as well. Congratulations to our colleagues at USU for continuing to lead the way!
It takes several years for an accreditation system to mature and prove itself. This semester’s first reaffirmations of accreditation for our early adopters is one key marker of AAQEP’s maturity, as was completing the first standards renewal cycle last year. Those of you who are working on your second self-study reports will notice (and hopefully appreciate) how much our supports have grown since your first time around!
Of course, part of growing up is learning from experience—both ours and yours. Based on feedback from member providers, state partners, review teams, and commissioners, we’ve continued to refine our guidance, templates, and other resources for self-studies. For example, the small number of required tables in the Quality Assurance Report now includes one that is designed to support documentation of your data-quality investigations; several optional reporting formats are also available. You can find the latest on our Quality Assurance Reports resource page.
One thing hasn’t changed: We’re still always improving together. Thank you for helping us continue to develop and serve you!
| | | Thinking About Joining AAQEP? | | | |
Learn about membership at aaqep.org/why-choose-aaqep, or sign up for a webinar to learn about the value of national accreditation and how AAQEP's collaborative, contextual approach can benefit your program:
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Introduction to
AAQEP
May 20, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT
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Introduction to the
Initial Accreditation Pathway
May 21, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT
| | | Site Visits and Logistics | |
Sara Hiller, Director of Accreditation Services
Here’s a quick overview of where the action is in the current AAQEP accreditation cycles. Remember to consult your Provider Review Timeline for details!
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Spring 2026 visits: Our spring reviews are almost complete, and the accreditation decision meetings started this month. To see the Accreditation Commission’s action record, click here.
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Fall 2026 visits: Self-studies and local practitioner nomination are due at least 6 months before your scheduled visit date. To prepare for your submission, please watch this video. I will schedule your logistics call after we receive your self-study.
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Spring 2027 visits: Most of the spring 2027 site visit dates are finalized. If you still need to confirm your dates, be sure to return your signed site visit letter to me. Consult your Provider Review Timeline for details of what to expect next.
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Fall 2027 visits: I will reach out next semester to schedule your site visit dates.
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Planning ahead for your 2026 Annual Report? Now is a great time for many members to begin planning and synthesizing data from the just-completed academic year. This year’s template and guidance aren’t available yet, but we anticipate they will be very similar to the 2025 versions posted on our Annual Reports resource page. You can also sign up for our “Writing the Annual Report” webinar June 16.
Writing an Accreditation Proposal for your next review? The next deadline is August 15. Proposals are a great way to get formative feedback on your planned evidence set from peer reviewers in time to inform your next self-study. Find details on our proposals resource page, and sign up for our “Writing the Accreditation Proposal” webinar June 17.
Visit our Member Resources web pages for guidance documents, templates, and other support for all stages of your quality assurance review, or contact me at s.hiller@aaqep.org with any questions.
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REMINDER – Continuous Accreditation Timeline
Wondering when to schedule your next AAQEP review? To maintain continuous accreditation, you need to host a site visit prior to the date listed in your Accreditation Action Report. It’s all right if the Accreditation Commission decision meeting comes after that date—as long as the site visit is completed before the deadline, your current accreditation status is maintained through the subsequent reaffirmation by the Commission.
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Member Cohort Updates
This week, cohorts are holding their final meetings of the academic year. Here is the schedule of summer meeting opportunities before the regular monthly calls resume in September:
JUNE – two options for cross-cohort conversations (click link to register):
JULY – no meetings
AUGUST – two options for cross-cohort conversations (click link to register):
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Partner Webinar
The Resilient Mindset Model: Applied Neuroscience in Preservice Education
May 27, 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT
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Neuroscience is incredibly helpful for understanding human behaviors, both our students' and our own. Join this webinar for AAQEP members to learn about the Resilient Mindset Model, which takes complex concepts from the field of neuroscience and applies them in a way that is accessible for children and adults of all ages.
Dr. Donna Volpitta, cofounder & education director of Pathways to Empower, will lead this interactive session and share some ready-to-integrate resources for your preservice education classes. Added benefit? The strategies apply to both your personal and professional goals!
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AAQEP Wants You! Apply by June 4
Call for Volunteers: AAQEP Program Committees
Volunteers are needed to join three program committees for the coming year:
Program committees serve in an advisory capacity to staff and carry out specific activities associated with their charge. Applications are due by June 4 for 3-year terms that begin July 1. Visit our website for details:
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Call for Chapters
Closing the Loop: Continuous Improvement in Educator Preparation
Editors Linda McKee of AAQEP, Casey Graham Brown of Sam Houston State University, and Heather Moore of Loyola University Maryland seek case studies that clearly articulate educator preparation programs’ approach to “closing the loop” with stakeholders through ongoing engagement in using data for continuous improvement. Manuscripts are due by June 15.
DOWNLOAD CALL FOR CHAPTERS (PDF)
| | | At the Michigan Association of Colleges for Teacher Education continuous improvement conference in April, David Alban (Ferris State University) and David Hill (University of Michigan-Dearborn) presented a session along with Gina Garner (Michigan Department of Education) about their work with AAQEP. | | Dozens of Oregon educator preparation leaders joined AAQEP’s Karen Lowenstein, representatives from the state’s Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, and sponsor ETS at a Making the Case for Reaccreditation workshop May 7 at George Fox University. | | |
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| | AAQEP — Always improving together | | | | |
