Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I hope you all are heading into or are already enjoying a well-deserved long holiday weekend. We have a number of new registrants so I am re-posting my initial email sent to registrants (see below) along with a reminder for everyone to PLEASE fill out the Congressional visits tracker as you schedule visits with your Congressional Representatives.
As a reminder, you are responsible for scheduling your visits with your Congressional representatives, but please coordinate with members from your institution. Faculty members attending with doctoral scholars are responsible for including doctoral scholars in the visits and communicating with them throughout the process- doc students are not responsible for scheduling their own visits. If you are a doctoral student who does not have a faculty member attending with you, please reach out to me directly either be email at kbrennan@aacte.org or on my cell at 412-853-8409. State leads are responsible for scheduling Senate visits and communicating with their state delegation regarding time of the appointment, etc (this is also why the tracker is important). If you have not previously been identified as a state lead but are the only representative from your state attending at this time you are responsible for scheduling your own Senate visit- but again, please do not hesitate to contact me directly for assistance either by email or on my cell.
It is a pivotal time in Washington and I couldn't be more appreciative of you all. Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you need anything at all.
See you soon!
Kait
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Dear Colleagues:
My name is Dr. Kait Brennan. You may recognize my name from the Washington Update and In the States columns in EdPrep Matters. I am a consultant with AACTE and am thrilled to assist with this year's Washington Week. I am excited to have the opportunity to support you as you advocate for educator preparation with members of your congressional delegation.
As you know, Washington Week kicks off in just a few short weeks on June 4-7. This year's conference theme is "Investing in Educators." If you haven't already, please check out the preliminary agenda.
A highlight of Washington Week is meeting with congressional representatives during Day on the Hill. This is an important opportunity to make the case for programs that strengthen and expand the education workforce. You are responsible for scheduling meetings with your congressional representatives, but AACTE is ready to help in several ways.
Please review our detailed video explainer on scheduling meetings with members of Congress located in to AACTE Connect360 where you are a member of the Washington Week 2023 community. There you will find an updated list of meeting registrants (so you can coordinate with colleagues from your state), a checklist for successful meetings, and background material on AACTE's legislative priorities. Please be sure to engage our doctoral scholars during the process- they are an important part of our advocacy and outreach efforts. If you are a state lead, or are currently the only representative from your state you will need to schedule Senate meetings on behalf of your delegation- please be sure to keep communication open with all registrants from your state. For states with larger numbers of participants you will receive a separate email from me on managing those meetings and groups. Please note, doctoral students coming with faculty should not schedule their own visits but rather should attend visits with their faculty sponsor.
I am here to support you with any and all things related to meeting with your members of Congress. Please don't hesitate to contact me at kbrennan@aacte.org or at 412-853-8409. I am here to support with any items related to your visits, including but not limited to scheduling, making connections with staff if needed, clarification on talking points, legislative priorities, etc. I will also be on the Hill during your visits and available for any questions or support that you may need.
It's a busy and important time for advocacy in Washington. I am especially grateful for all of your contributions to AACTE and the field at large. Please be sure to keep an eye on your inbox and AACTE Connect 360 for additional correspondence.
With appreciation,
Kait
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Kaitlyn Brennan
Consultant
Washington DC
+1 (202) 293-2450
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