USM Dean Gould to Serve as MACTE President

Tue, 07/13/2021 - 04:50pm | By: Karelia Pitts

On July 1, 2021, Dr. Trenton E. Gould, dean of The University of Southern Mississippi College of Education and Human Sciences, became president of the Mississippi Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE), an affiliate of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).

During a two-year appointment, Dr. Gould will lead the statewide organization composed of faculty and administrators from all public and private institutions of higher education in Mississippi engaged in the preparation of professional school personnel.

“MACTE serves as a voice for teacher education faculty on a broad range of issues. Each of our individual institutions are working diligently to offer excellent educational opportunities that prepare K-12 teachers, and MACTE provides a hub to increase our influence,” Gould said. “In this new role, I am most excited about helping bring teacher educators together from across the state to exchange best practices and problem solve our challenges. Getting the sharpest minds around one table benefits everyone and helps develop consistency across the state in the practices we’re using to train teacher candidates.”

As a consortium of teacher education schools, MACTE is vitally interested in the support and enhancement of all aspects of education in Mississippi. Members work cooperatively within the organization, as well as with the Mississippi Department of Education, legislators and other statewide education groups to advocate for education and related policy.

When it comes to tackling the state’s educational challenges, including low literacy rates and a critical teacher shortage, having a unified front at the collegiate level is imperative. MACTE members take their job of preparing educators seriously and recognize the effect their teaching has not only in their college classrooms, but also in the K-12 classrooms their students go on to lead.

As MACTE president, Gould seeks to energize all publics interested in supporting teacher education.

“Whether you’re a second-grade teacher, a college professor or someone with a different interest in teacher preparation, we want you to know MACTE is here for you,” said Gould. “If you have a question related to education, we want to serve as a resource to help you find an answer and share it with others experiencing similar challenges. A win for your classroom or school district is a win for us all because our goal is to rise together and elevate education in Mississippi as a whole.”

For more information about MACTE, visit macte.mississippi.edu. To learn more about AACTE, visit aacte.org.