Strategic Plan 2001-2002

Association for Childhood Education International

Mission of ACEI
Purposes of ACEI
Goal One
Goal Two
Goal Three
Goal Four

Mission of ACEI

The Mission of ACEI is to promote and support in the global community the optimal education and development of children, from birth through early adolescence, and to influence the professional growth of educators and the efforts of others who are committed to the needs of children in a changing society.

Purposes of ACEI

To promote the inherent rights, education, and well-being of all children in the home, school, and community

To work for desirable conditions, programs, and practices for children from infancy through early adolescence

To bring into active cooperation all individuals and groups concerned with children

To raise the standard of preparation for those actively involved with the care and development of children

To encourage continuous professional growth of educators

To focus the public's attention on the rights and needs of children and on the ways various programs must be adjusted to fit those rights and needs.

To achieve these purposes, ACEI is guided by a dynamic philosophy of education that is flexible and responsive to human needs in a changing society (ACEI Constitution, Article II).

For more than 100 years, ACEI members have shared a dual commitment to the fulfillment of every child's potential and to the professional development of the classroom teacher. ACEI members are dedicated to an enlightened, child-centered approach to education that respects the child's developmental experiences at home, in school, and in the community. This philosophy is reflected in all professional programs, including publications, resource materials, topic workshops, and conferences. Members represent every segment of the preschool, elementary, and middle-school fields, and include child care providers, teachers and teachers-in-training, administrators, researchers, teacher educators, and institutional subscribers.

With input from the membership-at-large, committees, local, state/province and national leaders and Headquarters staff, the Executive Board plans strategic goals for the Association for the coming year and beyond. The organization uses the Strategic Plan as a guide when planning programs and services. The activities listed below are those that the respective committees plan to accomplish in 2001-2002 to help ACEI meet its Strategic Goals.

Go Back to the top

Strategic Goals and Plan of Action

GOAL ONE

TO PROMOTE ACEI'S MISSION
AND WORK IN THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY

Awards Committee

Promote recognition of ACEI members and non-members who have made significant contributions to ACEI, the field of education and the betterment of children. Throughout the year the Committee will seek nominations of highly qualified persons deserving of special recognition.

Conference Committee

Encourage submission of Spanish-language proposals starting with the 2002 Annual Conference.

Diversity Committee

Will sponsor a special workshop session (panel) during the 2002 Annual Conference entitled, "Resounding Voices: Cross Cultural School Experiences of People From Diverse Ethnic Backgrounds."

Heritage Committee

Prepare autobiographies of committee members past and present.

Infancy/Early Childhood Committee

Review Infancy/Early Childhood Conference Proposals for the 2002 Annual Conference.

Review "Global Guidelines for the Education and Care of Young Children" and evaluate its use in different countries.

Intermediate/Middle Childhood Committee

Write summary of Toronto IMCC panel discussion for
publication in "Focus on Middle Schools."

Finalize "The Arts and the Adolescent" ACEI Speaks publication.

Promote formation of ACEI Branches.

Invite fifth grade teachers to speak about their experiences with students in responsible learning communities at the 2002 Annual Conference.

Work to link pre-service, inservice and teacher educators globally as active participants in ACEI.

International/Intercultural Committee

Become more actively involved with the other committees.

Increase networking opportunities within the countries represented by committee members.

Facilitate the publication of bi-lingual ACEI materials.

Develop strategies to enhance exposure to ACEI at the international level.

Share the committee's vision for international/intercultural development of the Association.

Provide a networking/mentoring system for newcomers to the Annual Conference from international destinations.

Membership Committee

Recruit members from Head Start Programs.

Work at the national, state, and local levels to develop an awareness of ACEI and the benefits of membership.

Attend the National Head Start Directors Conference in Washington, D.C., in June, 2001.

Nominating Committee

Actively seek highly qualified candidates for election to the ACEI Executive Board.

Prepare announcements for open Executive Board positions for publications and distribution.

Professional Standards/Teacher Education Committee

Invite all international member teacher educators to participate in the teacher education issues survey and to participate in the committee-sponsored session at the 2002 Annual Conference.

Establish a link from the ACEI Web site to a Professional Standards/Teacher Education Committee Web site which will display the work and ongoing projects of the committee.

Program Development Committee

Submit articles for the ACEI Exchange that highlight meaningful Branch programs that promote the mission of ACEI.

Sponsor a special conference session at the 2002 Annual Conference to highlight excellent ideas to promote meaningful Branch programs.

Public Affairs Committee

Actively seek international membership on the committee.

Solicit resolutions from members living outside the U.S.

Publications Committee

Address global concerns with an International Theme Issue of Childhood Education on Going to School Around the World.

Work with individuals from outside the U.S. as Guest Editors for the Theme Issue.

Pursue electronic publishing as a vehicle to reach the global community.

Research Committee

Increase National and International research proposal submissions for the 2002 Annual Conference by placing research proposal submission and evaluation information on the ACEI Web site.

Retired Member Committee

Volunteer to help children and the community and mentor teachers.

Student Committee

Contribute articles to the "Student Slant" column in Childhood Education and prepare two issues of the Student Connection newsletter.

Technology

Develop a "call" for virtual presentations to correspond with the 2002 Annual Conference.

Week of the Classroom Teacher

Prepare a "call" for the "Hall of Celebration" for ACEI's Web site.

To honor teachers impact on children's lives, the committee will compile stories on "My Favorite Teacher" to be read at the Celebration Breakfast session and published in The Activist newsletter.

To promote worldwide celebrations honoring teachers, promotional materials will be added to the Handbook that can be easily adopted and modified by international members.

Add the WOCT Handbook to ACEI's Web site.

Submit a proposal for a committee sponsored session at the 2002 Annual Conference. The session will address ways to use the WOCT Handbook as a guide to plan various activities. Branches will be invited to share their Celebration activity ideas at the session.

Members will monitor the establishment of local WOCT Committees and support local Celebration activities. Each committee member will develop an e-mail distribution list to make contact easier.

Go Back to the top

GOAL TWO

TO PROMOTE ACEI'S LONG-STANDING COMMITMENT
TO THE WHOLE CHILD AND THE WHOLE CURRICULUM

Diversity Concerns Committee

Publish at least two articles in the ACEI Exchange, focusing on diversity issues in education.

Heritage Committee

Investigate/recommend reprinting of Dauntless Women with the addition of a study guide.

Infancy/Early Childhood Committee

Sponsor a division luncheon at the 2002 Annual Conference, featuring a research overview on training in early childhood education and family and community connections from an international perspective.

Membership Committee

Increase the number of student branches with emphasis on junior and community colleges.

Schools with articulation agreements will be encouraged to form dual branches.

Program Development Committee

Highlight activities that support ACEI's long-standing commitment to the whole child and the whole curriculum through articles in the ACEI Exchange and via a committee sponsored special session at the 2002 Annual Conference.

Public Affairs Committee

Produce timely press releases, articles, position statements, and resolutions that address development of the whole child and appropriate curriculum.

The committee will increase its efforts to obtain current relevant topics of a global nature as an effort to increase the awareness of ACEI members.

Publications Committee

Maintain and strengthen ACEI's use of journal and division newsletter articles, columns, theme issues, position statements, and special publications to address timely issues in education.

Research Committee

Facilitate the exhange of research information by promoting internationally diverse research presentations and assist with improving written proposals and preparing presentations.

Retired Member Committee

Continue the Retirees' Review newsletter. Include articles, suggestions and ideas about teaching.

Student Committee

Sponsor two "Make'n Take Sessions" at the 2002 Annual Conference.

Week of the Classroom Teacher Committee

Sponsor the Celebration Breakfast program at the 2002 Annual Conference.

Go Back to the top

GOAL THREE

TO SUSTAIN ACEI'S LEADERSHIP ROLE IN ENSURING
EXCELLENCE IN THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
BIRTH THROUGH EARLY ADOLESCENCE

Conference Committee

Work with the Membership and Student Committees to add a student track for the 2002 Annual Conference.

Diversity Concerns Committee

Develop a proposal for a publication on multicultural perspectives for teachers and teacher educators to submit to the Publications Committee.

Heritage Committee

Make a panel presentation at the 2002 Annual Conference to maintain the image of our ACEI heritage before the members.

Intermediate/Middle Childhood Committee

Review 2002 Conference Proposals.

Membership Committee

Assist groups from outside the U.S. to start Branches.

Work with the Conference and Student Committees to add a student track for the 2002 Annual Conference.

Nominating Committee

Establish a central place to collect completed application forms. At 2002 Annual Conference, need to place a closed box at the registration desk.

The nominating Chair would pick up the completed forms each day thus eliminating the need for nominees to hunt for a committee member to give the completed application form.

Professional Standards/Teacher Education Committee

Address timely topics via the committees column in the ACEI Exchange.

Program Development Committee

Designate two student members of ACEI to serve as members of the committee.

Continue collaboration with the Membership Committee and the President's Council.

Collaboration with the International/Intercultural Committee to insure that ideas promoted for Branch programs have global representation.

Public Affairs Committee

Monitor National Education agenda in the U.S. and abroad. Network with international members and ACEI representatives at the U.N.

Publications Committee

Continue to pursue collaborative publishing efforts, such as Educators Healing Racism, Case Studies.

Publish books on children and stress, brain research, elementary education, multiage classrooms, infants and toddlers, and timely topics.

Research Committee

Plan and deliver a committee sponsored presentation at the 2002 Annual Conference to discuss research methodologies, with break-out groups dedicated to qualitative and quantitative approaches.

This will be accomplished by interested research committee proposal reviewers.

Retired Member Committee

Share information and ideas with retirees from other countries.

Student Committee

Collaborate with the International/Intercultural Committee to work on a Web page that gives an opportunity for students to share ideas, help one another's work, and stay up-to-date about issues concerning ACEI Student members.

Week of the Classroom Teacher Committee

Develop a handbook to help members' plan and implement "Week of the Classroom Teacher" celebrations and put the information in the ACEI Web site.

Go Back to the top

GOAL FOUR

TO SUPPORT ACEI'S UNIQUE LEADERSHIP ROLE
IN ENSURING EXCELLENCE IN TEACHER EDUCATION

Conference Committee

Work with the Technology Committee to incorporate video-conferencing into the 2002 Annual Conference. Solicit corporate sponsorship of a Technology Playground.

Diversity Concerns Committee

Support ACEI's unique leadership role, ensuring excellence in teacher education.

Heritage Committee

Maintain a file of ACEI Resolutions and statements for historical purposes.

Infancy/Early Childhood Committee

Sponsor a special session at the 2002 Annual Conference entitled,"How is the family and community connection covered in early childhood training programs in your country?"

Develop a special ACEI publication on training in early childhood as a follow up to the 2002 Annual Conference presentations.

Professional Standards/Teacher Education Committee

Support the NCATE accreditation review process.

Conduct a survey of members who are teacher educators to identify major concerns/issues in educating teachers worldwide.

Program Development Committee

Highlight at least two program ideas in the ACEI Exchange ensuring excellence in elementary teacher education.

Public Affairs Committee

Promote quality teacher education programs throughout the world by urging political leaders to recognize the importance of high quality teachers.

Publications Committee

Address the needs and concerns of teacher educators through Focus on Teacher Education, Childhood Education articles, and the Journal of Research in Childhood Education, as well as special publications.

Research Committee

Plan and prepare a column for the ACEI Activist newsletter informing members of the results of the research proposal review process and provide research updates on new methodologies.

Technology Committee

Maintain a virtual conference room at the 2002 Annual Conference. Work jointly with the Conference Committee.

Go Back to the top

In the Classroom and Beyond

ASSOCIATION FOR CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL
17904 Georgia Avenue, Suite 215
Olney, MD 20832 USA
301.570.2111; 1.800.423.3563, Fax 301.570. 2212
aceihq@aol.com, www.acei.org

Return to ACEI home page.