USM Dean Gould to take over as President of MACTE

Tue, 07/13/2021 – 4:50 p.m. | By: Karelia Pitts

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

During a two-year term, Dr. Gould will lead the state-wide organization of faculty and administrators from all public and private institutions of higher education in Mississippi engaged in the preparation of professional school staff.

“MACTE is the voice of teacher education faculty on a wide range of issues. Each of our individual institutions works diligently to provide excellent educational opportunities that prepare K-12 teachers, and MACTE provides a hub to increase our influence, ”said Gould. “In this new role, I’m very excited to help bring together teacher educators from across the state to share best practices and solve our problems. Bringing the brightest minds together around a table benefits everyone and helps develop consistency across the state in the practices we use to train teacher candidates.

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

When it comes to addressing the educational challenges of the state, including low literacy rates and a critical shortage of teachers, it is imperative to have a unified front at the college level. MACTE members take their work in educating educators seriously and recognize the effect their teaching has not only in their middle school classrooms, but also in the Kindergarten to Grade 12 classes their students lead.

As President of MACTE, Gould seeks to energize all audiences interested in supporting teacher education.

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

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