NAAE Future Agriscience Teacher (FAST) Symposium-Creating an Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, and Accessible Program

The 2023 NAAE Future Agriscience Teacher (FAST) Symposium-Creating an Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, and Accessible Program was held March 1-4, 2023, in Lexington, KY. NAAE was honored to host 19 preservice agricultural educators who represented 14 different university institutions. 

Throughout the 2023 program, participants engaged with industry professionals who cultivate diversity, inclusivity, equity, and accessibility within the agriculture industry. Participants had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Roger Cleveland, Dr. Antomia Farrell, and Warren Beeler. Participants toured and visited with agriculture teacher Sandra Smock and the agricultural education program at Kentucky School for the Deaf in Danville, KY, agriculture teacher Toni Myers and the agriculture program at The Kentucky Castle in Versailles, KY, and agriculture teacher Jacob Ball and the agricultural education program at Carter G. Woodson Academy in Lexington, KY. The preservice teachers had the opportunity to ask questions to an NAAE teacher panel which consisted of Sabrina Davis-Georgia, Isaiah Govea-Arizona, Caleb Hickman-Ohio, and Kasey Naylor-Texas. As the program concluded, NAAE Facilitator Brain Welch facilitated our FAST Inquiry Investigation which introduced participants to inquiry-based instruction and how to make learning accessible to all students. 

This experience allowed participants to dive deeper into creating an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible agriculture program. The 2023 NAAE FAST IDEAP was made possible through the partnership NAAE has with the CHS Foundation and BASF. 

The time has arrived and our 2023 NAAE Award applications and 2023 Upper Division Scholarship application are LIVE! NAAE maintains an extensive awards program to recognize the accomplishments of our many talented and dedicated members. We have awards for agricultural educators in every stage of their careers, from scholarships to lifetime achievement. All of our NAAE award applications and the NAAE Upper Division Scholarship application are due May 15, 2023. Click here to learn more. 

NAAE Ag Ed Strand at ACTE National Policy

The NAAE Ag Ed Strand at the ACTE National Policy Seminar is held annually in Washington, DC. This event is a great way to get involved in shaping agricultural education legislative support through advocacy. This year's event will take place March 20-23, 2023.

Save the Date for the 2023 NAAE National #TeachAg Day!

NAAE National #TeachAg Day is Thursday, September 21, 2023. NAAE is excited to share educator resources, lesson plans, and more in the months to come. The NAAE National #TeachAg Day Live Celebration will take place in Portland, Oregon.

Accessing your NAAE Professional Development certificates is an easy and quick process. Let us walk you through how to download/print your PD certificates.

37 STAR (State Teach Ag Results) Program calls took place between December and February. States strategized plans to recruit and retain highly qualified and diverse educators. Strategies are structured to focus on three pillars: 

1. Recruitment strategies 
2. Preservice engagement and retention 
3. Current teacher retention and engagement

Over 300 attendees have interacted on the STAR calls to strategize and engage in recruitment, retention, and recognition efforts, totaling 55.5 hours.

Interested in becoming a STAR state? Contact Ashley Rogers.

The proposed budget for the 2024 fiscal year increases the funding for Perkins V by $43 million. Unfortunately, this proposal does not make significant progress towards closing the inflationary gap facing Perkins V, which is currently estimated to be $320 million lower than fiscal year 2004 levels when adjusted to inflation. Learn more about the budget here and read ACTE's statement on the budget here.

A vault is where we keep our most prized possessions and the things that are valued most. The Valuables Vault in the By Choice Newsletter is designed to equip teachers with jewels and valuable tools to help them carry onward in the profession. The Valuables Vault will highlight information, tips, and tricks that hold value in agricultural educators' professional and personal lives.

Unlock the Potential of the Month: 

“The cold never bothered me anyway.”- Elsa. Want to make sure that your lessons are keeping your curriculum red hot? Try incorporating lessons surrounding My Local Cooperative. There are so many resources available to spice up your curriculum, not one, not two, but THREE modules. Check out the resources here.

Combination to Happiness: 

March into the month by evaluating your boundaries. At this point, agricultural educators are EXHAUSTED! Protect your peace by evaluating your boundaries and sticking to them. If you are logging 3 hours after school for practices, make sure to schedule 3 hours of time for you and/or your family. Setting this boundary for yourself will assist you with the work/life balance. Use “when-then” sentences and post them at your desk. For example “When I finish this task, then I will take a 10 minute break to recenter myself”. Busyness is not a badge of honor. 

My Local Cooperative

My Local Cooperative Learning Modules 

The National Association of Agricultural Educators is working in partnership with the CHS Foundation to offer engaging and inquiry based instructional materials that have everything you need to deliver quality instruction on the cooperative business model, the impact of cooperatives on the community and cooperative career opportunities. The modules are yours to use and come with everything you need; materials list, teacher notes, handouts, presentation tools, assessments and more. Click here to access the modules.

Follow My Local Cooperative on Social Media 

Make sure you are following the NAAE My Local Cooperative social media platforms for agriculture cooperative career profiles, agriculture cooperative facts and ways to access My Local Cooperative workshops, toolkits and grants. You can follow My Local Cooperative on Facebook and Twitter.

My Local Cooperative is an initiative of the National Association of Agricultural Educators with funding support from the CHS Foundation.

Attending a regional conferences is great way to connect with other agricultural educators, get involved in the organization and stay up to date on the latest news, events, and professional opportunities. For the most up to date information related to regional conferences, including agendas and registration information, click here.

Region I Conference

(AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, 

NV, OR, UT, WA, WY)

May 31 - June 2, 2023

Bozeman, Montana

Region II Conference

(AK, CO, KS, LA, NM, OK, TX)

June 19-22, 2023

Hot Springs, Arkansas

Region III Conference 

(IA, MN, NE, ND, SD, WI)

June 19-21, 2023

Alexandria, Minnesota

Region IV Conference

(IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, OH)

June 27-29, 2023

Archbold, Ohio

Region V Conference

(AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, 

PR, SC, TN, VI)

June 11-14, 2023

St. Augustine Beach, Florida

Region VI Conference

(CT, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, NJ, 

NY, PA, RI, VT, VA, WV)

July 31 - August 2, 2023

Allentown, New Jersey

Calendar  

March 1-4 - NAAE Creating an Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable and Accessible Program (IDEAP) Future Agriscience Teacher Symposium in Lexington, Kentucky

March 15-18 - NAAE at the National PAS Conference

March 20-23 - Ag Ed Strand at ACTE National Policy Seminar in Arlington, Virginia

May 15 - NAAE Award Applications Due

May 15 - Upper Division Scholarship Application Due

June 30 - 2022-2023 NAAE Membership Year Ends

March 2023 Impact and Engagement Overview 

17,000 Twitter followers/12,492 total tweets (all NAAE accounts) 

24,681 Facebook followers (all NAAE accounts)

7,104 Instagram followers (all NAAE accounts) 

6 email campaigns were sent totaling 55,782 unique sends with an average 40% open rate.