Colleagues and friends,
It is a tremendous honor to begin my service as President of the California Council on Teacher Education. I am deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in me and for the opportunity to serve an organization that has long been a champion for educator preparation, professional excellence, and educational innovation throughout our state.
As I enter this role, I do so with optimism.
Across the nation, teacher education finds itself at a pivotal moment. Our institutions face shifting policy landscapes, evolving workforce demands, changing student demographics, and renewed questions about the role and purpose of public education. While these realities present challenges, I believe they also present an opportunity for leadership.
Rather than responding reactively to the changing educational landscape, I believe California is uniquely positioned to help shape what comes next.
For decades, California teacher educators have been engaged in the work of preparing teachers for diverse classrooms and communities. We have developed expertise in multilingual education, inclusive practices, community-engaged learning, educational equity, and innovative approaches to teaching and learning. The work occurring across our colleges, universities, schools, and communities continues to influence the broader educational conversation in meaningful ways.
This is a moment to recognize and celebrate that leadership.
One of my goals as President is to continue strengthening CCTE as a space where teacher educators can learn from one another, share innovative practices, build partnerships, and collectively advance the profession. I want our organization to remain a place where scholarship, practice, and advocacy come together in service of preparing exceptional educators for California’s students.
With that vision in mind, I am pleased to introduce a proposed theme for our Fall 2027 Conference:
Uniquely California: Shaping the Future of Teacher Education
This theme reflects a simple but powerful belief: California’s teacher educators are not merely adapting to educational change—we are helping create it.
Across our state, educators are developing new approaches to teacher preparation, advancing research that informs practice, strengthening partnerships with schools and communities, and
preparing candidates to serve an increasingly complex and interconnected world. The work being done throughout California deserves not only recognition, but also amplification.
I envision this conference as both a celebration and an invitation.
A celebration of the extraordinary work taking place across our institutions. A celebration of the creativity, resilience, and commitment demonstrated by teacher educators throughout California.
And an invitation to continue imagining what teacher education can become.
Together, we have the opportunity to share promising practices, elevate innovative scholarship, examine emerging challenges, and explore new possibilities for preparing educators who will serve future generations of students. Most importantly, we have the opportunity to reaffirm the vital role that teacher education plays in strengthening schools, communities, and our democracy.
As I begin this presidency, I look forward to listening, learning, and working alongside each of you. The future of teacher education will be shaped not by any single institution or individual, but by the collective wisdom, creativity, and dedication of educators committed to this work.
Thank you for all that you do on behalf of our profession and the students we serve. I am excited for what lies ahead and confident that together we will continue to demonstrate why California remains at the forefront of teacher education.
I look forward to our journey together.
Dr. Terrelle B. Sales
Pepperdine University
President
California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE)