The use of AI in classrooms, the importance of educator diversity and dealing with angry parents are just a few of the topics that will be discussed at a national education conference in Pittsburgh beginning Sunday.

More than 200 state government officials, representatives from educator preparation programs and school district administrative staff will attend the three-day conference hosted by a national teacher licensing organization.

NASDTEC — the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification — has hosted the conference for more than 90 years.

Based in Washington, D.C., the association formed nearly a century ago to represent state departments of education and professional standards boards responsible for the training and certification of K-12 educators.

Brian Devine has served as president of the association for two decades. Every year, he takes something new away from the conference.

“It’s a great opportunity to connect with people that are in similar roles that we’re in and know intimately some of the things that we’re dealing with and facing,” said Devine, the association’s Massachusetts director of educator licensure.

The first session of the conference will discuss how to increase the diversity of the educator workforce. It will be co-hosted by Sharif El-Mekki, founder of the Center for Black Educator Development, which launched in Philadelphia five years ago.

“I think if you talk to a lot of students, they may look back on their educational career and have very limited number of educators of color,” Devine said. “And oftentimes, when a student has just even one teacher of color, that can have a pretty big impact on their performance and their trajectory.”

Having an educator workforce that matches the diversity of its students can lead to positive academic and personal outcomes for students, according to a report by the National Council on Teacher Quality.

“Research has demonstrated that teachers of color may provide additional benefits to the same-race students they serve, including being effective role models, holding higher expectations, and having fewer cultural differences,” the report states.

The report also reveals that students of color perform better in math and reading when taught by teachers of color.

Although 35% of students in Allegheny County are people of color, only 4% of teachers in the county are people of color, according to a recent report by the PA Needs Teachers coalition.

In Westmoreland County, 14% of students are people of color and only 1% of teachers are people of color, according to the report.

There will be two sessions related to AI on Tuesday — one discussing the use of AI in classrooms and another about policies and innovation of AI. Devine said the sessions will examine how AI is already being used in education and how prospective teachers are being prepared to handle AI in their classrooms.

A session on Sunday will delve into paid student teacher internships.

“When they’re doing their student teaching and their practicum, they’re going from their traditional college environment and going into pretty much working in a school district for that entire semester and have that be, in a sense, free employment for the district,” Devine said.

“They might not be the lead educator the entire time that they’re there, but certainly they’re making contributions — sometimes being the lead as they need to in their practical experience.”

Pennsylvania legislators have taken a step toward financially supporting aspiring teachers by signing a $10 million stipend program that will provide about 600 students with $10,000 to cover costs during their student teaching placement.

About 3,800 students have applied for the stipend program. State legislators have estimated it would take $75 million to allot the stipend to every future educator pursuing a student teaching placement in the coming academic year.

Cindy Marten, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, will also speak at the conference and host a Q&A with association Executive Director Jimmy Adams. She will discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to address teacher shortages and expand accessible teacher preparation programs.

“(The Department of Education) and NASDTEC have intersecting interests in the preparation, continuing development, employment and certification of educational personnel to ensure high-quality and prepared professionals are at the forefront of the nation’s public education system,” a department spokesperson said.

The networking aspect of the conference also holds value to those in education, Devine said.

“I think those conversations that we have with role-alike individuals (are) sometimes some of the better takeaways that people may have in conferences,” he said. “You don’t know what issue might pop up in November for which you need to reach out and get some assistance from someone.”

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