The Ohio Confederation of Teacher Education Organizations (OCTEO) is holding its spring meeting March 11-13, 2009, at the Crowne Plaza in Dublin, Ohio. Featured speakers on March 12 include Representative Brian Williams, D-41st District and Chair of the House of Education Committee, Ohio House of Representatives, and Deb Delisle, Superintendent of Public Instruction. The theme of this conference is "Partnering with PreK-12 for a Better Ohio." Williams and Delisle are expected to address aspects of the Governor's Education Plan relevant to teacher preparation.

OCTEO is an umbrella organization that includes the Ohio Association of Teacher Educators (OATE), the Ohio Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (OACTE), the Ohio Association of Private Colleges of Teacher Education (OAPCTE), the Ohio Field Directors Forum (OFDF) and the State University Education Deans (SUED). Conference attendees include deans, faculty and field directors from the 50 private and public institutions that prepare teachers in Ohio. Joanne Arhar, associate dean of the College of Education, Health and Human Services at Kent State University is program chair and president of OACTE. For further information about OCTEO and the conference, go to http://www.ohioteachered.org/.

Media Contact: Hilda Pettit, 330-672-2862, hapettit@kent.edu