U.S. Department of Education 

Teacher Preparation Programs Negotiating Committee

2012

Organizational Protocols 

I. Mission Statement 

The U.S. Department of Education has established this negotiated rulemaking committee to 

develop proposed regulations related to teacher preparation issues pursuant to Sec. 492 of the 

Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). 

II. Participation 

A. The committee consists of the following members:

Constituency Primary Alternate

Postsecondary 

students

Eric Mann

Student teacher

Sandpoint High School

Idaho

Eric Gregoire

Student

Boston University School of Education

Candidate for Master of Education in 

Policy, Planning and Administration

Teachers Katie Hartley

Middle School Math Teacher and 

Value Added Specialist Miami East 

Junior High

Ohio 

Qualyn McIntyre

Teacher in Residence

Atlanta Urban Teacher Residency

Organizations 

representing 

teachers and 

teacher 

educators

Segun Eubanks

Director, Teacher Quality 

Department, National Education 

Association

James Alouf

President

Association of Teacher Educators

Financial aid 

administrators 

at 

postsecondary 

institutions

Joseph Pettibon 

Associate Vice President for 

Academic Services

Texas A&M University 

David Smedley 

Associate Director

Compliance and Training Office of 

Student Financial Assistance

The George Washington University
Business 

officers and 

bursars at 

postsecondary 

institutions

Julie Karns 

Vice President for Finance

Rider University 

Karl Brockenbrough

Vice President for Administration and 

Finance

Bowie State University 

State officials George Noell

Professor, School of Psychology 

Louisiana State University 

Vance Rugaard

Executive Director 

Tennessee Office of Licensing

Two-year 

public 

institutions

Glenn DuBois

Chancellor of Virginia’s Community 

Colleges 

Ray Ostos

Director , National Center for Teacher 

Education, Maricopa Community College 

Four-year 

public 

institutions

David Steiner

Dean, Hunter College School of 

Education 

Ronald Marx 

Dean

College of Education

University of Arizona 

Private 

nonprofit 

institutions

David Prasse

Dean of the School of Education, 

Loyola University Chicago 

Mary Kay Delaney 

Head of Department of Education

Meredith College 

Private forprofit 

institutions

Meredith Curley 

Dean

College of Education University of 

Phoenix

Bonnie Copeland 

Vice President, Education and 

Regulation, Walden University 

Tribal 

Institutions

Cindy O’Dell 

Chair, Education Department; 

Instructor, Early Childhood and 

Elementary Education Salish Kootenai 

College 

Linda Sue Warner 

Special Assistant

President of Tribal Affairs Northeastern 

Oklahoma A&M College

HBCUs Leontye Lewis 

Dean of Education 

Fayetteville State University 

VerJanis Peoples 

Dean of Education 

Southern University of LA
HSIs Beverly Young

Assistant Vice Chancellor Academic 

Affairs 

California State University System 

Michael Morehead

Dean

College of Education

New Mexico State University

Operators of 

programs for 

alternative 

routes to 

teacher 

certification

Heather Harding

Vice President of Research and Public 

Affairs, Teach for America 

Diann Huber

President

iteachU.S. 

Accrediting 

agencies

Jim Cibulka

President

National Council for the Accreditation 

of Teacher Education and the Council 

for Accreditation of Education 

Preparation 

Frank Murray

H. Rodney Sharp Professor, University 

of Delaware; Chair of the Board of 

Directors of Teacher Education 

Accreditation Council and the Council 

for the Accreditation of Educator 

Preparation

Elementary 

and Secondary 

Students and 

Parents

Sarah Almy

Director of Teacher Quality, the

Education Trust 

Charmaine Mercer 

Director of Policy and Research 

Communities for Teaching Excellence 

School and LEA 

officials

Scott Thompson 

Director of Teacher Effectiveness 

Strategy

District of Columbia Public Schools

Thalia Nawi 

Director

Denver Teacher Residency

U.S. Department 

of Education

Sophia McArdle

B. The primary member will participate for the purpose of determining consensus. In the 

absence of the primary member, the alternate will participate for the purpose of determining 

consensus. Either the primary member or an alternate may speak during the negotiations. 

C. With approval by a consensus of the committee, individuals, including specialists, who are 

invited by a member, may participate in committee or subcommittee meetings as needed and 

appropriate, but are not members of the committee. 
D. The committee may add members. Requests for membership must be approved by a 

consensus of the committee under such conditions as the committee establishes at the time. 

New members may begin to participate immediately upon admission to membership. 

E. Subcommittees may be formed by the committee to address specified issues and to make 

recommendations to the committee. Subcommittees are not authorized to make decisions for 

the committee. Subcommittee meetings will be open to any member of the committee and 

may be held between the meetings of the committee. All committee members will be notified 

of all subcommittee meetings. 

F. Upon the initiation by any member and after consultation with the facilitators, the Secretary 

may remove a member he determines is not acting in good faith in accordance with 

paragraph VI B of these protocols. The Secretary will provide an explanation in writing to the 

committee. 

G. The Secretary may remove any member who ceases to be employed by or be associated with 

the community of interests the individual was chosen to represent. 

III. Decision Making 

The committee will operate by consensus, meaning that there must be no dissent by any primary 

member in order for the committee to be considered to have reached agreement. Thus, no 

member can be outvoted. Members should not block or withhold consensus unless they have 

serious reservations about the approach or solution that is proposed for consensus. Absence will 

be equivalent to not dissenting. All consensus agreements reached during the negotiations will be 

assumed to be tentative agreements until members of the committee reach final agreement on 

regulatory language. Once final consensus is achieved, committee members may not thereafter 

withdraw their consensus. 

IV. Agreement 

A. The goal of the committee is to develop proposed regulations that reflect a final consensus of 

the committee. If consensus is reached on the proposed regulations, the Department will 

provide a preamble, consistent with the proposed regulations, to the members of the 

committee for review and comment prior to publication of the proposed regulations. The 

Department is not required to adopt or respond to the committee members' comments on the 

preamble. 

B. If the committee reaches a final consensus on all issues, the Department will use this 

consensus-based language in its proposed regulations, and committee members and the 

organizations whom they represent will refrain from commenting negatively on the 

consensus-based regulatory language, except as provided in paragraph IV C. 

C. The Department will not alter the consensus-based language of its proposed regulations 

unless the Department reopens the negotiated rulemaking process or provides a written 

explanation to the committee members regarding why it has decided to depart from that 

language. That written explanation will contain a detailed statement of the reasons for 

altering the consensus-based language and will be provided to the committee members 

sufficiently in advance of the publication of the proposed regulations so as to allow them a 

real opportunity to express their concerns to the Secretary. If the Department alters 

consensus-based language, it also will identify the changes made subsequent to consensus in 
the preamble to the proposed regulations, and committee members may comment positively 

or negatively on those changes and on other parts of the proposed regulations.

V. Committee Meetings 

A. The facilitator(s) will maintain a clear and reliable record of tentative and final agreements 

reached during the negotiation process, as well as discussions of preamble language. The 

draft meeting summaries will be provided to members, who may share them with others 

within their community of interests. After review and approval by the committee, this record 

will be made available to the public. 

B. The Department will make every effort to distribute materials to committee members in a 

timely fashion. To the extent practicable, the Department will provide members with 

documents for discussion at committee meetings at least seven days in advance of the 

meetings. 

C. A caucus for the purpose of consultation may be requested of the facilitator(s) at any time by 

any member. 

D. The facilitator(s) will be responsible for developing an agenda for all meetings of the 

committee. This agenda will be developed in consultation with the members of the 

committee. 

E. All committee meetings, but not subcommittee meetings or caucuses, are open to the public. 

VI. Safeguards for Members 

A. Any member may withdraw from the negotiations at any time without prejudice, by notifying 

the facilitator(s) in writing. 

B. All members and the organizations they represent shall act in good faith in all aspects of 

these negotiations. 

C. Contact with the media, the investment community, and other organizations outside the 

community of interest represented by the member will generally be limited to discussion of 

the overall objectives and progress of the negotiations. Members will refrain from 

characterizing the views, motives, and interests of other members during contact with the 

media, the investment community, and other organizations outside the community of interest 

represented by the member. 

VII. Meeting Facilitation

A. The facilitator(s) will serve at the discretion of the committee, and will be responsible for 

helping to ensure that the process runs smoothly, developing meeting agendas, preparing and 

distributing a record of agreements, and helping the parties resolve their differences and 

achieve consensus on the issues to be addressed by the committee. 

B. The facilitator(s) will be available to facilitate all meetings of the full committee and, to the 

extent possible, subcommittee meetings and caucuses.

02/02/2012