Prescott College’s Education Department had a busy spring, with faculty participation in statewide education conferences and a student completing field experience hours at her former high school, according to an update from the college.
Andrew L. Smith, director of Professional Preparation Programs, described the department’s activities in an update dated June 19. His account included discussions about artificial intelligence, rural schools, literacy, teacher recruitment and preparation.
### Conference discussions
In April, Smith attended the annual APEL conference in Phoenix. APEL, the Arizona Professors of Education Leadership, is aligned with the Arizona School Administrators organization and serves as a division for college faculty and leaders.
Conference presenters discussed how artificial intelligence could affect learning and school operations. Attendees and presenters represented Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University, Northern Arizona University and the Arizona Department of Education.
The conference also recognized Shaun Rose, a student in Prescott College’s Educational Leadership Master of Education program, as the institution’s outstanding student for the 2025–2026 academic year.
In June, Smith attended the Arizona School Administrators’ annual conference in Tucson. It brings together administrators from different areas of education across Arizona. Smith said he took part in meetings about advocacy and opportunities for rural schools, and spoke with vendors and colleagues about changes in assessment and literacy. Teacher recruitment and retention were also conference topics.
### Teacher preparation
Smith also presented at an Arizona Department of Education conference in Phoenix in June. His presentation addressed student-teacher practices he has used and refined during his time at Prescott College.
The presentation considered changes in the path into teaching, including the growing presence in schools of people who begin teaching before completing their training and degrees. Participants shared experiences from their student-teaching periods and observations of new teachers entering their schools.
The group discussed evaluation, preparation and other matters related to improving student-teacher preparation. The update did not specify the conference’s exact date or provide further details about the practices presented.
### Field experience at a former school
The college update also highlighted the field experience of Mia Montanez, a senior psychology major enrolled in one of Smith’s summer special education courses. To help her complete required field experience hours, Smith contacted Mike Morris, an adjunct faculty member in the college’s school counseling program, about a possible placement at Carl Hayden High School.
Morris had previously been Montanez’s guidance counselor at Carl Hayden and agreed to assist with the placement. The experience gave Montanez an opportunity to return to her former school in a different role: as an observer completing a college course requirement.
In an interview described in Smith’s update, Montanez reflected on changes she noticed in the school’s physical surroundings. She also said that her perspective had shifted. As a psychology student and young adult, she said she could better understand teachers’ reactions, including that they may have difficult days, compared with how she viewed those interactions as a high school student.
The account links faculty work in statewide professional settings with a student’s practical experience in a school. It also illustrates how a former student’s relationship with a school counselor helped connect her to a field placement. The college update did not provide additional details about the placement’s duration or the activities Montanez completed there.