Led by Teach Plus, the state-funded network supports over 600 educators annually to eliminate isolation and prevent attrition.
Springfield, IL, October 19, 2026—Teach Plus Affinity Group facilitators and participants successfully mobilized state lawmakers to renew funding for the Illinois Affinity Group Network, the nation’s only statewide support system dedicated to retaining teachers of color. The network maintains a 97% retention rate among its participants, outpacing the statewide retention rate for Black teachers by 12% and White teachers by 7%. In its first three years, the network has supported 1,773 educators across 111 Illinois districts, saving local school systems more than $2.2 million in recruitment and turnover costs.
“Over the past four years, the Illinois Affinity Group has supported over 2,000 educators, and 97% of participants remained educators. Many have not only remained educators, but developed their leadership skills so they could better help students and build up their schools and districts; a facilitator recently became superintendent of a district in central Illinois. The Illinois Affinity Group Network is able to improve retention and develop leadership by cultivating an interconnected network of wellness and support, reducing feelings of isolation and growing educators’ ability to network and collaborate,” said Teach Plus Illinois Senior Executive Director Josh Kaufmann.
The Illinois State Board of Education launched the Affinity Group Network in partnership with Teach Plus Illinois, which leads the selection and leadership development of the network’s facilitators. In the 2025-26 school year, the network supported over 500 educators across 52 districts, directly impacting an estimated 19,500 students.
“As a current facilitator, I recognize the genuine power of affinity groups to retain quality educators in our schools. We gather not only to support each other in making education a sustainable profession, but also to ideate, learn new strategies, and leverage the collective efficacy within our community to make teaching and learning joyful, efficient, and effective for all learners,” said Kim Tate, Teach Plus Illinois Affinity Group Network Facilitator, who is a bilingual K-5 instructional coach in Champaign Unit 4 School District.
Beyond boosting retention, the network has fostered a profound sense of community, with 100% of group facilitators and 91% of participants reporting a greater sense of belonging, while 93% reported increased professional and personal connections. The network also serves as a launchpad for local advocacy; 97% of participants state the network empowers them to share their voices and 89% feel motivated and prepared to take action.
To support the facilitators, who hold monthly meetings with educators in their local areas, the Teach Plus Illinois Affinity Group Network provides individual coaching alongside monthly cohort sessions focused on skill-building and policy advocacy. Each facilitator receives a stipend and implementation funding to directly combat burnout and support group activities.
“The impact has been undeniable. Educators who once felt isolated now feel connected. Educators who were questioning whether to stay are choosing to remain. And educators who needed support are now stepping into leadership and advocacy roles within the district,” said Teresa Dothard-Campbell, Teach Plus Illinois Affinity Group Network Facilitator alumnus, who is district coordinator of Family/Community Engagement & Out of School Programming in East Moline School District.
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: To act boldly and create the conditions where every student can imagine their future—and experience an education that delivers the opportunity to realize it. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. teachplus.org/il/
About Teach Plus Illinois Affinity Group Network
Its mission is to cultivate authentic, inclusive, intersectional spaces, shaped by and for educators of Color. These affirming and supportive spaces, rooted in an asset-based understanding of diversity, support educators in navigating and improving their school environments and are connected to a larger network to build alliances and address systemic issues impacting teacher retention.
