November 2021 IL Newsblast No images? Click here Teach Plus Phoenix Project: Building an Equitable Educational System Beyond the PandemicThe Phoenix Project is based on the input from 175 educators across 30 states who used the design thinking process to shape the vision for and solutions to transform the education ecosystem. The report lays out concrete recommendations in four key, interconnected areas:
To create greater diversity in the teaching profession, educational leaders must address the important questions of what affirming school conditions look like and what they can do to create those conditions, particularly for Black teachers. Download the full report here! From Teach Plus Illinois Dear Teachers, I’m writing to you today about a serious topic -- racism that is happening daily in our schools in Illinois. One recent study shows that students of color experienced more than 5 racist incidents every day. To offer just a few examples of what this can look like:
A group of Teach Plus Policy Fellows has developed a proposal to address this problem (and an easy-to-read graphic one-pager). Just as every school has a sexual harassment policy, every school in Illinois should be required to have a racial harassment policy in place that offers specific protections to victims. This policy would create definitions and examples of racial harassment, outline reporting procedures that empower victims and protect them from retaliation, establish consequences for violations grounded in repairing the harm done, and provide training so students, faculty and staff know what isn’t acceptable. The policy fellows have legislative sponsors who are planning to introduce this as a bill in spring 2022. To get that bill passed, we will need your help. Over the coming months, we’ll have a variety of opportunities for you to speak up about this issue. If you’re interested in helping in any way, please visit RacismFreeSchools.org to learn more and to sign on as a supporter, and we’ll follow up in the coming weeks with opportunities to get involved. Together, let’s make #RacismFreeSchools. Warmly, Josh Kaufmann Senior Executive Director The Practice Corner There’s no getting around it - this year is hard. The ongoing pandemic, staff shortages, charged political environment, and shifts in practice required to meet the needs of students are taking their toll on teachers everywhere. Some of these things are within our control to address, but many are not. So what can teachers do? When the causes of stress are outside your control, one of the best things you can do is build your own resilience, which comes from affirming your own worth and building supportive connections with others. Over the past month, our Chicago Change Agents and Policy Fellows leveraged empathy and affirmation circles to do just that. In small groups, participants shared frustrations, concerns, or stressors as others listened. Then those listeners responded by reflecting back the strengths revealed as others shared. Participants said this exercise was “inspiring, motivating and effective,” and told us that they physically felt like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Many have already used it in their own schools. The reason this activity is so powerful is that it goes beyond “venting,” which lots of people seem to think is therapeutic but which really just works to “perpetuate problems...by reinforcing negative responses.” Instead of reinforcing negative feelings, participants in affirmation circles respond to frustration with positivity - not the toxic positivity rooted in denial of a problem, but the affirming kind that recognizes your core strengths and builds bonds of understanding. The benefits of this practice extend beyond a structured activity - teachers “vent” all the time, and you don't have to be in a circle to affirm them. Imagine your potential as a leader to make those around you feel valued and understand their worth with such a simple leadership move. Shifting your response from agreement that the situation is rough to an affirmation of their strength could go a long way toward being the marigold someone needs. None of us can wave a magic wand and make all of the challenges we face disappear. But we can face them with greater strength when we are reminded of who we are at our best, and build trusting relationships with others so that we can face them together. -Bill Curtin Illinois Policy Manager and Teacher Leadership Coach OpportunitiesUpcoming Scholarship Opportunity for Early Childhood Educators! Members of the early childhood education workforce who are seeking credentials and/or a degree in early childhood education may be eligible for the new Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) Scholarship Program, launching this fall. Program information, eligibility details, and an online application will be available soon via the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. If you’d like to be considered, you do not need to wait for the ECACE Scholarship Application to be available to get started. In addition to the ECACE Scholarship Application, applicants will be required to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), or FAFSA at fafsa.gov for the same academic year that they are applying for the scholarship. To see the entire list of eligibility requirements, please click here for more information! Application launch is anticipated for this month! Opportunity from North Central College! Through the generosity of the Kern Family Foundation, North Central College, in Naperville, IL has developed Cultures of Character Initiatives aimed at offering distinctive classroom, experiential learning, and professional development opportunities to prepare practitioners and administrators to lead cultures of character in PK-12 schools. These include:
Please contact Marsha Webster, Character Initiatives Outreach and Recruitment Coordinator or visit here, to learn more. Contact info: mbwebster@noctrl.edu | 630-637-5842 All Early Childhood Educators: Join ISBE and the McCormick Foundation for a Fireside Chat!
This special KIDS fireside chat will focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in kindergarten. Joining the chat will be Dr. Patrick Rice, Clinical Assistant Professor for the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois and Grace Lin, Caldecott Honor award-winning children's book author and diversity advocate. This virtual event will take place after school on December 2 from 4-7 pm. A variety of formats will be used to take advantage of our virtual environment, including: time for reflection and small group discussion, two amazing keynotes, classroom giveaways, and more! Register here to attend, today! From Advance Illinois: Opportunity for Illinois Educators! Advance Illinois is seeking accomplished, innovative, and passionate educators who have made a significant impact in the lives of students, peers, and/or their community to join the 2021-2023 cohort of the Educator Advisory Council. The Council gathers on a regular basis to build an understanding of the education policy landscape in Illinois, share the vital perspective of educators to inform Advance Illinois’ education policy agenda and statewide policy broadly, and build members’ leadership in advocating for issues that advance educational equity statewide. Read more about the Educator Advisory Council and Advance Illinois. Nominate an Educator! If you know outstanding educators that would be great candidates, please let us know by nominating them! As one of our partners in this work, we value your input. Click to apply for the 2021-2023 Educator Advisory Council Cohort. Deadline to apply is December 6 Great Book Resource for All Primary Teachers! Former teacher and past Illinois Education Association president, Cinda Klickna, has written "Out of the Beaks of Birds: Our Crazy, Pesky...Verbs." Geared for children ages 2-8, plus ESL learners of any age, the book uses five varieties of birds to teach irregular verbs. Different birds are used in stories; each story focuses on a certain verb. The verb tenses are printed in the color of the bird in the story. Photos of the birds along with facts and web links are included. The book reinforces the use of language and is being used by many teachers. See more at cindaklicknabooks.com. Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. For group pricing, contact Cinda directly at cindaklicknabooks@gmail.com. Good Reads Teach Plus IL Senior 2021-2022 Early Childhood Education Fellow Megan Hillegasse published an op-ed "Times are Tough. Asking Teachers to Get Tougher Isn't the Answer" and focuses on how all can help transform education as parents, teachers and students can continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic. "With the return of in-person learning this fall, we are spending our days navigating a system full of guidelines and safety precautions that are changing on a daily basis. I am working desperately to support children who have not interacted with society in the past one and a half years; my pre-K students have spent half of their lives in quarantine. And while students need more support than ever, we have fewer resources. If I am already feeling as if I have nothing left to give my students, how will I feel eight months from now?" Read the full op-ed here. ILSTOY Teaching Policy Fellow alum and current Illinois State Teacher of the Year, Justin Johnson shares how his teaching of music in a pandemic has helped him to transform and reimagine learning for his valued students. "In a typical school year, Justin’s students perform in five concerts and have opportunities to showcase their talent at special events like performing in New Orleans or at Disney Springs in Orlando. In 2020, it was heartbreaking for them to have been preparing for a concert performance only to see it canceled five days before they were scheduled to perform.The cancellation reinforced what Justin has always believed in: You can’t take music for granted." Read the rest of this article here...by Kathy Pierre, Senior National Coordinator of Communications and Media, Teach Plus. Teach Plus IL in the News Teach Plus celebrates 2019-2020 ILSTOY Policy Fellow and 2020 Illinois Teacher of the Year, Eric Combs for the release of his published book, "Thoughts From a Beginning Band Director: Tips and reflections on teaching beginner band students."The book , which was listed as the number one new release on Amazon, can be located for purchase here. Congratulations, Eric! Teach Plus congratulates 2021-2022 Illinois Teaching Policy Fellow Patricia Hernandez on being selected to join the Illinois State Board of Education's Multilingual Department. This team will be meeting to discuss the Illinois adoption of the English Language Development Standards Framework, pro implementation in the 2022-2023 school year! Congratulations, Patricia! 2021-2022 Teaching Policy Fellowship Senior Fellow Briana Morales was featured in theSTL, a local magazine, for her amazing contributions to her local high school English class. Briana has a hygiene and food supply closet running out of her classroom. "Every year I make hygiene kits for my students complete with essentials like shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste and toothbrush, and other necessities. My neighbors and local Buy Nothing community have joined me in this endeavor to make sure our young people have the supplies they need to flourish." If you or someone you know would like to donate towards things her students have wished for, please visit here. Congratulations to the 2021-2022 Teaching Policy Fellowship EL working group on getting the opportunity to meet with Joanne Clyde and Edwin Sanchez Molina, from ISBE! Pictured: 2021-2022 Senior Policy Fellow Lisa Thyer, 2021-2022 Policy Fellows Patricia Hernandez and Kim Tate, and staff, Lisset Rosales, Illinois Teacher Leadership Coach, and Joshua Kaufmann, Senior Executive Director. Alumni Spotlight Teach Plus Illinois congratulates 2020-2021 ILSTOY Policy Fellow Precious Allen, on being named as one of two finalists for the Illinois Network of Charter Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year! Congratulations, Precious! Teach Plus Illinois celebrates the work of the 2020-2021 Recruiting and Retaining Teachers of Color, and is pleased to share a photo from their first ever chance to meet in person! We applaud you, alumni! Pictured: 2020-2021 Senior Fellow Lisset Rosales, Fellows Daniel Jackson, Jeanette Delgado, Jay Mehta, Irene Post, and Shawnita Tyus. (Not pictured: Erica Abangan) If you are an alum of any of our Teacher Leadership programs (K-12 Policy Fellowship, ECE Policy Fellowship, Change Agent Fellowship, or partnered school) please share your good news with us. Promotions, and other celebrations of note may be emailed to cjameau@teachplus.org. |