September 2022 Teach Plus IL Newsblast No images? Click here From Teach Plus Illinois Dear Teachers, Over the last six weeks, Teach Plus Illinois has kicked off all of its programs this year - two policy fellowships which are statewide, two instructional leadership fellowships in Chicago, and a brand-new fellowship for facilitators of affinity groups for educators of color. In total, we’re supporting over 140 teacher leaders across the state this year. One of the fellowships has already launched a powerful kickoff to its fall campaign to create Racism-Free Schools. Policy Fellow and Illinois Teacher of the Year Kim Radostits began with a powerful message to remind us why we need this bill. Bill sponsors Representative Maurice West and Senator Laura Murphy also spoke about why this work matters and how supporters can help advance the bill. If you weren't able to attend, you can watch the full recording here. As the kickoff came to a close, participants were asked to take three key actions in support of the bill, and it's not too late! It takes less than 5 minutes to complete all three, and we hope you will act now to support this bill and protect students and teachers. Once you've completed that step, please share the action page with your networks (personal invitations work best!) and on social media. As our sponsors told us at the event, building support among our networks is how we make change happen quickly. Best wishes to you as you are settling into routines with your students. I hope one of your personal routines is to read this newsblast, take advantage of the opportunities we share, and to support the Racism-Free Schools campaign. Warmly, Representative Maurice West (D-Rockford), speaking at the kickoff of this fall’s Racism-Free Schools campaign on September 1, 2022. Illinois K-12 and Early Childhood Educator Policy Fellowships Kickoff! We were thrilled to bring together both cohorts for this year's K-12 Policy Fellows and Early Childhood Educator Fellows at our recent Kickoff! Fellows fostered connections with one another and cultivated meaningful discussions around advocacy and policy topics such as Recruitment and Retention of Teachers of Color, Pathways to Higher Education, and the Importance of Play in Kindergarten. To learn more about the K-12 Policy Fellowship, click here. To learn more about the Early Childhood Educator Policy Fellowship, click here. Teach Plus Illinois K-12 Policy Fellowship 2022-23 Cohort Teach Plus Illinois Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Policy Fellowship 2022-23 Cohort Fellow Highlights Illinois ECE Policy Senior Fellow Alum and 2022-23 Teach Plus Senior Writing Fellow Margi Bhansali Featured in Chicago Tribune "This school year, each classroom at my school was given $5,500 in books and materials to support literacy instruction. In addition, the district twice provided each child a take-home packet of five diverse books that reflect the students’ identities and personal experiences. We had so many extra packets that staff and community members were encouraged to take books home. Colleagues of mine from other schools in the same district did not get the additional funding or free books for their students. Why were the resources not more equitably distributed? Every child deserves to have books and adequate resources to learn and grow. It’s time we made all of the bookshelves the same, regardless of the ZIP code." (Margi Bhansali) Read Margi's full op-ed on the inequities in classroom funding here. Opportunities Center for Success for High Need Schools Webinars The Center for Success for High Need Schools is offering two upcoming webinars of interest to teacher leaders: September 16 (9:30am-11:00am) November 11 (10:00am-4:00pm) Application for the Illinois National Board First Time Candidate Fee Subsidy The Illinois State Board of Education is pleased to announce the $1,900 National Board Candidate Fee Subsidy application is now available for Illinois teachers and counselors wishing to pursue National Board Certification beginning the 2022-23 school year. Applications open on September 1st and are due October 11th. Additionally, many districts in the state of Illinois offer incentives for educators once they obtain certification. This video testimonial shares the experiences of Illinois National Board Certified Teachers while these narrated slides explain the certification process and subsidy. Questions? Please email Jennifer Smith, NBCT at jsmit31@ilstu.edu. Computer Science for Every Learner (CSEL) Teacher Application
Computer Science for Every Learner, a new initiative at The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning, is conducting a professional learning program for motivated educators from underserved schools with large populations of linguistically and culturally diverse students. This partnership with Code.org, responds to today’s need to elevate the level of CS education in the classrooms. K-12 teachers will be grouped in cohorts for elementary school teachers (K-5), middle school (6 to 8) and high school (9-12). Instruction will be provided mostly after school, on weekends and during summer periods so that it does not interfere with classroom time, and will include:
Future Teacher Conference for High School Students The Illinois State University College of Education will host the Future Teacher Conference on Friday, October 21. This event is free and open to all high school students who are considering a career in education. This conference informs and inspires students about the process of becoming a teacher, and what to expect after graduation as they enter the classroom. This free event will include a dynamic opening session and a variety of sessions for students to choose from about timely topics in teaching, plus student panels featuring current education students. All high school students need to attend with a school chaperone. If you are school personnel and would like the registration link for your school, please contact Kelli Appel at ksappel@ilstu.edu. Register for the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is hosting its annual conference in Washington DC from November 16-19. Our very own Early Childhood Education Policy Fellows, Erean Mei, Alli Bizon, and Will Murzyn, as well as our Early Childhood Education Policy Manager, Sinthu Ramalingam, will lead a presentation on Play-Based Instruction on Kindergarten Classrooms! The 2022 NAEYC Annual Conference will bring together early childhood educators from around the globe to connect, collaborate, and learn. Teachers, program administrators, students, and researchers can choose from sessions and exhibits to explore the latest trends and research in the early childhood field. View the 2022 Session Topics here. For questions about Membership, please call NAEYC’s Member Services at 202-232-8777 or 800-424-2460, ext. 4 or send an email to membership@naeyc.org. Sign the 30 Days of Mental Health Pledge The Trauma Responsive Educational Practices (TREP) Project urges educators, parents, and caregivers across the country to take the pledge to engage in 30 Days of Mental Health at the start of the academic year. To learn more and sign the pledge, visit 30DaysOfMentalHealth.org, and receive a pledge poster to show your 30 Days of Mental Health commitment and also receive daily lessons, tips, and tools to help you talk with children and youth about mental health and mental illness. Learn more here. Good Reads How do we talk to our children about gun violence? As a teacher, I know that not enough has been done to keep our children and our schools safe. As a parent, I must continue to talk to my child about these realities, in the hope that her generation will fix the problem and that she can stay alive if a shooter enters her school." (Gina Caneva, Illinois Policy Fellow Alum) Read the full article here. Chicago educators create new lessons on Asian American history, nuclear power The TEAACH law leaves it up to districts to decide exactly what to teach and how much time to devote to the subject. For the teachers at NTA preparing to tackle questions of nuclear power with their students, the new legislation only reinforced their sense of purpose. “We want to support students to feel like activists, changemakers, and leaders,” Teach Plus Illinois Alum Jessica Kibblewhite said." (Mila Koumpilova) Read the full article here. As Evidence Based Funding formula turns 5, IL lawmakers reflect on historic legislation "Five years ago this month, Illinois lawmakers passed legislation that overhauled the way public schools in the state are funded. The so-called Evidence Based Funding formula, or EBF, was designed to calculate the actual cost for each district to provide the kind of education the state expects, and then gradually increase the share of that cost that’s paid for by the state. Five years later, huge disparities still exist among districts, both in funding and academic performance, but lawmakers from both parties who were part of negotiating the new law say it has provided huge benefits, especially to those schools that were most underfunded." (Peter Hancock) Read the full article here. |