No images? Click here From Teach Plus Illinois Dear Educators, Greetings, and happy spring! After about five years in the classroom, I finally felt like I understood the basics of connecting with students, planning lessons, facilitating instruction and assessing progress. I was ready for something more, for an opportunity to grow, but nothing was available. That’s one of the reasons why I was drawn to Teach Plus, which provides teachers the opportunity to continue working with their students while also growing in their leadership and impacting students on a different level. Perhaps you are feeling that same drive. If so, one of the following opportunities, all of which have deadlines over the next month, could be right for you:
I hope you take the time to read about these opportunities and consider if they are the right next step for you. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, and more detail about the programs is available below or by following the links. Warm regards, Fellow Highlights IL ECE Senior Policy Fellow Katie Viernum Published in Chalkbeat "I fell in love with teaching while working as an assistant educator at a preschool 16 years ago. I had not studied education, so I enrolled in an alternative certification program specifically designed for people who were already working in education. There were many advantages: evening classes, minimum tuition, and, most importantly, no need to quit my job. My classroom, where I planned to continue teaching after student teaching, even counted toward my student teaching requirement. That program made a teaching license and a master’s degree accessible. My coworker Liv, meanwhile, has yet to earn her license. When she started as an assistant teacher in my classroom nearly five years ago, she was nearing the end of her teacher preparation program with only the student teaching requirement to complete. To this day, her student teaching has remained beyond reach. Liv’s situation is not unique. While many other professions have shifted to paid internships or apprenticeships, student teaching continues to be largely unpaid. Many teacher preparation programs that prohibit paid student teaching offer no explanation for the practice; others justify it by saying that the requirement is part of the learning experience." Read the full article here. Teach Plus IL Affinity Group Facilitators Present at The Be Collective Conference The Be Collective (five affinity group facilitators from five different districts have come together in a collective) was featured in the Illinois State Board of Education's weekly message. For their 2nd Annual Conference, they brought together their district's affinity group members and district leaders to engage in a day of learning and celebration of the affinity groups and the work they’ve engaged in throughout the year. The theme for this year’s Be Collective Conference was VOICE. Educators of color had the opportunity to share their voices and experiences. Educators and administrators also had the opportunity to hear directly from students about their school experiences as students of color. Students shared their perspectives on what educators and administrators could do to improve and support their learning experience and sense of belonging in school. During their conference presentation, they shared about the need for affinity groups, how the Illinois State Board of Education and Teach Plus support affinity groups across the state of Illinois, how to analyze district ecosystems, how to use data to leverage the need for affinity groups, discussed the nuts and bolts to successfully start and run an affinity group, and closed their session by discussing the healing and support affinity groups offers and how it helps Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) educators thrive. Teach Plus IL Attends Keynote with Dr. Gholdy Muhammad Pictured, from left to right (2023-24 Chicago Equity Change Agent, Dr. Melina Lesus, Crystal Jameau, Teach Plus IL Education Leadership Coach, Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, keynote speaker and Principal W. Terrell Burgess, 2023-24 Chicago Principal Change Agent. Not Pictured: Josh Kaufmann, Teach Plus IL Executive Director) Teach Plus IL attends keynote with Dr. Gholdy Muhammad! 2023-24 Chicago Change Agent, Dr. Melina Lesus is an instructional coach at George Westinghouse College Preparatory, a CPS high school on Chicago’s near west side. Together with her principal, Mr. W. Burgess, who is also a 2023-24 Chicago Principal Change Agent, Dr. Lesus has constructed a change project around Dr. Gholdy Muhammad’s equity framework, adapted from her book, “Cultivating Genius.” She has worked tirelessly to build that framework into the fabric of the school by building strategic goals and professional development that positively impacts student learning. It was her vision to bring Dr. Muhammad to the the school to speak to its faculty members. On Monday, April 1st, Dr. Muhammad gave an incredible keynote address and shared powerful insights and examples about what equity in education looks like in practice. Melina invited both Crystal Jameau, her coach and Josh Kaufmann, Teach Plus IL executive director to come and hear the presentation! Opportunities Application Deadlines Extended for Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellowships and Chicago Change Agent! Teach Plus Illinois is thrilled to announce four different fellowships for educators this fall:
Teach Plus Illinois’ programs are highly selective leadership opportunities for outstanding teachers looking to expand their influence without leaving the classroom. They span the 2024-25 school year and offer selected teachers a generous stipend for their time and effort. The Change Agent Fellowship supports Chicago teachers who see a problem they want to address at their school, the Policy Fellowships are for teachers throughout Illinois who want to advocate for policy change on behalf of their students, and the Affinity Group Fellowship is for teachers who want to facilitate supportive environments for teachers of color. Grow as a teacher leader by exploring one of these four opportunities! For all programs, Teach Plus Illinois is seeking cohorts of excellent teachers who reflect the cultural, linguistic, and geographic diversity of our students. Additionally, applicants:
Apply today to be a Policy Fellow, Change Agent, or Affinity Group Facilitator! For more information on any of the four, please contact Kimberly Nguyen at knguyen@teachplus.org. Register for our Virtual LGBTQ+ BIPOC Affinity GroupThe Illinois Affinity Group Network seeks 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, will support educators in navigating and improving their school environments and will be connected to a larger network to build alliances and address systemic issues. This group will be held completely through an online forum via Zoom/Google Meet. Meetings will be held on the third Thursday of every month @ 5:30pm-6:30pm:
If you are interested in joining a virtual LGBTQ+ and BIPOC affinity group, please click here. Register for EBF Advocacy DayRegistration is now open for parents, teachers, students, school leaders and more to rally in Springfield in support of increased investments in the Evidence-based Funding (EBF) formula to ensure every K-12 student can access a high-quality education. Learn more about EBF Advocacy Day 2024 and sign up today! North Central College Offering Online Professional Development Courses for EducatorsNorth Central College is offering quality online professional development courses for educators. Learning Behavior Specialist I endorsement coursework can be completed this summer. A cohort for educators interested in a Trauma Informed Practices Certificate will launch in the fall. Click on the highlighted links or contact Marsha Webster for more information: mbwebster@noctrl.edu, 630-637-5842. ISBE Civic Engagement Toolkit for High Schoolers:The Illinois State Board of Education has created a series of civic engagement guides for high schoolers. From instructions on voting to local government involvement, they cover various topics essential to understanding how to participate in democracy. They are a great resource to share with students and fellow teachers. Register for SELCON 2024 - "Mindful Connections: Nurturing SEL in School Communities"SELCON 2024, co-sponsored by the Wolcott College Prep Tyree Institute, the Illinois P-20 Network, and SEL4IL, is an opportunity for educators to collaborate and learn together about how we integrate social and emotional learning (SEL) into ourselves, our students, our classrooms, and our school communities. Small breakout session workshops on a broad range of SEL topics will provide you with tangible resources and ideas to apply immediately. Compelling speakers will energize you and provide important guidance to integrating SEL into our daily lives. We also build a community of learners among participants who support each other and come back year after year. This intimate, local conference is a perfect way to dig into the essential topic of social and emotional learning. Cost – $299 per person; Parking – Some parking is available at the Wolcott Arts and Athletics Center (1950 W Hubbard Street) as well as street parking where allowed. Apply for The Summer Education WorkshopThe Institute for Research on Race & Public Policy (IRRPP) invites educators to an in-person, 4-day workshop from June 10th to the 13th. The Summer Education Workshop (SEW) is for educators broadly defined including K-12 teachers, community-based organization educators, and early childhood educators interested in advancing racial justice in their classrooms, schools, and organizations. CPDUs are available. If your organization, school, education space, or school district does not cover professional development costs, educators may be able to use our scholarship funds to offset the cost of attendance. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Find out more, including how to apply here. Chalkbeat Survey for Chicago ParentsChalkbeat is running an open survey asking Chicago parents, teachers, community members, and students what questions they have ahead of the upcoming school board elections. They will aim to answer questions through our reporting as we follow campaigns and elections this year.
Interviewing Teachers on Technology in ClassroomsShare your views about technology in classrooms! One of our alumni, Adelaida Jiyun Kim, is a master's student studying Learning Technology Experience Design at NYU. Her research is about using technology to enhance student learning. She’s looking to interview teachers about their experience with technology in classrooms. If you are interested, she would like to schedule a 30-minute chat to hear about your expertise. |