No images? Click here Teach Plus Illinois Honors Black History Month Teach Plus Illinois recognizes the continuous efforts, accomplishments and contributions from Black educators, leaders and allies. We appreciate those that continue to push for equity, foster students' successes, and be outstanding pillars for the community. Thank you! From Teach Plus Illinois Dear Educators, Warm regards, Fellow Highlights IL Policy Fellow Sarah Said Published in Confianza "Over the last few weeks, I have valued my sleep more than ever, then have felt a guilt for being able to sleep a full night. I am a Palestinian-American Educator who is very visible in this profession nationally and internationally. I am exhausted from all of the “asks” of people. It takes me back to the beginning of my career, when I was one of the few Arab and Muslim American educators in my area. Gratefully, now there are more educators who look like me in the profession. But as the Middle East crisis continues and Palestinians struggle, more people have “asks” of me. Even answering multiple well-meaning text messages is hard. I understand that I am one of many voices for Palestinian educators, but there needs to be a balance of what we ask of me and other educators of color when it comes to needs in our schools and professional learning networks. Right now, I may sound insensitive for not wanting to do this work. But really, I’d like to spend my time grieving with my community and family. There is a lot happening in the Palestinian, Arab and Muslim American community and we need to heal together. Some of us, including myself, just want this space. The term 'invisible tax' is not a new term. It’s commonly used amongst marginalized educators for the tax that we feel for extra responsibilities that are not in the scope of our jobs, but land on us because of our identity in the workplace." Read the full article here. IL Policy Fellow Roseana Dominguez Published in IL Latino News "'You make me feel at home,' read a little post-it note, placed right at the center of the whiteboard in my classroom. I knew that for Elena, one of the English language learners in my 3rd grade classroom, home meant more than a roof over her head; it transcended borders between the United States and Mexico. Spanish was the only language Elena spoke at home and every word reminded her of love, comfort, and connection. Home was a place for authenticity where Elena could be herself and vulnerable. Just last week, Elena’s general education teacher reached out to me concerned that she had not spoken many words. But in my small group setting, that same week, I heard her voice soar during a 'If you only knew' portrait activity I had planned. Elena had drawn a beautiful picture that revealed details about her world. She sketched the U.S and Mexican flag enveloping a sad face, echoing the silent struggle of being away from her family, culture, and language. Elena’s voice, once a murmur, echoed loudly allowing me to connect with the depths of her experiences." Read the full article here. Chicago Change Agent Alum Larue Fitch Publishes Series 3 of Breaking The Education Code: The Future Of Education Is Rooted In Project Based Learning "Drawing on my personal and professional experiences, my commitment to promoting PBL has been fueled by a passion for empowering Black and Brown communities. From my early years, I embraced PBL as a means of expressing my knowledge through various mediums, making the material more accessible and fostering connections to real-world experiences that continue to resonate with me today. Now, I channel my passion into coaching, developing, and mobilizing communities of color through PBL. As a researcher, I have crafted a framework aligning educational content with the cultural needs of Black and Brown students, viewing the process through an equitable lens." (Larue Fitch). Illinois Affinity Group Network Mid-Year Convening 2024 Pictured: The Illinois Affinity Group Facilitators 2023-24 Network. Jennifer Rowe a senior facilitator pictured center, led professional development focused on Gholdy Muhammad's new book, Unearthing Joy: A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction The Illinois Affinity Group Network Facilitators braved the cold weather and winter elements over the MLK weekend joining together for a second time this school year to build our sacred community within the Affinity Group Network. During the collaborative time in community together facilitators learned about action and advocacy within their work, the power of culturally responsive teaching practices situated in the Five Educational Pursuits that help to cultivate the genius that is present in each of our students; learned of the practice of Unearthing Joy in our educational spaces to honor and celebrate each student and bring them and their cultures into our classrooms. The Five Pursuits remind us that: Teaching and Learning must be rooted in and also responsive to the Histories, Identities, Literacies, and Liberation of our children and the social world. Facilitators closed their time together by sharing what was staying with them in their hearts and minds as they left: feelings of invigoration, inspiration, warmth and care from the group, encouragement, connection, gratitude, appreciation of the opportunity to reset, activated to take action, and taking back new knowledge to apply to their classrooms and their affinity groups. IL ILSTOY Policy Fellowship Alumna Named President-elect of Illinois Science Teaching Association "Hononegah Community High School teacher Mrs. Maggie Moore is a friendly and familiar face in both the school and in the community. She has been a science teacher at HCHS since 2007 where she teaches anatomy and honors biology. She has now expanded her impact as the president-elect of the Illinois Science Teaching Association. Being an ISTA Executive Officer is a six-year commitment. Mrs. Moore will serve two years as president-elect, then two years as president of the organization, followed by two years as immediate past president." (Marianne Mueller, Rockton-Roscoe News). Read the full article here. Teach Plus IL Highlights Teach Plus IL Leadership Coach Crystal Jameau and Teach Plus IL Program Director and Leadership Coach Euna Bae Speak at Convening Hosted by The Fry Foundation Last week, Teach Plus IL Leadership Coach Crystal Jameau and Teach Plus IL Program Director and Leadership Coach Euna Bae spoke at a convening hosted by the Fry Foundation about the use of student experience data to drive instruction and school improvement. Euna spoke about the use of Cultivate and Perts data as part of the Plan/Do/Study/Act cycles in our Chicago-based Network for School Improvement. Crystal spoke about an Equity Change Agent project that was sparked by data from CPS' Cultivate Survey, and has now expanded to include additional student experience data from an equity survey and forthcoming empathy interviews. Opportunities Applications for all Teach Plus Illinois Programs are Open! 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 Fellow, Change Agent, or Facilitator! For more information on any of the four, please contact Kimberly Nguyen at knguyen@teachplus.org. Teach Plus Illinois Alumni Opportunity: Share Your Journey!When did you first see yourself as a leader? How would you describe your journey as an educational leader? What about your journey would be important for policymakers to know? We know that the teaching profession generally, and school leadership in particular, needs to be more representative of our diverse Illinois students and communities. While there are already a number of initiatives aimed at recruiting and mentoring a more diverse pool of administrators, a school leader's journey begins much earlier. Teach Plus is working to build a stronger and more diverse pipeline to leadership by emphasizing the first steps teachers take toward leadership. You are invited to participate in a Teach Plus research project to better understand teachers' leadership journeys. The results of our study will be included in a public report and shared with the Illinois State Board of Education to make recommendations about how we can better promote more equitable teacher leadership development and opportunities in Illinois. If you are interested in having your voice be heard, please fill out this Google form and we will follow up with an invitation. We are gathering stakeholder input through focus groups beginning February 8 that will take place on Zoom and last approximately 60 minutes. Current teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators who previously taught are all invited to participate. To ensure we have a representative sample, we are particularly interested in hearing from men and from educators of color. Please reach out to bcurtin@teachplus.org if you have any questions. 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. Communication for Fierce Advocacy: EdTrust Webinar Training Series for Educators of ColorThe Education Trust is hosting a series of monthly “Communications for Fierce Advocacy” trainings aimed to connect educators of color with communications experts to build and amplify teachers’ advocacy voice through various mediums and communications outlets. The next training will be held on Monday, February 26 from 5-6pm CT and is called, “Crafting Effective Messaging to Reach Your Target Audience.” Whether speaking to policymakers, reporters, or district leaders, knowing your audience is essential when crafting and relaying your message. Teachers can influence and move people to action when they communicate their message clearly and with urgency. In this session, advocates will learn the elements of what creates an effective message, ways to relay this message to a target audience, and leave with their own advocacy action plan. Educators can register here. Teaching Fractions Toolkit Partnership to Support Evidence-Based Instruction in Grade 6Is your middle school looking to improve math learning? Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest invites you to join the Teaching Fractions Toolkit (TFT) Partnership for the 2024-25 school year. Districts who participate in the TFT Partnership will gain access to cutting-edge, research-based professional development resources, provided at no cost to grade 6 math teachers. This opportunity is for school districts and educators in the REL Midwest region (Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin) seeking to enhance the fraction instruction and math education experience for their grade 6 students. Interested in learning more? Contact Jennifer Anthony (janthony@air.org) or fill in the interest form here. Voting Engagement Guide for Illinois Teens In collaboration with Girl to Girls Stories, an organization led by Chicago high school students, She Votes Illinois is thrilled to introduce their downloadable voting guide pamphlet, tailored just for teens in Illinois. This collaborative project with Girls To Girls Stories aims to empower young minds with the knowledge and tools they need to understand and actively participate in the electoral process. Key features of the pamphlet include:
We encourage you to share this resource with your students! If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to reach out to Maureen Keane shevotesil@gmail.com. Teach Plus Five Pillars of Reading SurveyTeach Plus is conducting new research on early literacy and the five pillars of reading. Our research will explore how well teachers know and use the five pillars of reading to help students learn, how they learned and continue to learn about the five pillars of reading, and how they use the five pillars of reading or other strategies to help English learners learn to read. If you are a Pre-K-5 general education teacher, Pre-K-8 reading specialist, Pre-K-8 English learning teacher, or Pre-K-8 special education teacher, please click here to take the 15-20 minute survey. The survey will ask you about your awareness, professional learning opportunities, and instructional strategies regarding the five pillars of reading. If you are not a teacher in those grades or subject areas, feel free to share this survey with your colleagues! Illinois Teacher Leadership Summit Have a 'Problem of Practice' or a new initiative your school or organization is working on? Bring a team of 5 to the Illinois Teacher Leadership Summit. Your team will be partnered with a Critical Friend, an expert in your problem area, and you will walk away with an action plan. The Illinois Teacher Leadership Summit is a great opportunity for teams to develop an action plan to implement ideas and innovations in their schools, districts, and/or education-focused organization. Participants are guided by the expertise of a network of fellow educators across the state. At this Summit, we will be combining the best elements of several organizations. Educators work to collaborate, problem-solve, develop, and scale ideas and innovations through action plans, putting their own expertise into action. We attract exceptional educators from across the state to use teacher leadership as a vehicle to change the face of education. It is a unique opportunity for teachers to spotlight groundbreaking teacher-led work happening across the state of Illinois. To learn more, click here. To register for the Summit, click here. Good Reads Illinois Board of Education asks for an additional $653 million for state education budget next year"The Illinois State Board of Education is proposing a $653 million increase to the state’s education budget, bringing the overall budget for next school year to $11 billion. The proposal — less than what advocates pushed for during hearings in the fall — is ultimately voted on by state lawmakers. The state board unanimously approved the budget proposal — Tony Sanders’ first as state superintendent — at its board meeting on Wednesday. Sanders’ recommendation includes an increase of $350 million for the state’s evidence-based funding formula for K-12 public schools, which distributes state money to under-resourced schools that serve a majority of students from low-income households, English learners, and students with disabilities. His proposal also asks for an additional $75 million increase for the state’s early childhood block grant." (Samantha Smylie, Chalkbeat Chicago). Read the full article here. White Teachers Grapple With Race Relations Regardless of School Demographics"White workers' emotions about race and reactions to racial differences in the workplace are triggered by identity threat-induced culture shock, researchers suggest in a new study. White teachers who worked at a school where the faculty was majority Black felt shocked, rejected, uncomfortable and anxious when racial discussions arose and their racial or professional identities were challenged, the researchers found. When triggered by feeling different - regardless of whether they were a racial minority or majority in their workplace -white teachers responded by practicing social avoidance, shunning intergroup relations and ducking conversations about race. 'Most of the white teachers in our sample hailed from racially segregated social worlds - attending predominantly white high schools and universities' that left them unprepared to handle race relations in their workplace, said first author Jennifer L. Nelson, a professor of education policy, organization and leadership at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who co-wrote the study with Tiffany D. Johnson, a business professor at Georgia Institute of Technology." (University of Illinois, Mirage News) Read the full article here. |