March 2023 Teach Plus IL Newsblast No images? Click here From Teach Plus Illinois Dear Teachers, I begin this month thrilled to share reasons to get excited, to advocate for change, and to have hope for the future of our profession.
Hope you are doing well and hanging in there until Spring Break! Warm regards, Fellow Highlights IL Policy Fellow and National Teacher of the Year Finalist Kim Radostits Featured in Education Week "Fifteen years ago, educators at Oregon Junior/Senior High School in northern Illinois realized something needed to change: Too many of their 9th graders were floundering academically and socially. Oregon’s principal at the time enlisted Kimberly Radostits, a Spanish teacher at the school, to help find a solution. She put together a small group of educators to pilot an after-school program where struggling freshmen students could receive support, guidance, and connection. In just a couple years, the school started to see indicators that the program—named Hawks Take Flight, after the school’s mascot—was working. The school’s on-time graduation rate was increasing, and student attendance had improved. 'Many of those students didn’t really need homework help,' said Radostits, who is now the Illinois Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the national award. 'What they needed was just an adult who believed in them.'" (Madeline Will, Education Week) Read the full article here. IL ECE Policy Fellow Treasa Howard Collins Delivers Testimony at Illinois House Elementary & Secondary Education Appropriations Committee IL ECE Policy Fellow Treasa Howard Collins recently testified in front of the Illinois House Elementary & Secondary Education Appropriations Committee on behalf of Governor Pritzker's Budget Proposal Early Childhood Block Grant Increase. IL Affinity Group Facilitators Chanice Artis and Italy Wallace Featured in ISBE Podcast ISBE recently made a podcast episode titled, "We Love Illinois Schools, A Space To Relate: Affinity Groups For Educators Of Color". The episode featured an interview with Valley View Schools project coordinator Chanice Artis and Lincolnshire School District 103 instructional technology coach Italy Wallace about why we need affinity groups for educators with shared experiences. IL Affinity Group Facilitators Tesha Castillo, Jacqueline Johnson, Brandon Carr, and Tiauna King Featured in ISBE's Black History Month Newsletter Spotlight The Illinois State Board of Education has been featuring Affinity Group Facilitators during all of Black History Month last month. Each week in their weekly newsletter from the state superintendent, they have featured Affinity Group Facilitators who are sharing ways to celebrate Black History Month, to support Black educators, and about what it means to be a Black educator in schools. Click here to read each of their pieces. IL Policy Fellowship Alumna Jennifer Hartmann Awarded Regional Principal of the Year Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellowship alumna Jennifer Hartmann, who is now an Assistant Principal at Memorial Junior High School in the South Cook region, was recognized as a regional winner for Assistant Principal of the Year! These winners will advance to the State level competition and winners will be selected by the Awards Selection Committee comprised of IPA Past Presidents. IL Policy Fellow Kim Radostits and IL Policy Manager Bill Curtin Featured in WCIU’s “On The Block" on Racism-Free Schools WCIU’s “On The Block” will air a story about the Teach Plus-led Racism-Free Schools Act TONIGHT at 7pm! Tune in to the U tonight to watch live as Policy Fellow Kim Radostits and Policy Manager Bill Curtin explain how this bill will help students and teachers by preventing racial harassment in schools. IL Policy Fellowship Alumna Lindsey Jensen and current IL Policy Fellow Kim Radostits Present at EducatorsRising Conference Teach Plus Fellows have worked since 2019 to earn statewide recognition and support for the Educators Rising program to prepare future teachers, including a $400,000 investment last year to offer the program at every high school in the state. On Monday, 800 future teachers from across Illinois gathered for the 2nd annual EdRising conference led by IL Policy Fellowship Alumna Lindsey Jensen and featuring a keynote address from current IL Policy Fellow Kim Radostits! Opportunities Applications for all Teach Plus Illinois Programs are Open! Through our Policy Fellowships, teachers from across the state learn how policy is made and how it impacts their classroom. We provide teachers with training and opportunities to change and influence policies at the school, district, and state level—achieving change in schools and in the broader education system. To learn more about our programs and application process, register for a virtual info session by clicking one of the links below: IL Policy Fellowship Q&A IL Early Childhood Educator Policy Fellowship Q&A IL Early Childhood Educator Policy Fellowship Q&A Chicago Change Agent Q&A Chicago Change Agent Q&A IL Affinity Group Facilitators Q&A IL Affinity Group Facilitators Q&A The deadline to apply to each program is April 7, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. 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 teacher leaders want to hear from you! K-12 IL Policy Fellows are launching two research studies this month to bring teacher voice to the state board of education and propose policy changes: 1) Fellows are studying school discipline practices to better understand what schools can do to embrace more restorative practices that teach and heal. Help us understand what is (or isn’t) working in schools by completing this educator survey, which should take no more than 10 minutes. Your input will help shape state policies and keep students on track for success—plus, twenty randomly selected respondents will receive a $25 gift card! 2) Fellows are holding focus groups to evaluate the Equity Journey Continuum that now appears on every district’s report card in order to offer recommendations to the State Board of Education. Help us understand how well the new tool reflects the lived experiences of educators by joining a live, interactive focus group with educators across Illinois to share your experiences. Focus groups will last approximately one hour, and will help ensure the state’s equity measures really shine a light and promote more equitable systems. Every focus group participant will receive a $10 gift card as a token of our appreciation. Professional Development through CPScholars CPScholars is a free Professional Development series for CPS teachers and administrators offering several course listings. Eligible Chicago Public Schools teachers will receive a $200 participation stipend and 5 CPDUs (Continuing Professional Development Units). Non-CPS Illinois teachers are still welcome to apply, but please note that spaces are not guaranteed, and stipends will not be awarded. Sharp Eyes in the Middle of the Storm: Maintaining Professional Clarity & Wellness During Times of Crisis Interested? Please contact Dylan Bingham at binghamd@newberry.org or call (312) 255-3525. Application for the Illinois National Board First Time Candidate Fee Subsidy 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 2023-24 school year. Applications opened on March 1st and are due by May 10. 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. Elementary General Ed Classroom K-5 Teachers Needed for 2023-2024 (Multiple Positions Available) Maercker District 60 has multiple K-5 elementary openings for teachers who are excited about teaching a very diverse group of learners! Maercker is a diverse district in the west suburbs of Chicago with 3 schools: Prek-2, 3-5, and 6-8. More information will be available after April 1, 2023 The Bridge Project Fellowships The Bridge Project is a federally funded program that supports Illinois districts in diversifying their school leadership pipeline by providing Bridge Fellowships to pairs of aspiring principals of color and/or women and their principal:
The project will also offer training and technical assistance to district leader teams interested in support with implementing strategies for diversifying leader pipelines. Program details and application instructions for the Fellowship program will be released on April 1st. AP/Principal pairs will be able to apply directly. In the meantime, if you know of APs/Principals who might be interested, please use this form to sign them up to receive more information. We will send additional information, including application instructions, directly to those who are nominated or sign up. Teacher Voices Margi Bhansali Future teachers need to hear the good stuff, too"I questioned my career choice and wondered if I was naïve in thinking I could make a difference. One day, I clearly remember a veteran teacher looking at me and saying, 'Don’t worry, soon enough you’ll be complaining every day just like the rest of us.' I was really disheartened by his comment, so I vowed to never become like that. And I haven’t. How have I stayed in this career without becoming jaded? It’s just like you mentioned. It’s the relationships and the true moments of happiness I’ve experienced with students, families, and colleagues. I work hard daily to find joy in the smiles, the “aha” moments, and the hugs." (Margi Bhansali, IL ECE Policy Fellowship Alumna and Current Senior Writing Fellow) Read the full article here. Corey Winchester We Must Teach Black History Like Our Lives Depend on It"It took me many years to love my Blackness. Much of that had to do with the fact that I was learning about Black histories for the first time. These stories of resilience and triumph allowed me to see my own humanity as a Black person, something I later realized I desperately needed. I live for these histories because they are grounded in formal and informal learning communities, whether in schools, public workshops or even my family home where I first saw the value of Black history. I knew that when I became a history teacher, I would need to share stories that show the joy and nuanced history of Black life. Today, I have better language for talking about Black people, traditions and culture in a way that develops a deeper understanding of what it means to be fully human. In the context of Black history, that means showing that Black people are loved." (Corey Winchester, IL Policy Fellowship Alum) Read the full article here. Good Reads Actions Educational Leaders Must Take When Kids Do Racist Things At School"In our 2019 Education Week article, my Ph.D. advisee James Bridgeforth and I explained why we weren’t shocked by a recently-released photo of four elementary school teachers posing with a noose at a school located in Los Angeles County. Admittedly, we were surprised that the principal was the photographer. Bridgeforth and I also highlighted in the article other racist incidents that had recently occurred at K-12 schools in Alabama, Ohio, Iowa, Idaho, and elsewhere in California. Bridgeforth has since systematically catalogued more than 500 racist incidents that took place in K-12 schools across every geographic region in the U.S. between 2014 and 2019. In addition, his recent research study published in the Journal of School Leadership is based on a rigorous analysis of 140 press releases, emails, letters, and social media posts that educational leaders released in the aftermath of racist incidents that occurred in their schools. Here’s a link to the letter principal Becki Modereger sent the Pepper Tree school community. Beyond writing statements, what should educational leaders do when students behave in racist ways at school?" (Shaun Harper, Forbes) Read the full article here. Teach Plus Illinois is part of the Racism Free Schools coalition, a diverse group of education and community organizations working to make schools safer and more welcoming for students and teachers of color. This campaign began with a group of Illinois Teaching Policy Fellows with Teach Plus Illinois. Visit their website to learn more about this campaign and how you can get involved. |