October 2022 Teach Plus IL Newsblast No images? Click here From Teach Plus Illinois Dear Teachers, Good afternoon! My message this week is a short one — I want to highlight some great opportunities for Illinois educators and encourage you to get out and vote! We have a TON of great opportunities for teachers listed below this month, but I’ll just mention two. This month Teach Plus is launching over 40 Affinity Groups for Educators of Color. These groups seek to cultivate authentic, inclusive, intersectional spaces, shaped by and for educators of color, to support educators in navigating and improving their school environments. If you are interested, please check out our Affinity Groups webpage to learn more about which affinity spaces might be right for you. Teach Plus is also launching a virtual ECE PLC for Chicago Teachers! This monthly virtual PLC will focus on alignment between pre-K and kindergarten classrooms and is free for public school teachers in Chicago (both CPS and charter). Participants who successfully complete the learning series will receive a stipend and CPDUs. You can find out more information here, including dates, topics, and facilitator bios. If neither of these opportunities are for you, please share with educators in your network that might be interested. As you all know, the 2022 mid-term election is coming up, with high stakes at both the national and state level. One of the most important ways you can make sure your voice is heard is to vote. At the state level, there are pretty clear differences between the two gubernatorial candidates. You can read more about the two candidates’ stances on education at these links on JB Pritzker’s website and on Darren Bailey’s website. Voting is one of our most important duties as citizens. Please take the time to consider carefully, and then go vote! Warmly, Fellow Highlights Treasa Howard-Collins Bob Chikos Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellows Advocate for Expanded School Funding "Treasa Howard-Collins and several other speakers want the Illinois State Board of Education to increase funding for early childhood education by 20% – or $120 million – to increase wages for early childhood educators. 'Not only am I working a second job, but I’m also doing gig work to supplement the income for the job that I love,' Howard-Collins told state officials during a budget hearing Tuesday. Bob Chikos, an educator at Crystal Lake Central High School in District 135, also asked for an increase of $550 million in K-12 funding because he wants to end funding disparities between school districts. He pointed to differences in funding between his district, which is 77% funded, nearby Elgin’s U-46, which is 63% funded and below adequacy, and Libertyville High School in District 128, which is 171% funded — far above adequacy. 'Disparities, such as this, have exacerbated educational, racial and wealth gaps. We live in a state in which there’s a resource race amongst adequately funded districts to offer the best education possible,' said Chikos. 'While not adequately funded, districts try to hold on to the minimal resources they have to meet their students’ needs.'" Read the full article here. Illinois Policy Fellow Alum and Current Illinois Affinity Group Facilitator Briana Morales Featured in Chalkbeat Article Congratulations to Teach Plus Illinois' Briana Morales on this profile in Chalkbeat! "Even when I felt like I couldn’t do it, she never let up and helped me believe in myself," says one of her students. "Morales teaches English at Gordon Bush Alternative Center in East St. Louis, Illinois. Morales lost three students to gun violence during the pandemic, and wanted to help students navigate their own trauma, especially during quarantine. 'What kept me motivated was staying connected to students who needed a sense of normalcy and consistent support in a time of uncertainty. Leaders need to be prepared to address the harm that is being done when we expect our communities to ‘continue business as usual,’ and make a true, honest commitment to transforming educational spaces into conduits of healing.'" she said. She said she was able to push her students toward academic success by validating their emotions and treating them like more than simply 'kids that I teach.'" (Elena Johnson, Chalkbeat) Read the full article here. School Ambassador Fellowship Webinar The U.S. Department of Education is seeking applicants for the School Ambassador Fellowship, a program to enable outstanding teachers, administrators, and other school leaders to bring their school and classroom expertise to the Department, and learn about and influence national education policy. This year's deadline for applying is December 18, 2022. Teach Plus is fortunate to have staff members and alumni who have participated in and now lead this program. We will be holding an informational session for any members of our Teach Plus Community who are interested in learning more about the program and tips for submitting a strong application. Join us on Monday, October 24th at 7 PM CT by registering below! Opportunities Free Virtual ECE PLC (Earn a Stipend & CPDUs) for Chicago Teachers Teach Plus is thrilled to announce that we're accepting participants for our first ever teacher-led ECE professional learning community! This monthly virtual PLC will focus on alignment between pre-K and kindergarten classrooms and is free for public school teachers in Chicago (both CPS and charter). Participants who successfully complete the learning series will receive a stipend and CPDUs. If your ECE team has been interested in aligning what happens in pre-K and kindergarten classrooms, this is a great learning space that is designed for teachers and led by teachers who have done alignment work in their schools last year. You can find out more information here (including dates, topics, and facilitator bios), and you can express interest by filling out this google form. If you have any questions, please reach out to Kristen Ciciora (kciciora@teachplus.org). Illinois Affinity Group Network Interest Form The Illinois State Board of Education, RoE 51, Teach Plus, and the Golden Apple Foundation would like to invite you to check out the state's new Affinity Groups for Educators of Color. Illinois Affinity Groups seek to cultivate authentic, inclusive, intersectional spaces, shaped by and for educators of Color. These will be affirming and supportive spaces, rooted in an asset-based understanding of diversity, which support educators in navigating and improving their school environments and are connected to a larger network to build alliances and address systemic issues, particularly around retention of educators of Color. If you are interested in exploring a safe, supportive space for you to be your authentic self, check out the Illinois Affinity Groups Page to see if there is one in your area. If there is, you can fill out a short interest survey and the facilitator will reach out to you shortly. Apply for the School Ambassador Fellowship Founded on the principles of partnership, collaboration and cooperation between the Federal Government and school-based educators, the U.S. Department of Education designed the School Ambassador Fellowship program to enable outstanding teachers, administrators, and other school leaders, such as school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and librarians to bring their school and classroom expertise to the Department and to expand their knowledge of the national dialogue about education. The School Ambassador Fellowship is a professional learning community designed to improve educational outcomes for students by leveraging the expertise of school-based practitioners in the creation, evaluation, and dissemination of information around national education initiatives. The School Ambassador Fellowship Application window is now open! Applications for the 2023-2024 cohort of the School Ambassador Fellowship will remain open until 11:59pm ET on December 18, 2022. Apply for the CFE Educator Impact Fund The Chicago Foundation for Education (CFE) is now accepting applications for its 2022-23 Educator Impact Fund (EIF). Proposals will be accepted through Monday, October 17. Similar to last year, CFE’s EIF initiative will furnish select school communities with the digital learning tools, physical equipment, and classroom supplies necessary to support high-quality instruction and student engagement. Educator teams of 3 or more are encouraged to submit requests of up to $5,000, identifying specific resources for staff and student use. CFE remains focused on supporting schools located in Chicago’s most disinvested, economically disadvantaged neighborhoods through this program. Watch our short informational video about the program.
The State of Gentlemen Listening Tour Profound Gentlemen is a nonprofit commitment to retaining male educators of color through building cohorts of male educators of color and providing coaching, professional development, and 1:1 support. The Chicago tour will be on Oct 21, 6:00 PM at 2015 S Laflin St, Chicago, IL 60608. Register today! Upcoming Free Webinars from The To&Through Project Research & Tool Release: Elementary On-Track Practice Spotlight: How Meaningful Work Can Improve Middle Grades Outcomes The To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN) works to create educational environments where middle schools thrive by increasing the number of students with attendance at or above 90% and GPAs at or above 3.0 through a meaningful increase in students' sense of belonging. Join us on November 10 at 2:00 PM (CST) to learn how educators at MGN partner schools Brighton Park Elementary and Columbia Explorers Academy used a focus on meaningful work to create learning conditions that better meet the needs of their students. Action for Healthy Kids National Conference on Child Health and Well-Being Join Action for Healthy Kids for the 2022 National Conference on Child Health and Well-Being: Real Talk. Real Solutions! This national conference is designed to strengthen district-school-family-community partnerships by mobilizing a community of individuals invested in child health and well-being to implement sustainable solutions to real-world challenges. If you are interested in attending, you can find more information about the conference here. Computer Science 4Latinx This initiative intentionally recruits Latinx teachers to participate in Computer Science (CS) professional development opportunities to increase historically underrepresented educators with CS skills, micro-credentials, and endorsements in STEM classrooms and across content areas. It’s important for teachers to reflect on the student populations they serve. It’s important to integrate language and culture with computer science and coding classroom experiences. Diversity, equity, representation, and inclusion in the classroom matter. Educator Scholarship for ExcelinEd Conference in Salt Lake City ExcelinEd is hosting the National Summit on Education this November 16-18 in Salt Lake City to convene state and national leaders in a forum for exchanging results-based policy solutions that are transforming education across the country. This year’s program will highlight important progress and strategies for closing learning gaps, growing the teacher pipeline, expanding opportunity for families, and reimagining learning. A full schedule can be found online here. ExcelinEd is inviting teachers, literacy coaches, principals, or assistant principal from a Title I schools or economically underserved communities to apply for an Educator Scholarship which covers associated travel costs and expenses. ExcelinEd is extending this opportunity to the educators directly serving students and schools to foster dialogue, collaboration and greater understanding of the policy initiatives state leaders are addressing to meet the needs of students. Please reach out to the Raquel@ExcelinEd.org if you have any questions or need further details. Illinois Teacher Leadership Summit The Sixth Annual Illinois Teacher Leadership Summit (ILTLS) invites teams of teachers, an administrator, and a teacher leader to join together to create an action plan to address a specific local challenge. The Summit offers both time and space for collaboration where each team is supported by its own "critical friend", someone with expertise in the "problem of practice" identified by the team, as well as input from all of the other statewide teams. Attendees will receive classroom and teacher resources, along with opportunities to network with multiple conference presenters. Register your team by January 15, 2023. 2023 Golden Apple Award Nominations Now Open Nominations are now open to submit impactful teachers and school leaders to be considered for a 2023 Golden Apple Award. Golden Apple is currently accepting nominations for teachers serving between grades 4–8 for the 2023 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching, and school leaders serving between grades Pre-K–12 for the 2023 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Leadership. Finalists will be announced in early 2023. To nominate a teacher, please click here. To nominate a school leader, please click here. For questions, please contact Nellie Quintana at quintana@goldenapple.org. Good Reads I’m an educator. Our schools must teach students the whole truth about Columbus. "What people decide to call the second Monday in October can say a lot about their beliefs and values. Many of my students asked the same question I had asked in college, “Why do they teach us one thing about Columbus early on, only to reveal the much darker reality when we’re older?” Both questions hung in the air, waiting to be answered, during the discussions we had. We talked about the power of stories and histories. Who holds the power if Columbus continues to be taught to children as a hero?" (Gina Caneva, Illinois Policy Fellow Alum) Read the full article here. |