Springfield, Illinois, August 25, 2025—Teach Plus Illinois today issued the following statement commending Gov. JB Pritzker for signing into law the recent student teaching bill that Teach Plus Early Childhood Education (ECE) Policy Fellows and advocates wrote and championed:
During the past three years, Teach Plus Illinois researched and published a policy brief titled “Student Teaching Is Unpaid & That’s How It’s Always Been: Barriers to Illinois Early Childhood Educator Licensure”, wrote op-eds, crafted the legislation, and testified before lawmakers, all leading to the bill’s introduction and passage. Because House Bill 3528 prohibits public universities from enforcing policies that require student teachers to work without the possibility of pay, this new law paves the way for local innovation and partnerships to combat the teacher shortage.
“Required unpaid student teaching has been a significant obstacle to degree completion, especially for early childhood educators—often non-traditional students who are older and supporting families while working full-time in low-paid ECE positions. The passage of HB 3528 now means that these educators won’t have to make these impossible choices and will ensure we keep quality early childhood educators in the field, as well,” said Teach Plus Early Illinois Childhood Education Policy Manager Aubry Stapleton.
“Our research on student teaching in Illinois showed it to be an incredibly valuable experience, yet we heard repeatedly from early childhood educators that when unpaid, it is an immense barrier to licensure. The passage of HB 3528 opens opportunities for more highly qualified educators to join the field and fill vacancies, especially in high-demand specialties like K-12 special education and early childhood education—a win for educators and a win for the children of Illinois,” said Katie Viernum, Teach Plus Illinois Early Childhood Education Fellowship alumna and lead teacher at Loyola University Preschool in Chicago, who wrote an op-ed about the issue.
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. teachplus.org/il/
For media inquiries or more information, please contact Kelly Pearce at kpearce@teachplus.org or 928-925-9236.
