Chicago, IL—Teach Plus, a national non-profit that empowers teachers to lead improvements in policy and practice, has selected 20 demonstrably-effective teacher leaders as Fellows of its Illinois Policy Fellowship 2018-2019 cohort. During the nine-month program, the will work on issues such as school discipline, teacher preparation, the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and recruitment and retention of teachers of color. The program empowers teachers to magnify the impact they have in their classrooms through personal interactions with education leaders and opportunities to advocate for policies that will better serve teachers and students in Illinois.
“This past year, Teach Plus teachers’ advocacy highlighted the need for better implementation of school discipline reform and for the inclusion of teacher voices in the state’s plans to improve educator preparation,” said Josh Kaufmann, Executive Director of Teach Plus Illinois. “We’re looking forward to another exciting and impactful year ahead. Our new Fellows represent the diversity and expertise of our great state’s educators, and we’re thrilled to have them work on improving education for all Illinois students.”
“I was impressed to see an organization that seeks to empower professionals on the front lines of education to give them greater and more strategic voices in policy issues at the state level,” said Benjamin Rodriguez, 2018-19 Illinois Policy Fellow and teacher at Barrington High School. “I am looking forward to developing the skill of advocacy and being able to understand and convey meaningful impact in such a complex system.”
The new Fellows come from across the state and teach in a variety of urban and rural districts. Many of the Fellows are leaders in their schools and communities and have received distinctions for their instructions and leadership.
The 2018-19 Illinois Teaching Policy Fellows are:
Andrea de Armas, Prairie Oak School, Berwyn North School District
Jonathan Baymon, Hillside School, Hillside School District
Corinne Biswell, West Prairie High School, West Prairie Community Unit District
Vince Cefali, Lincoln Middle School Berwyn North School District
Violeta Cerna-Prado, Piccolo School of Excellence, Chicago Public Schools
Melody Chiang, Edison Middle School, Champaign Community Unit School District
Kallie Jones, Mary E McDowell Elementary School, Chicago Public Schools
Hannah Moiseev, Intrinsic Schools, Chicago Public Schools
Elizabeth Ojeda-Jimenez, Maercker Elementary School, Maercker School District
Nicholas Pegarsch, Round Lake High Schools, Round Lake Area Schools
Elissa Rabin, Rauner College Prep, Chicago Public Schools
Amie Reed, Edward A. Fulton Junior High, O’Fallon Community Consolidated School District
Keisha Rembert, Clifford Crone Middle School, Indian Prairie School District
Alexander Riggs, Pritzker College Prep, Chicago Public Schools
Benjamin Rodriguez, Barrington High School, Barrington School District
Yadeale Tamru, Sir Miles Davis Magnet Academy, Chicago Public Schools
Claire Trainer, Sauganash Elementary School, Chicago Public Schools
Domincca Washington, Epic Academy, Chicago Public Schools
Lucretia Weck, Oblong Elementary, Oblong Community Unit School District
Corey Winchester, Evanston Township High School, Evanston Township High School District
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has trained thousands of teacher leaders across the country who are driving policy changes and improving the instructional practices of teachers to create an education system driven by equity, access, and excellence for all students. teachplus.orghttps://teachplus.org
