April 2022 IL Newsblast No images? Click here Illinois Policy Fellow Madeline Wood Delivers Powerful Testimony at ISBE Current Policy Fellow Madeline Wood delivered a testimony on the importance of creating racism-free schools, urging legislators to support of the passage of the Racism Free Schools Act. Click here to listen to her powerful speech. To learn more about how you can get involved in the #RacismFreeSchools campaign, click here. From Teach Plus Illinois Dear Teachers, I’m running on five hours of sleep today, and struggling. I know many of you are too. It’s that point in the year, where our tanks run dry. There’s no solution except spring break or Memorial day, which seems so far away. But at least I have some great news to share and, if you can dig just a little bit, four great opportunities for you to grow as a teacher next year. The great news comes in the budget passed last Saturday by Illinois legislators, with big wins for education. The budget allocates an additional $350m to Illinois’ equity-driven Evidence-Based Funding formula, and nearly $100m more for early childhood programs. The budget expands the funding for IL’s Minority Teacher of Illinois Scholarship to $4.2m, growing the grant to $7,500 per year and serving nearly 200 more teacher candidates. Finally, Educators Rising was funded for the first time in Illinois, thanks to the tireless advocacy of alumni Lindsey Jensen and Bill Curtin. There are also great opportunities to grow as a teacher leader next year, if you can find just a little gas in your tank now to complete an application. You could be an Early Childhood Policy Fellow, a K12 Policy Fellow, a Chicago Change Agent, or an Illinois Affinity Group Facilitator. Each opportunity spans the 2022-2023 school year and offers a generous stipend, plus opportunities to your own leadership. Check out the links above or the details below. Here’s to growing and moving forward -- even while tired. The Practice Corner Dear Teachers, As a more novice teacher, I would roll my eyes at anything I deemed as "touchy feely," both in staff meetings and in the classroom. In my inexperienced opinion, we were there to teach and learn, not to talk about our feelings. I cared about kids and my co-workers, had good relationships and high expectations, and felt that those things were enough--we didn't need to "waste" precious instructional or staff development time discussing how we felt. As I grew in my classroom practice, led the science department as a second year teacher (not because I had any particular standout talents--more because I was young and would show up to unpaid ILT meetings after school every week), and then moved to my current role--where I've worked with hundreds of teacher leaders in different schools in Chicago--I've come to appreciate how crucial emotional intelligence is to the success of classrooms, teams, and schools. Elena Aguilar, a favorite guru of Teach Plus folks, defines emotional intelligence as " the ability to recognize when you’re experiencing emotions, to have strategies for managing them, and to recognize other people’s emotions and respond appropriately to them." You can read more about a team's collective EI in this article by Aguilar, or the importance of EI in preventing burnout of school leaders in this ACSD article, but in short--your ability to intentionally plan for building your own emotional intelligence, along with your team members, is one of the most powerful professional learning, with long-lasting impact, that you can engage in. We spend a good deal working with our teacher leaders on building their EI through our cohort meetings and 1:1 coaching sessions as part of our Change Agent curriculum and program. If you're a teacher in Chicago and interested in applying to the Change Agent fellowship, where you can learn these skills (and many others), make sure to apply by May 8th! Warmly, Teach Plus Fellowships This Fellowship program is for educators who want to help develop their inquiry and research skills, contribute to conversations surrounding education policies with their local legislators, and forward the efforts of equitable education for the diverse student population of Illinois. We have extended the application deadline to April 24th, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. For more information on the Teaching Policy Fellowship, please email Crystal Jameau at cjameau@teachplus.org. This highly selective policy fellowship is for all levels of Early Childhood educators; it allows participants to address policy issues by engaging directly with their local legislators, and receive professional training. We have extended the application deadline to May 1st, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. For more information on the ECE Policy Fellowship, please email Sinthu Ramalingam at sramalingam@teachplus.org. This Fellowship program is for outstanding teachers who want to lead a change effort to address an issue that affects students across their school. Together with their principal, the teacher leader identifies a problem of practice, and works collaboratively with other teachers and a teacher leadership coach to tackle this challenge. We have extended the application deadline to May 8th, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. For more information on the Chicago Change Agent Fellowship, please email Kristen Ciciora at kciciora@teachplus.org. Are you an educator of Color who wants to help your peers by creating safe, supportive, and transformative spaces? Become an Illinois Affinity Group Facilitator! Facilitators seek 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 be connected to a larger network to build alliances and address systemic issues. Facilitators will receive training to design and facilitate an affinity group in their area and to address systemic issues through a local Advocacy Action Team which will identify barriers to retention of educators of Color and propose solutions. They will also participate in monthly cohort sessions with other facilitators, and work with a leadership coach for support in leading their groups. Facilitators receive a $2,500 stipend for their commitment. To recommend a candidate, nominate them here! For more information on becoming an Illinois Affinity Group Facilitator, please contact Crystal Jameau at cjameau@teachplus.org. Teach Plus IL in the News IL TPF Alum (2020-21) Brandon Thornton Nominated for National Education Association's Award for Teaching Excellence "In a press release on Thursday, IEA noted Thornton's involvement as coach of BHS's speech and debate team, along with his teaching and mentorship. The release also mentioned his Lights On Initiative, which connects students to area organizations and other community partners offering mentorship and internship opportunities. Thornton was also selected in 2020 as the Illinois State Board of Education's teacher of the year for the east central region. Last fall he was named one of The Pantagraph's 20 Under 40," (Connor Wood). IL TPF Alum (2017-18) Devin Evans Featured in Essence on Teacher Retention and Teacher Diversity "If we don't get the issue fixed now, it could lead to a generation of students who won't have the same academic success that students in my classroom and other classrooms are getting," Devin states. Briana Morales Lisa Thyer Senior Fellows Briana Morales and Lisa Thyer Featured in Chalkbeat on Teacher Mental Health Days “In the fall of 2020, I had to just bounce back because my students still needed me at that time. But I had no time to process what I needed for myself. On top of that no one even asked me, ‘What do you need?”, Briana states. “No one knew how to do hybrid instruction and we were all doing the best we could, but I was supposed to know how to do classroom instruction,” said Lisa. “I don’t feel like I’m doing a good job anymore.” Fellow Highlights Policy Alumni Jesse Faber and Dr. Lindsey Jensen and Policy Manager Bill Curtin Testified Before the House K-12 Appropriations Committee Policy Alumni Jesse Faber Chicago Change Agent LaRue Fitch Presented at the Illinois New Teacher Conference on the Importance of Culturally-Relevant Pedagogy Chicago Change Agent LaRue Fitch Policy Alumni Daniel Jackson Raise Your Voice! This year a group of Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellows is leading a research project focusing on the experiences of EL/bilingual educators and their students. Their findings and recommendations will be shared in a briefing document with stakeholders and ISBE in order to improve outcomes for EL/bilingual students. Our goal is to provide recommendations for school, district, and state leaders, including ISBE, on how to better support EL/bilingual educators and their students. CLICK HERE to access the survey. Please submit your response by Friday, April 22nd. Opportunities Teach Plus Illinois is Hiring! Program Director and Education Leadership Coach The Program Director and Education Leadership Coach will coach 10-14 Affinity Group Facilitators and provide program leadership to the new Illinois Affinity Group Facilitator Fellowship. Reporting to the Illinois Senior Executive Director, the Program Director and Education Leadership Coach will provide organizational and thought leadership for the initiative, represent the initiative with external audiences, help lead the steering committee, and assist in managing the project’s logistics. This is a full-time, remote position. Education Leadership Coach The Education Leadership Coach will support and coach teacher leaders as facilitators and participants in the Illinois Affinity Group Network Fellowship. Reporting to the Illinois Senior Executive Director, the Education Leadership Coach will work to build the capacity of 20-24 Affinity Group Facilitators as they build solidarity, community, and identify opportunities for local responsiveness. This is a full-time, remote position. Apply for the Illinois School Leader Pipeline Program Applications for the Illinois School Leader Pipeline Program are open for prospective aspiring school leaders. The purpose of the Illinois School Leader Pipeline Program (ISLPP) is to identify, develop, support and sustain diverse cohorts of aspiring school leaders as they progress through preparation to attainment of school leadership (principal or assistant principal) positions. Questions? Please contact IPA Professional Learning Service Specialist Beth Broyles at beth@ilprincipals.org. Register for the 2022 Districts Leading with Equity Conference The Black Educational Advocacy Coalition invites all educators, regardless of role, to the 2022 Districts Leading with Equity Conference in Springfield on May 19th-20th. To ensure all students have the resources they need to be successful in their K-12 school experience, districts need to make sure the right support systems, structures, supports, and practices are in place from the boardroom to the classroom. Attendees will learn about specific resources and tools to support equity throughout their districts and earn up to 6 CPDHs. Come and kick off the conference with a meet and greet featuring live entertainment by Press Play on May 19 and join us the next day on May 20 for a conversation with keynote speaker Dr. Anthony Muhammad. Apply for the Illinois National Board First Time Candidate Fee Subsidy The National Board Resource Center (NBRC) at Illinois State University (ISU) is excited to announce that the Spring 2022 window for the Illinois NB First Time Candidate Fee Subsidy will be open until May 10, 2022. Prior to submitting an application, please read the Guide to National Board Certification and the Illinois NB Candidate Fee Subsidy Application Informational Document. Good Reads Prioritizing Student Trauma in Teacher Professional Development by TPF Alum Gina Caneva "Think about the last couple of years: Mentally and emotionally, we’ve been ravaged as a society. Coping with students’ trauma should be a top priority in our professional development.," Gina writes. Read the full article here. The Importance of Learning Through Play by Current ECE Fellow Margi Bhansali "Play-based instruction is important not just in prekindergarten, but in kindergarten as well. Just like preschoolers, five- and six-year-olds are still in the preoperational stage in their development. This means they still need to engage in play because they are still using symbols to represent words, images, and ideas and their ability for abstract concepts isn’t yet developed. Play is where they put all of their learning together in ways their brains can understand," Margi writes. Read the full article here. Ramadan Letter for Educators from Dr. Sawsan Jaber, NBCT April 2nd marked the first day of Ramadan, and Dr. Sawsan Jaber, NBCT, a high school English teacher from East Leyden High School, explains what you should know and how you can support your Muslim students. Read the full letter here. |