Jamila Appleby is a 2023-2024 Teach Plus Illinois Affinity Group Facilitator and is a Magnet Arts Instructional Coach at Stratton Academy of the Arts in Champaign. Jamila has more than 20 years in the classroom, and serves as the building representative for student teachers, as a mentor teacher for novice teachers, and a Home Visit Trainer for her district. She is a member of the National Art Education Association and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She earned her BS in Elementary Education with an English concentration from Eastern Illinois University and her MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIC). She has also earned a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Teacher Education, and ESL and Middle School and Language Arts endorsements from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.