Emma Noelke is a 2025-2026 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow. She is a high school special education teacher at Legal Prep Charter Academy in Chicago and also mentors first-generation college students through Chicago Scholars. Emma teaches math and English to all high school grade levels, oversees a student-run cafe, and provides college and career readiness experiences at such workplaces as a hospital. Previously, she taught 3rd and 4th grade math in Baltimore, English to students ages 3-16 in Madrid, Spain, and ran a literacy nonprofit summer program for K-4 students on Chicago’s Southside. Emma began her teaching career via Baltimore’s City Teaching Alliance teacher residency program focused on equitable education in urban schools. She earned her BA in African American studies and BA in curriculum and instruction from Purdue University. Her MEd, with a focus on urban education, is from Johns Hopkins University.
