Samantha Stearns is a 2023-2024 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow and an 8th grade social studies teacher and social studies department chair at Roosevelt Middle School in River Forest, Illinois. Samantha has served in leadership capacities as a member of District 90’s Professional Development Committee and Universal Design for Learning Committee. Samantha was named the Gilder-Lehrman History Teacher of the Year for Illinois, the Cook County Co-Regional Teacher of the Year, and was a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year. Samantha serves on the Steering Committee for the i3 Initiative: Inclusive, Inquiry-Based Social Studies for Illinois in partnership with the University of Illinois and Illinois State Board of Education. She earned her BA in social science and secondary education from the University of St. Francis, where she also earned her Learning Behavior Specialist I credential. Samantha also has an MA in history from Indiana State University.
