CENTER FOR SUCCESS FOR HIGH NEED SCHOOLS
Where leading educators partner and collaborate to advance teaching and learning for all children.
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Together We Can Change the World
Center Partners share human and financial resources to develop working task force groups. The task forces meet monthly to examine policy initiatives, develop research agendas, recommend local policies, programs and practices, and take action to advance teaching and learning in high need schools.
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About the Center for Success

The Center for Success is a non-profit organization that puts collaborating institutions and partnering education stakeholders at the
cutting edge of school reform by convening education partners to share best practices to recruit, prepare and sustain talented and diverse teachers and leaders for PK-12 schools and classrooms, especially those serving Illinois low-income and marginalized students.

Collaborate

Center Partnership and Task Forces
Participate in online monthly Center Partnership and Task Force meetings which convene more than 40 deans, chairs, directors, and education faculty, as well as PK-12 administrators and teachers and leading educators to explore key issues in preparation, practice, teaching, learning, and leadership. Our current work includes advocating for equity and diversity, implementing culturally responsive practices, growing teacher leadership, and effecting rigorous recruitment, clinical preparation and retention policies and practices.

Connect

Center Journal
"Voices for Educational Equity" showcases national and international work in education by publishing articles addressing research, clinical practice, and policy matters associated with Pre-K-12 education in under-resourced communities and providing professional development for practicing teachers, leaders and teacher educators.

Empower

Professional Development Network
Promoting teacher retention in high-need schools by providing teachers and leaders with a network of colleagues and resources. PDN offers six strands of learning through webinars hosted online and in person by Center colleges and universities.  The PDN is open to all teachers and leaders especially those serving in high-need schools. PDN sessions introduce teachers to Center institutions and faculty and address a variety of topics, including personalized learning and differentiated instruction, technology, social and emotional learning, culturally relevant/ sustaining pedagogy, teacher leadership and education policy and meeting the needs of Illinois’ increasingly diverse student body.  PDN concludes each academic year with a full-day Summer Institute for Educators featuring national and state education leaders. Join us this summer on Friday, Jun 11 th 2021.

Explore

Junior/Senior Scholars; Promise Teacher Corps
The Center empowers BOTH pre-service college students in education who will be teaching in high need schools and PK-12 students enrolled in high-need schools to engage in experiential education that provides access, resources and opportunities to both groups to grow and learn throughout the academic year and the summer, and from year to year. PK-12 students are provided with weekly and monthly educational supports and enrichments such as tutoring, college visits, book club and literature circles, panels, enrichment events like coding and chess classes, speakers, after school and evening study groups, homework help and summer enrichment camps that support the PK-12 scholars to succeed in their school classes; be curious, creative, and innovative thinkers; and engage in thinking about and planning for college and career.

Testimonials

Collaborate

As a member of one of the Center’s Task Forces you can learn about and share highly successful programs, policies, and practices; advocate and impact local, statewide, and national policy and practices. Task forces include Project LEAD (Leaders in Education Advocating Diversity; Teacher Leadership; Professional Development Network. Program Accountability, Accreditation, and Policy; and Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards Task Force.

Help Us Grow Our Mission

Contribute an article to our journal, attend our partnership meetings, join our professional development network, engage with learning labs, and/or donate.

Give

We are a non-profit and welcome any and all gifts to support our work in High Need Schools.

Teach

Participate in the Professional Development Network

Partner

View our calendar for these partnership opportunities

Our Sponsors

We are very grateful to our wonderful sponsors!

Our Achievements

In the past year 27,964 higher education faculty, candidates, PK-12 teachers, teacher leaders,
administrators and students have been reached through Center events.

Given the critical policies the Center reviewed and endorsed are now under consideration at the local and state level, we may positively impact an even greater number of educators, families, and students during these unprecedented circumstances of Covid-19 and beyond.

Upcoming Events

Learning Labs at the Center

The Center empowers BOTH pre-service college students in education who will be teaching in high need schools and PK-12 students enrolled in high-need schools with experiential education that provides access, resources and opportunities to both groups to grow and learn throughout the academic year and the summer, and from year to year.

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Ongoing Task Force Groups

The task force groups offer ongoing opportunities to address critical issues in education, distribute information, and recommend policy. Please join us for one or all of the task force meetings.

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Become a Donor

The Center is a 501 (c) 3 organization and all donations are a tax deductible.  Your gift supports collaboration that advances education in High Need Schools. Thank you for your generosity.


Collaborate

Center Partnership and Task Forces

Participate in online monthly Center Partnership and Task Force meetings which convene more than 40 deans, chairs, directors, and education faculty, as well as PK-12 administrators and teachers and leading educators to explore key issues in preparation, practice, teaching, learning, and leadership. Our current work includes advocating for equity and diversity, implementing culturally responsive practices, growing teacher leadership, and effecting rigorous recruitment, clinical preparation and retention policies and practices.

The Center’s Task Forces are working groups that convene leading PK-20 educators to advance critical education reforms by bringing the best known research forward and collaborating on best practices and policies to implement in education preparation and practice programs. The Center’s current task force teams include:

  • Professional Development Network
  • Teacher Leader Task Force
  • Diversity Pipeline:  Project LEAD (Leaders in Education Advocating for Diversity)
  • Culturally Responsive Standards for Teachers and Leaders
  • Program Accountability, Assessment, Accreditation and Policy

Center Partners are encouraged to join one or more task force groups.

Explore

The Center empowers BOTH pre-service college students in education who will be teaching in high need schools and PK-12 students enrolled in high-need schools with experiential education that provides access, resources and opportunities to both groups to grow and learn throughout the academic year and the summer, and from year to year. PK-12 students are provided with weekly and monthly educational supports and enrichments such as tutoring, college visits, book club and literature circles, panels, enrichment events like coding and chess classes, speakers, after school and evening study groups, homework help and summer enrichment camps that support the PK-12 scholars to succeed in their school classes and engage in forward educational thinking about college and career.
Preservice college student education majors facilitate the PK-12 activities and events and in doing so learn through their experience about how youth grow and develop in all areas socially and emotionally, physically, and cognitively. In addition, they learn how to build relationships, motivate and engage youth, how to communicate effectively with parents, how to establish a safe learning environment and how to teach a variety of curricula in varied ways. And they learn about some of the challenges and barriers in high-need communities and how to support their students as they deal proactively with them. Pre-service college students volunteer during the academic year to garner field experience hours for their resumes, meet honor society requirements or required field hours for classes. In the summer, college students may apply for a summer internship. The internships includes training and coaching before, during and after the internship experience and includes all necessary resources to use with the students in the program.
If you are a preservice or beginning teacher eager to serve students in our experiential learning lab, email jan@center4success.com