PROJECT LEAD
Identifying best practices to recruit and support a more diverse pool of teacher candidates. To accomplish this critical goal we launched a statewide initiative: Project LEAD: Leaders in Education Advocating for Diversity that is developing an infrastructure and toolbox.
TEACHER LEADERSHIP
Identifying, developing and sustaining programs for teacher leadership pathways and vesting teacher leaders with the knowledge and skills to impact policy and practice and promote impactful professional learning in their schools and districts.
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.
PROGRAM ASSESSMENT, ACCOUNTABILITY, ACCREDITATION AND POLICY
Promoting understanding of, implementation, and sharing of best practices and resources associated with new commission reports, federal initiatives, measures of accountability, CAEP standards and Accreditation, and adopted policies including the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment, which evaluates teacher candidates for state licensure. This task force provides a voice to advocate for the profession, evidence-based practices and national and state initiatives. Sub-Committees of this task force develop recommendations to address critical challenges in education-currently there is a focus on recommendations to address issues associated with teacher shortage particularly in urban and rural communities.
The teacher pipeline – from initial interest, to preparation, to recruitment, to support in the beginning teacher’s first years – is integral to the work of the PAAAP Task Force. A current focus of the Center is exploring apprenticeships. Here is a recent presentation from the Center Partnership: THE TEACHER PIPELINE: ALL ABOUT APPRENTICESHIPS with Dr. Lisa Barron, Austin Peay University, Tennessee. You can watch her presentation here: https://youtu.be/
Also, Dr. Barron’s handouts can be accessed here: https://center4success.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Apprenticeship-Workshop-12.2.221.pdf
To learn more about Apprenticeships and their promise for the teacher pipeline, check out our Apprentice Resource Page: https://center4success.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/APPRENTICESHIP-RESOURCE-PAGE.pdf
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHER AND LEADER STANDARDS TASK FORCE
The Culturally Responsive Teacher and Leader Standards Task Force meets monthly to unpack these new state standards and share ideas about implementing the standards in teacher and leader preparation programs in order to strengthen programs and prepare candidates to integrate them into their teaching with fidelity. The standards include:
Standard 1: Knowledge of Self and Relationships to Others
Standard 2: Systems of Oppression
Standard 3: Knowledge of Students as Individuals
Standard 4: Students as Co-Creators
Standard 5: Leveraging Student Advocacy
Standard 6: Family and Community Collaboration
Standard 7: Content Selections in All Curricula
Standard 8: Student Representation in the Learning Environment
https://go.boarddocs.com/il/isbe/Board.nsf/files/BW7JPN4E2657/$file/06.Cc%20Part%2024-Rules.pdf
Monthly work includes deep dives into implementation of each standard and their assessment as well as timely discussion around these questions:
1. What do we understand?
2. What questions do we have? Do we need to bring in some additional resources to clarify the standard or a part of the standard?
3. How are the new standards like the IPTS standard on diversity and what we currently do? How are they different?
4. What ideas can we generate to implement the standards with fidelity?
https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Culturally-Responsive-Teaching-Leading-Standards.aspx
The task force is developing the Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards Tool found here:
https://sites.google.com/view/crtlresourcesmonson/home
This site is a living resource that is ever evolving and our Task Force provides relevant updates and learnings from it at our monthly sessions.
JOIN A TASK FORCE OR GET MORE INFORMATION