College of Education Annual Report demonstrates impact on field

In 2014–2015, 158 years after its founding as Illinois State Normal University, educator preparation remains the hallmark of Illinois State. This campuswide effort engages five colleges and almost 20 percent of the student population. The College of Education enrolls approximately 75 percent of the University’s aspiring educators. 

View the complete 2015 College of Education Annual Report.

In 2015 more than one in seven teachers in Illinois are graduates of Illinois State, and 5,000 more serve the state as administrators, teacher educators, librarians, coaches, counselors, and additional roles in birth through age 3, P–12, and higher education. Our alumni also teach in all 50 states in the U.S. and 56 countries around the world.

In 2014 four of the nation’s state teachers of the year were Redbirds. And in 2015 two of our alumni were named the Illinois Superintendent of the Year and California Teacher of the Year.

The value of the College of Education’s externally funded grants and awards represented almost 50 percent of the University’s total. These projects fund initiatives to support urban education, serve diverse learners, provide early interventionists in special education, foster research, redefine best practices, and enable us to collaborate with U.S. and international school and community partners.

The College of Education’s Center for the Study of Education Policy (CSEP) earned the Education Commission of the State’s 2014 Frank Newman Award for State Innovation for its grassroots efforts to facilitate reform for Illinois’ new principal endorsement. The award recognizes the culmination of a 10-year collaborative effort involving the work of numerous statewide committees and consortia, with funding support from several foundations, and with leadership at the state, regional, and institutional levels. Illinois’ reform efforts provided highly rigorous standards for aspiring principals, and the state now serves as a leader in principal preparation.

The new endorsement replaced the generalized Type-75 administrative endorsement, which many teachers pursued for a variety of reasons other than to become a principal or assistant principal. To serve the needs of teachers interested in leadership opportunities other than principalship, CSEP passed legislation for the creation of a new teacher leader endorsement that will empower teachers to lead in a variety of roles, both from within and outside of the classroom.

Finally, Illinois State and the College of Education forged new international partnerships with countries including Panama, Brazil, and Costa Rica. These partnerships support the University’s efforts to expand its course offerings and provide more diverse program opportunities for future teachers.

While the data in this report represent our progress and accomplishments during 2014–2015, we never lose sight that the true impact of our work takes place in the learning environments where our alumni live and work.