This summer 24 students embarked on a four-week journey to engage with communities in Chicago and prepare to be urban educators in the city.
ISU faculty inspire awareness through professional development
Unit: National Center for Urban Education
Chicago families welcome STEP-UP fellows
This summer a southwest-side neighborhood of Chicago is an entry to urban education for Illinois State University students participating in STEP-UP.
STEP-UP Fellows find success in Albany Park
STEP-UP Fellows are developing their skills as educators through their experiences teaching in urban schools.
Mentor collaboration leads to inclusive student performance
Mentorship facilitates success across many career fields, but its value is especially evident in teaching. The Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline’s Induction and Mentoring program pairs recent Illinois State graduates with experienced teachers at their schools for on-the-job training. This spring, one mentorship pair completed a particularly memorable performing arts project with students at Southside Occupational
ISU alum models community-minded teaching
The Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline prepares culturally-responsive, community-minded urban educators to teach and nurture Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students to reach their potential.
Chicago Public Schools high schoolers consider ISU through TEACH
Chicago Public Schools students from the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods visited Illinois State this spring to experience the campus community firsthand.
Field experience brings Spanish students to Chicago’s Little Village
Students in Professor James Pancrazio’s section of Spanish 244, Latin American Culture, participate in the all-day field experience in Chicago’s Little Village, one of the largest Mexican-American enclaves in Illinois.
Chicago native returns to her roots through student teaching
Illinois State University student teacher Alexa Leyba writes about her passion for working in Chicago Public Schools, where her education began.
Auburn Gresham gold standard for parent engagement
As a Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline (CTEP) partner school and a member of the Auburn Gresham Gold Neighborhood Network, Oliver S. Westcott Elementary is serious about rethinking public schools.
Reflections from Culturally Responsive Campus Community Conference
Scholars agree that the emotional, mental, and physical toll students of color experience within predominantly white institutions coupled with the lack of a culturally responsive curriculum in the courses they complete can negatively impact the lives of marginalized students.
