P-20 Network Newsletter — December 8, 2023

On Wednesday, November 29, 2023, educational leaders from school districts, community colleges, universities, state agencies, and a variety of other professional and advocacy organizations came together at Northern Illinois University’s Naperville campus to collaborate and advance work with practices to improve equity, to enhance educator engagement, and to act on dual credit policy and practice.

Each of the three workgroups took center stage as much of the meeting’s time was spent working within these groups. Click on each of the links below to read a summary of each group’s work during the Illinois P-20 Network Meeting.

The final portion of the Illinois P-20 Network meeting included each workgroup providing a summary of their work to all participants. Then, small group discussions considered what the 1-year and 3-year specific task priorities should be for the Illinois P-20 Network. Currently, the Network’s leadership team has compiled the suggested priorities from the exit slips, and these are being analyzed. We anticipate sharing updated priorities in our next newsletter on December 22, 2023.

The Illinois Board of Education invites educators from school districts, community colleges, and universities to submit proposals for the 2024 ISBE Career Connections Conference. Registration is also now open!

The Career Connections Conference will provide educators across Illinois with a platform for collaboration, innovation, and motivation. Educators can participate in a variety of breakout sessions and hear from an expert industry panel.

To submit your proposal to present and/or to register, please visit the ISBE Career Connections Conference website.

Ready to take your coaching culture to the next level? We are thrilled to have Jim Knight back for four individual workshops that delve into specific areas of instructional coaching and leadership, including high-impact instruction, using data, deepening coaching skills, and evaluating a coaching program.

Each workshop stands on its own and will provide you and your team with advanced coaching techniques you can apply at your school immediately. While these are individual workshops, many school districts are sending teams to the whole set of four. Teams of 3 or more who register together can receive a discount. You can also register for all four workshops for a discount. Seats are filling up fast!

February 21, 2024 – Data Rules: How to Gather and Utilize Data to Impact Student Growth and Success
February 22, 2024 – High Impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching
March 13, 2024 – Sharpening Your Leadership Coaching Skills
March 14, 2024 – Evaluating Coaching Programs

All workshops are being held at NIU’s Naperville campus from 8.30 AM until 3.30 PM and include free parking, food, materials, and Professional Development Hours.

Back for its seventh year, this three-day summer camp from June 11-14, 2024, brings together teams of new and returning campers (educators!) to investigate multicultural and social justice education. Campers will have significant opportunities to discuss social justice issues, both general and specific to their schools, with experts and colleagues, as well as time for individual reflection and group activities.

The content of this professional learning experience is customized to meet the needs of educators in school districts and community colleges, and with organizations sending everything from one indivdiual educator to dozens, there are a wide range of campers to learn with and from.

In advance of this summer’s camp, the NIU College of Education faculty counselors are hosting two free webinars on December 12, 2023, at 1 PM and at 4 PM to engage with previous and potential campers. Learn more about next week’s webinars and sign-up:

Learn more and register now on the Social Justice Camp for Educators website.

P-20 Network Email Newsletter —
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P-20 Network Newsletters will typically come out every two weeks on Friday. The newsletters include updates on critical policy developments, professional development opportunities, success stories from the Network and much more.

You are receiving this message because you have previously attended a P-20 Network Meeting and/or have been on previous P-20 Network emails. We encourage you to forward this email to others in your organization, such as principals, assistant principals, department chairs by using the Forward to a Friend link below. Others can subscribe by simply completing this very short form.