Click here to see a web copy of this email

Welcome to the IL MTSS Network fall newsletter!

Supporting Teachers for Student Success

Supporting teachers is essential to fostering a thriving school environment where both educators and students can succeed. Effective support not only improves teacher well-being but also enhances teaching practices and student outcomes.

Keep reading for a variety of strategies schools can use to support teachers and more effectively implement MTSS – including an interview with one of our district partners: Dr. Regina Redd from Lyons School District 103.

And don’t forget to register now for our NIU Engaged Learning Conference, in Normal on January 24!

A Comprehensive Approach to Supporting Teachers

A recent poll from the Illinois Education Association showed that nearly 60% of teachers are considering leaving the profession. Unfortunately, that’s not a surprise to most of us. We’ve seen that teachers are overworked, overwhelmed and stressed.

However, there are solutions we can implement to promote teacher well-being and engagement. Here are a few ways to create a more supportive environment to help your teachers thrive throughout their career – which benefits both teachers and students.

1. Instructional Coaching: Instructional coaching is a key strategy to support teachers! It involves one-on-one support between a teacher and a coach (often an experienced educator or instructional specialist). Coaches work collaboratively with teachers to improve specific teaching practices and strategies.

• ·Check out this article from Edutopia to learn more about the importance of effective professional development for instructional coaches.

• And don’t miss the amazing professional development opportunities for coaches offered by our colleagues at the Educational Coaching Network.

2.  Professional Learning Communities (PLCs): PLCs are collaborative groups of educators who meet regularly to discuss teaching practices, share insights, and support one another.

• But not all PLCs are created equal! This Edutopia article offers suggestions for creating an effective professional learning community that enables innovation and risk-taking while also offering peer support.

3.  Ongoing Professional Development: Teachers need opportunities for continuous learning and growth. Effective PD should be relevant, practical and aligned with teachers' needs.

• On that note, don’t miss our NIU Engaged Learning Conference coming up in Normal January! Check out the conference details and register online.

4.  Adult Social-Emotional Learning: We’ve long recognized that social-emotional learning (SEL) is a central part of educating the whole child. But how often do we pause to consider SEL for adults? SEL skills are essential for effectively managing the demanding job of teaching!

• This website from Greater Good in Education (part of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley) offers a variety of free resources to help educators develop their own SEL skills. This leads to happier, less stressed and more effective teachers!

Check out the Evidence-Based Practice section of our website for more resources on coaching and SEL.

District Spotlight: Dr. Regina Redd, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Lyons School District 103 

We sat down with Dr. Redd to learn more about her district’s MTSS journey – and how instructional coaching has helped them to more fully support teachers in implementing MTSS. 

Here’s an excerpt of our interview.

Read the full interview on our blog 

Can you tell me about when your district started working with the Illinois MTSS network and what that has been like for you? 

We started working with our MTSS network coach, Ruth Poage-Gaines, about 6 years ago, and it’s been amazing. She's been a leader and a thought partner for the district, and we meet with her very frequently. 

Throughout the past six years, we have developed our MTSS Handbook manual that we use at the district and the building level. That MTSS manual has guided the systems that we have in place, and we've continually improved those systems over the past six years. 

Through this whole process, we have one guiding principle: we don't do anything in isolation. We do everything with the team. That way, everything we do at the district level supports the building level and vice versa. The Illinois MTSS Network had a huge part in that. 

Do you have any advice on how coaching and MTSS can help to support teachers and combat burn out? 

Yes! Along with our MTSS coach, Ruth, and our district leadership team, one of the most important supports we have in place is the instructional coaches in each building. Our instructional coaches work directly with our teachers. They are a support system so the teachers don't have to go it alone, and we’ve intentionally worked on building staff competencies through coaching. 

We know that the support the teachers receive from the instructional coaches improves student achievement and student outcomes, as well as decreasing teachers’ stress. 

Do you have an example or story that might inspire other districts? 

I remember a few of years ago when we first started talking about data-based problem solving with our tier one level. At first it was a real challenge to think about – how do we help everyone within our instructional culture understand the process of the data-based problem-solving system?  

Fast forward to now. Now, when we go into our PLCs (Professional Learning Communities), that data-based problem-solving process is natural and comfortable for them. Two years ago, data-based problem solving was just an idea, but now it's a normal occurrence that we use in our PLCs every time they get together.

Five-Minute Chats with Staff

One of the best ways to support teachers is by listening to them! Creating open communication helps to build trust and make staff feel valued and included.

And the good news is – you can improve communication with staff in just five minutes!

Check out this guide from CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) to start having better conversations with your staff members – even if you’re short on time.

News and Events

NIU Engaged Learning Conference
Engaged for Student Success
Presented by NIU STEAM and the Illinois MTSS-Network

January 24, 2025
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Heartland Community College, Normal, IL

Calling all educators! This one-day interdisciplinary conference will equip PK-12 educators to maximize student success through engaged learning for students and staff. Breakout sessions with expert guest speakers, district and school staff, and MTSS and NIU STEAM coaches will provide practical examples, actionable strategies, networking opportunities and lessons learned. You’ll walk away with ideas and tools to use in your classroom right away.

Confirmed session topics include:

• Engaged Learning: Beyond the Definition

• Creating a School Improvement Foundation and How Data Can Become Meaningful

• Using Data to Make Decisions for Student Success 

• Fidelity to Support MTSS Implementation 

Register now to get our early bird discount rate!

The Illinois MTSS Network is growing!

We’re now supporting 19 districts across the state. Contact us at ilmtss@niu.edu to find out how we can work with your district. And don't forget – we're an ISBE IL-EMPOWER approved learning partner.

Here's what one of our participants had to say:

“The MTSS Bootcamp reinforced the knowledge I already had about running the MTSS program at my school and built on that knowledge exponentially. The resources and follow up information have been invaluable."

- Erica C. Monegain 

Academic Interventionist & MTSS Coordinator, Acero Schools. 

We’re presenting… hope to see you!

We’ll be presenting at the following upcoming conferences. We hope you’ll stop by our sessions and say hello!

• Branching Minds Virtual MTSS Summit

MTSS Fidelity with Intention
Dec. 4-5. 2024
Session: Fidelity, Who’s Checking. What? Why?  

• RSAC: Raising Student Achievement Conference

Dec. 9-10, 2024
Hilton Chicago/Oakbrook Hills Resort and Conference Center
Sessions:
Vocabulary Strategies for Instruction
Intensifying Interventions 
MTSS: Leading a Strong Tier 1 

Forward to a Friend

Know someone who might enjoy receiving this newsletter? Use our Forward to a Friend link below.

Copyright © 2024  Illinois MTSS Network, All rights reserved.

Illinois MTSS Network
Northern Illinois University
307 Lowden Hall
DeKalb, IL 60115
United States

Click here to unsubscribe