P-20 Network Newsletter — December 22, 2023

The pace for educators at all levels continues to be relentless as we strive to best meet our students’ and communities’ needs. While the early days of the shutdown in March and April 2020, when educators’ efforts were hailed by celebrities and the public alike, are long gone, we recognize and thank you and your colleagues for your work each day. It does make an enormous difference in the lives of students and their families, and we hope that you are able to rest, relax, and recharge over Winter Break!

To give your inboxes a break, too, our next Newsletter will arrive in inboxes on January 12, 2024!

Following the Illinois P-20 Network Meeting, held on November 29, 2023, the leadership team of the P-20 Network has spent time organizing, coding, and analyzing the feedback about short- and medium-term priorities from participants in the Meeting.

Based on that feedback, first, the Illinois P-20 Network will be adopting a modified sprint planning approach to project management. In this approach, short-term goals are identified and set-up for accomplishment over an equally short period of time. This approach allows the Illinois P-20 Network to be nimble and adjust to changes in policy and/or the needs of its constituent member organizations.

Each of the workgroups has set targeted goals for the third quarter of the 2023-2024 academic year:

Dual Credit Think Tank — Facilitating conversations for practitioners based on their on-the-ground experiences to influence the legislative process as it relates to a proposed amendment to the Dual Credit Quality Act
Dual Credit Think Tank — A series of professional learning opportunities regarding developing a common understanding of the 2022 amendment to the Dual Credit Quality Act
IPIE — Monthly online sessions focused on supporting districts with analyzing district and school data for the planning and implementation of their work around the ISBE Equity Journey Continuum
KEEP Illinois — Publication of three white papers and corresponding webinars based on the existing literature on the following topics: educator retention broadly, instructional coaching and its impact on educator retention, and the impact of wellness policies and practices on educator retention

Join the Educational Coaching Network on May 14, 2024, at NIU Naperville for its 2024 ECN Conference featuring Jennifer Abrams. The focus of this day will be the five facets of being our best selves at work – knowing our identity, suspending certainty, taking responsibility, working interdependently, and building resiliency. In addition to free parking, breakfast, lunch, materials, and 6 Professional Development Hours (PDHs), participants will receive a copy of Jennifer’s new book Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work.

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.

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 individual educator to dozens, there are a wide range of campers to learn with and from.

To learn more about Social Justice Summer Camp, check out this video from the 2023 6.0 edition.

On November 29, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced a partnership to distribute free COVID-19 tests to schools across the country. In a letter sent to local education agencies (LEAs) by ED, school districts are being encouraged to order tests directly from the federal government to be made available to students, parents, staff, and school communities. For more information on how schools can access the free tests, you can read the full press release here and read the Dear Colleague Letter from ED sent to LEAs here.

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is pleased to continue sponsorship of Family Action Network (FAN) events, which are always free and open to the public. FAN curates a high quality speakers series presenting fresh ideas that elevate minds and expand hearts to help create an informed and compassionate community. ISAC invites you to attend the following December FAN events. Please visit the FAN website to learn about and register for upcoming events as they are announced.

In addition to great conversations, useful resources are also discussed. A recent event focused on Social Media and Adolescent Mental Health and shared the Handbook of Adolescent Digital Media Use and Mental Health and the American Psychological Association’s Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence. If you’re not able to participate in a live FAN event, all events are recorded. Visit the FAN website’s Past Events page to view the library of past event topics and their recordings.

Please visit the FAN website to learn about and register for upcoming events as they are announced.

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.

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