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What we’ve been up to... |
With the 2025-2026 year underway for pretty much everyone, we hope that the start of your year has been as smooth as possible. Talking to partners around the State, everything seems to be moving in a great direction – attendance is off to a great start in many school districts and word-on-the-street is very positive about postsecondary enrollments. Students have been quite engaged in the community colleges and school districts that we’ve been in already this year! Congratulations and thank you to all of you!
While we’ve spent weekends finishing up the Defining Educator Compensation data analysis, and we cannot wait to share that with everyone, we’ve also been lucky to be out and about...
Northwest Illinois Rural and Small-Town LEAP – Over the past two weeks, we have been at cohort launches for the Northwest Illinois Rural and Small-Town LEAP at both Sauk Valley Community College and Illinois Valley Community College. Thank you to the leaders at both of those community colleges, as well as Highland Community College, and at ROEs and school districts throughout northwest Illinois. This is an amazing group of paraprofessionals from a wide variety of settings who will be earning their
Professional Educator License as special education teachers!
Partner Planning – Whether it is working with entire community college regions on dual credit, planning to improve middle school instruction with embedded career readiness, coordinating with other statewide organizations, and/or designing new research projects at both the local and state levels, work with a wide range of partners continues (and continues to pick-up)!
Back-to-School Events – While it seems like we have been in school for ages, during this two-week window, we have continued to be lucky to attend some of the fun back-to-school events that are filled with optimism around the start of the year!
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Register Now for the ECN Student-Centered Coaching Series with Diane Sweeney |
We are so excited for this year’s innovative and custom ECN Student-Centered Coaching Series with Diane Sweeney. We have been privileged to partner with Diane to develop a new and unique approach to examining Student-Centered Coaching this year. This year’s coaching promotes partnerships between coaches and both teachers and administrators, as well as aligning with The School Leader Paradigm from the Illinois Principals
Association, a model for promoting growth among school leaders.
This year’s series includes six workshops divided into three levels. Participants can choose to attend as few or as many individual workshops as they want. The paired workshop dates are designed to promote the attendance of administrators and coaches together on the first day and just coaches on the second day. Of course, coaches are welcome and encouraged to attend without administrators, and administrators are welcome to attend both days of each level!
November 17 – 18 – Level 1 Workshops
February 24 – 25 – Level 2 Workshops
April 14 – 15 – Level 3 Workshops
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| Learn more and register now
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Building Our Statewide Community – Illinois Education Podcasts |
For nearly twenty years, the Illinois P-20 Network team has been avid listeners of podcasts, and in preparing this week’s Newsletter, we were excited that a new episode, the first of the 2025-2026 school year, dropped into our podcast apps from Vienna High School – The Better than Detention podcast.
One of the most profound aspects of working as part of the Illinois P-20 Network is the strong sense of community among educators in Illinois, and we had the thought, ‘How cool would it be to collect all of the podcasts being created in schools and postsecondary institutions and to share that list back statewide?’
So, this is a very simple, very quick (3 questions only) call-to-action: Does your organization have a podcast? It can be on any topic from academics to the arts to athletics (to pop culture, politics, or more)! Podcasts can be student-generated (awesome!) or created by staff. If so, tell us about it and drop the link into this short form, and we’ll share this list out this Fall! Please forward this to others in your organization and throughout your region.
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| Share an Illinois Education Podcast
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Mandated Reporter Resources and Reminders
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Recently, ISBE and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) shared reminders and resources related to our status as mandated reporters. Highlighted resources include:
As always, if you are concerned about a child or family, there are two ways to find support for them. In a non-emergency situation, visit the DCFS Online Reporting System at childabuse.illinois.gov or call the Illinois DCFS Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1.800.25.ABUSE (800.252.2873). Calls and online
reports may be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you would like free printed copies of any of the resources mentioned above mailed to your school, please send an email to dcfs.communications@illinois.gov.
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Illinois Resource Center – Free Webinar for PTOs and PTAs – “Become a Multilingual Champion”
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Last Fall, the Illinois Resource Center (IRC) launched "Becoming Multilingual Champions," a free webinar series dedicated to empowering school staff with the tools and strategies they need to support our multilingual students.
The IRC is launching a new webinar focused on the role parent-teacher organizations like PTAs, PFAs, and PTOs and their members can play in making their organizations more affirming for multilingual families in their communities.
During this event, school staff and parent-teacher association members will:
Discuss strengths and share individual district/association successes.
Identify barriers toward engagement faced by multilingual families and staff.
Explore strategies and resources for building inclusive and responsive PTAs.
Leave feeling energized, excited, and empowered with more tools and strategies to work together to serve multilingual learners and their families in your school!
Becoming Multilingual Champions: PTA Edition – This free, virtual session will take place on September 25, 2025, with options for two different session times: 9:30-11 AM and 1-2:30 PM.
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Illinois MTSS Network Learning Networks
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Educators, do you enjoy interactive and supportive professional learning that’s high quality, practical and relevant to your work – and flexible to accommodate your busy schedule?
IL MTSS-N Learning Networks allow you to interact in a convenient virtual learning environment while you explore and discuss content and tools. Access to electronic resources and Online Office Hours with an experienced MTSS Capacity Coach are provided. ISBE PD Credit Hours are available.
This year's Learning Network topics include:
Need to miss a session? No worries! Every Learning Network is recorded and available for you to complete for PDH credit or just to review!
To ensure a great experience, participant numbers are limited. Sign up soon!
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P-20 Network Email Newsletter —
Pass it along today!
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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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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, and department chairs by using the Forward to a Friend link below. Others can subscribe by simply completing this very short form.
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Forward this message by using the “Forward to a Friend” button below.
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Copyright © 2025 Illinois P-20 Network, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Illinois P-20 Network
Lowden Hall
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115
United States
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