Golden Apple Hosts Roundtable With Local Superintendents, Announces Program To Help Address Region’s Teacher Shortage Crisis
New “Accelerators” Program, to launch in the 2020/2021 School Year
LOVES PARK – With Illinois facing a shortage of 1,800 high-quality educators in the upcoming school year and forecasted to face a shortage of 20,000 by 2025, Golden Apple is launching an initiative to address this crisis and help fill critical positions throughout our state: the Golden Apple Accelerators Program, a new teacher residency and licensure program that will expedite the preparation of highly-qualified teachers in southern, central, and western Illinois.
To kick-off the new program and discuss the gravity of the teacher shortage crisis, Golden Apple hosted a roundtable conversation at the Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education #4 where Alan Mather, President of Golden Apple; Bob Sondgeroth, Superintendent of Schools Regional Office of Education #47; Scott Bloomquist, Regional Superintendent of Regional Office of Education #4; and Anna Alvarado, Superintendent of Freeport School District.
“This crisis demands our immediate attention as it poses a real threat to the future of students in every corner of our state, especially the most vulnerable who are from economically challenged communities with underfunded and under-resourced schools,” said Alan Mather, President of Golden Apple. “It’s imperative that we continue having productive conversations like the one we had today, as there is no greater priority facing the education community. As an organization that has successfully championed this work, we are positioned to meet this challenge head on.”
The Accelerators program is recruiting (1) college seniors not already in a teacher preparation program and (2) career changers who hold a bachelor’s degree. Thanks to the Illinois General Assembly, which approved $750,000 in funding for year one of the program in May of 2019, and Governor Pritzker who signed the bill shortly after its passage, the Accelerators program is accepting applicants until February 10, 2020.
In the program’s inaugural year, Golden Apple will recruit and prepare 50 candidates who will begin their training in the summer of 2020, earn their teaching license by summer of 2021, and enter the profession of teaching in the 2021/22 school year.
“The shortage of teachers facing our schools and other areas across the state has become an outright crisis,” said Bob Sondgeroth, Superintendent of the Regional Office of Education #47. “Today’s discussion invited those who have been impacted in varying ways by the crisis to come to the table and talk about shared experiences and solutions for the future. One fact we can all agree on is that Golden Apple’s Accelerators program is a huge step in the right direction.”
The Accelerators program will provide a one-year residency and training program, which will serve the dual purpose of providing immediate, additional teaching assistance to understaffed districts while better preparing the cohort of new teachers through significant experience in active classrooms. Highly qualified mentors from Golden Apple will oversee the preparation.
“We applaud the work Golden Apple is doing to address the crisis in a way that will swiftly help students, as well as its efforts to get strong candidates with a passion for shaping the lives of children into classrooms. The Accelerators program provides a realistic and expedited path to becoming a teacher for these individuals,” said Scott Bloomquist, Regional Superintendent of Boone-Winnebago Regional Office of Education #4. “We hope the program is expanded and that we can partner to introduce these passionate new teachers into our schools in the future.”
Golden Apple is partnering with Blackburn College, Eastern Illinois University and ROEs: 3, 13, 39, 40 and 47. Here’s how the partnership will work: Partner districts will provide a valuable residency placement to an Accelerator; place a mentor teacher from the district with the Accelerator; allow for appropriate release time to complete university coursework; and partner to hire the Accelerator and enhance the development of the Accelerator in the two years following the residency. To learn more about or apply for the program, interested parties can visit: www.goldenapple.org/accelerators.
Golden Apple will recruit program participants who are:
College seniors and career changers with bachelor’s degrees not in teaching but with backgrounds that will help them to teach in high-need areas, such as special education, STEM and bilingual education.
Committed to four years of teaching in southern, central, or western Illinois school districts.
Program participants will receive:
A $30,000 stipend to apply towards coursework or housing as they pursue their teaching license
Teaching licensure within 15 months
A one-year residency and training program in a targeted partner school district in southern, central or western Illinois
Coursework at a partner university
Job placement in a partner school district in southern, central or western Illinois
Instruction from award-winning educators
Mentoring support for the first years of teaching
In addition to the Accelerators program, Golden Apple is addressing the teacher shortage through its established Scholars program, which is a longer-term solution that uniquely prepares high school seniors and first- and second-year Illinois college students to thrive in the most challenging school environments where resilient teachers are needed the most. In response to the teacher shortage, this year marks the fifth consecutive year that Golden Apple has inducted more than 200 Scholars into the program. In total, more than 800 undergraduates are preparing to become teachers via the Golden Apple Scholars program filling vacancies in schools-of-need throughout Illinois.
About Golden Apple
Golden Apple’s mission is to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence in Illinois, especially in schools-of-need. Our leading-edge preparation delivers exceptional teachers who make an impact. We help students thrive in the classroom and in life. Since our beginning, we have recognized master educators annually; and, these master educators prepare the future generation of teachers. Our vision is an Illinois in which every classroom has a great teacher and to realize this, we are committed to making a material difference in resolving the teacher shortage throughout Illinois. Visit www.goldenapple.org/accelerators for more information.
CONTACT:
Kyler Sumter
kyler@cstrategies.com
(773) 450-5943