We Love Illinois Schools

Ryan Wamser and Matt Weld from Regional Office of Education 40 are leaders in the world of school Social-Emotional Learning, or SEL. Together, they staff the Area 5 SEL Hub in Southwestern Illinois – one of seven regional hubs that offer professional development to local teachers and school administrators on trauma-informed practices and all things SEL.By far the most popular workshop they offer is “Leadership Lessons from the Lasso Way.” The duo uses the hit Apple TV comedy Ted Lasso as inspiration to discuss what it means to lead a team -- or a classroom -- while prioritizing the mental health of both the team and the leaders. They spoke with guest host Lindsay Record, who leads ISBE's public relations efforts focused on Illinois pandemic recovery efforts. To get connected with your SEL Hubs, visit https://isbe.net/selhubs.Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Briana Morales is our 2023 Illinois State Teacher of the Year. She's a high school English teacher at Gordon Bush Alternative Center – the alternative school for East St. Louis School District 189. To learn more about our Teacher of the Year program, visit our website. To nominate someone for 2024 Teacher of the year, go to this page. To request Briana for a speaking engagement, express interest here. To be inspired to connect with students, click play.Our theme music is by José Rivera.

The National Teacher of the Year finalist and Oregon High School teacher known as Ms. Rad talks about why she advocates for having special education students in her Spanish class, how she overcame her fear of public speaking, the role llamas played in improving her teaching technique,  what she does in her spare time, and so much more.  Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Lindsay Record, the communications lead for our Learning Renewal team, hosts this episode. Her featured guests are Mashana Smith, Ph.D, director of REACH at the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, and Marla Graham, principal of the Lovington Grade School in Arthur CUSD 305. They share experiences and strategies to address trauma so that students can feel safe and ready to learn. REACH stands for Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing. It's a statewide initiative, offering schools the tools they need to help educators support the social and emotional well-being of both students and staff. You can learn more about it and the services REACH provides at isbe.net/REACH.Theme music by José Rivera

Steven Herkert is director of ROE services at Regional Office of Education 8. He is also a principal mentor with the Illinois Principals Association, and a passionate advocate for the 5Essentials Culture and Climate Survey. In this episode, he talks about mistakes he made as a principal, what he got right, and how principals can use data to make their schools better.Our theme music is by José Rivera.

This episode features two guests: Chanice Artis is a Project Coordinator for Valley View Schools, and previously taught middle school language arts in Romeoville and Bolingbrook.Italy Wallace is an instructional technology coach, certified by both Apple and Google, for Lincolnshire School District 103. She previously taught elementary and served as an assistant principal in Joliet.But this conversation focuses on their work for ISBE and TeachPlus, where both Italy and Chanice facilitate Affinity Groups for educators of color.If you've been wondering why we need Affinity Groups, or how educators benefit from these meetings, this conversation will answer those questions and more.You can learn more about our Affinity Groups here.Our theme music is by José Rivera.

 Just before her official retirement, Illinois State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala reflects on her four decades in education and especially her four years at the helm of the Illinois State Board of Education.  Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Gower District 62 Superintendent Dr. Victor Simon talks about data mining the 5Essentials, and how his personal background reminds him why it matters, and its connection to the Equity Journey Continuum.Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Dr. James L. Hayes, principal of Harvard Park Elementary in Springfield, talks about the "Comprehensive" summative designation his school received in 2019, and how IL-Empower helped his campus achieve a vast improvement. Listen to the end for surprise positive outcomes that reach beyond the gradebook.Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Days before announcing our 2022 Teacher of the Year, we asked Justin Johnson, our 2021 Teacher of the Year, to tell us what he learned, what he missed, what advice he has for the next Teacher of the Year -- and what advice he has for ISBE, as we work to retain and sustain teachers of color.Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Jett Hawkins wanted to wear his hair in braids. His school said that hairstyle violated the dress code. So Jett's mother, Ida Nelson, began working to change the school's policy. Less than a year later, she and 4-year-old Jett had transformed school dress codes throughout Illinois with the passage of a new law. In this podcast, Ida explains why hair has such profound significance in Black culture, and why she's still working to help change laws in other states.Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Have you ever heard of the "racial empathy gap"? Did your own education omit some important information? Is there anything you should know about the town that you live in? Hear our eye-opening conversation with Jessica Splain, a social studies teacher at Crystal Lake Central High School, who created a professional development course titled Race In America.Our theme music is by José Rivera.

In the 2019-2020 school year, East St. Louis School District 189 lost four middle school students to gun violence. In response, Dr. Tiffany Gholson, director of Parent and Student Support Services, created a team of social workers to respond on-scene to any traumatic incident involving youth, day or night.  Her team works in cooperation with state and local police to intervene with victims, families, friends, witnesses, and perpetrators. State Police Inspector Nick Manns says this kind of trauma-responsive community partnership transforms lives.Theme music by José Rivera.Interstitial music courtesy of https://www.purple-planet.com

We are joined by three stellar educators for a lively chat about their personal experiences as students, the teachers who inspired them, the value of diverse educators, and what these Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading standards could mean for Illinois students.Rudy Hernandez is superintendent of Cicero School District 99 — a large elementary district west of Chicago, with more than 10,000 students, most of whom are Hispanic.Corey Winchester has taught history and social sciences at Evanston Township High School for more than a decade. In 2020, he was named Illinois History teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. He has also been a Teach Plus policy fellow and a Golden Apple award winner for excellence in teaching.Keisha Rembert has taught history and English at the middle school level, and is now an assistant professor of teacher preparation at National Louis University in Chicago. She was also a Teach Plus policy fellow and, in 2019, Keisha was named Outstanding Middle-level Educator in English Language Arts by the National Council of teachers of English.Both Rudy and Keisha are members of our Diverse and Learner Ready Teachers Network, which helped develop these new standards.We recorded this conversation in December, just before the holidays. Due to everyone's busy schedules, we interviewed Rudy first, and then Corey and Keisha together. What you'll hear in this podcast is those interviews mixed together and slightly edited for time.Theme music by José Rivera.

Sometimes, students need educators to connect them with advocates. Teachers are mandated reporters, duty-bound to act on suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. In this episode, hear how Child Advocacy Centers can help, in a conversation with Kim Mangiaracino, executive director at Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois; and Julia Strehlow, Director of Education, Prevention and Policy at Chicago Children's Advocacy Center.In the second half of this episode, you will meet Molly Uhe-Edmonds, former deputy director of education at Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and now the director of the new Student Care Department at ISBE. Theme music by José Rivera.Incidental music courtesy of https://www.purple-planet.com

Career and Technical Education courses are now more important than ever. They prepare students for high-wage jobs in the post-pandemic economy, and bolster local businesses by supplying the necessary skilled workers. But how do you have a hands-on CTE class when you can't have in-person instruction?In today's podcast, we're going to take you to Township High School District 214, where every student has some sort of workplace experience outside of the classroom. Superintendent David Schuler says his district has found ways to both keep those experiences going, and make a meaningful contribution to the battle against COVID-19.Theme music by José Rivera.Incidental music courtesy of https://www.purple-planet.com

On National Census Day, we're featuring an in-depth interview with Anita Banerji, who leads the organization Forefront's 2020 Census efforts for Illinois. We also drag a teenager away from his video game to fill out the census survey in real time.Theme music by José RiveraIncidental music by Ben Johnson