CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — “Stoking the Flames of Passionate Teaching” will be the theme for the Illinois New Teacher Collaborative’s Winter Leadership Summit.
The summit, which will be INTC’s 12th annual event, will be held Jan. 26 at the I Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. First St., Champaign.
The summit is a working conference aimed at induction and mentoring leadership teams and administrators who are developing or reorganizing systems of beginning-teacher support, said Lara Hebert, a co-director of INTC.
“The difficult state budget climate and challenges filling open teaching positions are affecting schools throughout Illinois, giving our discussions of teacher recruitment, support and retention a new level of urgency,” Hebert said. “Teams of teacher leaders and administrators who attend the summit can obtain new ideas for program planning and network with others in their field. Everyone will leave with a set of actionable steps to strengthen their systems of support for those new to the profession.”
The keynote speaker will be Joseph Fatheree, the director of strategic projects for the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, an organization that seeks to improve student learning across the U.S. by defining, sharing and advocating for effective teaching practices and policies.
An award-winning educator and filmmaker, Fatheree is the instructor of creativity and innovation at Effingham High School in Effingham, Illinois, and was one of 50 finalists for the Varkey Foundation’s 2016 Global Teacher Prize. The prior year, Fatheree was selected by the U.S. Department of Education to serve as an official delegate to the International Summit on the Teaching Profession.
During the summit’s breakout sessions, experienced induction and mentoring program leaders from across Illinois will share their stories of success and lessons learned. Presenters will explore four themes: induction program design and evaluation, leadership, mentoring structures and supports, and beginning teacher professional learning.
INTC is a statewide network of individuals and organizations interested in supporting new teachers’ development and enhancing their abilities to promote student learning in Illinois schools. INTC is sponsored by the U. of I. College of Education and the State Farm Companies Foundation.
Online registration, which continues through Jan. 20, will be $90 per person, or $80 per person for teams of two or three, or $70 per person for teams of four or more.
More information about the summit and INTC is available online.
