Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Teacher conference to focus on ways to recruit, retain teachers

CHAMPAIGN,Ill. – New teacher induction and mentoring will be the focus of the Illinois New Teacher Collaborative’s sixth annual conference.

Titled “Continuing the Continuum,” the conference will be March 1-2 at the Hilton Springfield, 700 E. Adams St., Springfield, Ill.

INTC is a statewide partnership of individuals and groups interested in attracting and retaining new teachers and enhancing their abilities to promote student learning in Illinois schools. The annual conference brings together new teachers, teacher mentors, policymakers and higher education personnel to learn from each other and share best practices in teacher recruitment, retention and professional development, according to Chris Roegge, the director of the collaborative.

“This year’s conference focuses on the Illinois Induction Program Continuum, a tool developed to help programs gauge progress against the Illinois Induction Program Standards,” Roegge said. “Within that framework, the 30 critical issues sessions focus on things such as differentiating support for second-year teachers and teachers of English language learners, tailoring programs for urban and/or rural school districts, and using technology to support mentoring. The use of the continuum and our own research has enabled us to target these and other specific topics identified as areas of need.”

Christopher Koch, state superintendent of education for the Illinois State Board of Education, will be the opening speaker March 1 (Tuesday).

Richard M. Ingersoll, a faculty member with appointments in the Graduate School of Education and the department of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, will be the keynote speaker March 1. A nationally recognized expert in new teacher development initiatives, Ingersoll studies professional and workplace issues in elementary and secondary schools.

Karen Peterson, a professor of education and the director of the Alternative Teacher Certification program and Beginning Teacher Induction/Mentoring program at Governors State University, will give the keynote address on Wednesday. Peterson is involved in the development of induction and mentoring initiatives in Illinois.

About 250 educators and policymakers are expected to attend the conference. The collaborative is sponsored by the U. of I. College of Education, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the State Farm Companies Foundation.

More about the conference and INTC is available online.

[ Email | Share ]

Read Next

Humanities Diptych image with book cover of "The New Internationals" and a headshot of English professor David Wright Faladé

English professor’s novel tells of love triangle in post-WWII Paris, based on his family history

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new novel by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign English professor David Wright Faladé tells the story of three people in a love triangle in post-World War II Paris. The characters in “The New Internationals” — a young French woman who has survived the Holocaust, a university student from West Africa and a […]

Life sciences Portrait of the research team posing together.

Minecraft players can now explore whole cells and their contents

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have translated nanoscale experimental and computational data into precise 3D representations of bacteria, yeast and human epithelial, breast and breast cancer cells in Minecraft, a video game that allows players to explore, build and manipulate structures in three dimensions. The innovation will allow researchers and students of all ages to navigate […]

Arts Photo of seven dancers onstage wearing blue tops and orange or yellow flowing skirts. The backdrop is a Persian design.

February Dance includes works experimenting with live music, technology and a ‘sneaker ballet’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will present February Dance 2025: Fast Forward this week at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. February Dance will be one of the first performances in the newly renovated Colwell Playhouse Theatre since its reopening. The performances are Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Dance professor […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010