South Cook News

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and other stakeholders throughout the state, have launched the Illinois Educator Preparation Profile to help improve programs that will help diversify the teacher workforce and help meet schools' needs better. 

“Our Illinois Educator Preparation Profile system has been years in the making, and I am tremendously thankful to each person whose ideas and feedback brought this tool to life,” State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I Ayala said in a press release from ISBE. “The Profile gives us an opportunity both to recognize programs that are producing the diverse and learner-ready teachers our students need and to use data as a tool for continuous improvement." 

Ayala explained that date shows the program is on the right track with the direction their strategies of diversifying teachers and strengthening the 'pipeline.' 

A new program launched by the Illinois Educator Preparation Profile to help improve programs that will help diversify the teacher workforce shows success | Pixabay

"Several states use data reporting systems to advance the work of educator preparation programs within their state. Our Illinois Educator Preparation Profile builds on those best practices and offers the most detailed, easiest to navigate, and most transparent visual data tool in the country," Ayala said. 

Ayala stated 52 colleges and universities in the state offer over 700 approved teacher preparation programs, which prepare educators in 49 areas and produce approximately 5,000 teachers each year. 

"ISBE embarked on this significant effort to advance the work of educator preparation programs by improving data collection, sharing, and reporting starting in 2016 with the Partnership for Educator Preparation (PEP). This team of stakeholders, including principals, district leaders, higher education experts, and teachers from across the state, met regularly with ISBE to collaboratively shape this new improvement and accountability system," Ayala said in the press release.