Partnership Highlight: Deans for Impact
On February 28, NCE hosted teacher preparation faculty and leaders from Northern Illinois University and Deans for Impact (DFI), a national nonprofit focused on improving teacher preparation and elevating the teaching profession. Guests sat in on our traditional and residency MAT classes, met NCE faculty and learned about our programs, and observed our student teachers in action at Maine Township D207 high schools.
This "learning visit" was part of DFI's Illinois Ed Prep Impact Network initiative, a coalition of five Illinois universities working together to improve teacher candidate readiness by examining state and district data to identify variations in program performance and initiative improvements. Since this two-year initiative launched in Fall 2018, core members of NCE's Teacher Preparation faculty and leadership have been collaborating internally and as well with external stakeholders including our Teacher Preparation Advisory Board to address our specific inquiry question: "What candidate learning opportunities can be embedded into our teacher preparation programs to most effectively improve teaching and outcomes of PK-12 diverse students in their communities?"
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please contact Lisa Mozer lisa.mozer@nl.edu and Liz Allen eallen19@nl.edu.