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State Board of Education approves
recommendations to expand and diversify highly qualified teacher workforce. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has approved specific
recommendations to expand and diversify the state’s
highly qualified teacher workforce. The recommendations remove barriers and
create new avenues of entry into the profession, while maintaining high
standards.
The
recommendations stem from a year of study involving focus groups, data
analysis, and a review of state and national research. The year of study
culminated in the Teach Illinois report released on Sept. 7. ISBE received more
than 150 public comments on the report over a three-week period and took each
comment into consideration in developing the agency’s next steps and
legislative recommendations.
“Tremendous
commitment has gone into the Teach Illinois project over the last year,” said
State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D. “We now have a comprehensive
set of actions that consider teacher recruitment, educator preparation, and
licensure requirements. I look forward to putting infrastructure and energy
behind what started as ideas. Now the next round of partnership and dialogue
begins.”