Current Initiatives

Preschool For All Expansion

Illinois State Board of Education, 2015 through 2018
$973,067
Staffing: Lisa Hood, Erika Hunt and a Preschool Expansion Policy Director to be named

Illinois was recently awarded the Preschool For All Expansion Grant by the U.S. Department of Education. The Center was written into the grant to develop and conduct Birth-Third Grade Institutes for participating districts. These institutes will be 3-day institutes and take place each summer. In addition, a policy director will be hired to oversee that the vision of the grant is being implemented across the state and to collaborate with subgrantees to monitor implementation.

Redefining High School to College Transition

The Joyce Foundation, 2015
$10,000
Staffing: Erika Hunt and Ashley Long

Advance Illinois and Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University (EdSystems) were awarded a planning grant to develop the parameters for a potential private grant program intended to better align the high school to post-secondary education transition in Illinois.  A High School and Post-secondary Education Community Team from McLean County was invited to participate with the planning initiative and in order to support the McLean County Community Team, a grant has been allocated to cover travel for team participants and to fund a jointly selected project initiated by the team during the planning period.   The McLean County Community Team will work on a regional planning effort to accelerate student advancement to college and careers through the STEM career pathway system by convening Unit 5 school district, Heartland Community College and Illinois State University to look at the alignment of career clusters in STEM related subjects.

Planning Grant for Early Childhood Classroom Videos and Revising the LINC Curriculum Modules

McCormick Foundation, January 2015-December 2015
$50,000
Staffing: Lisa Hood, Erika Hunt

The proposed project will build upon the past two years of McCormick-funded work around a validation study of the Danielson Framework for Teaching for PreK-Grade 3 teachers. This project will also build on past work in providing technical assistance and resources to principal preparation programs in integrating content and field experiences in early childhood, special education, and English Language Learners. This project will explore the need for early childhood videos and other professional development tools to advance the field in teacher evaluation in early childhood classrooms, as well as review and revise the LINC Curriculum Modules.

Illinois School Leadership Advisory Council (ISLAC)

The Wallace Foundation, 2014-2015
$75,000
Staffing: Lynne Haeffele, Erika Hunt, Lisa Hood, Alicia Haller, Kristine Servais, Joe Pacha

The purpose of ISLAC is to serve as a strategic planning group to continue to strengthen leadership development and support in the state The main goal of the Council is to provide strategic leadership for a statewide five-year action plan designed to support school leader preparation efforts in place and the documented impact on school performance statewide. Aligned with this goal, the Council will also work on the following objectives:

• Develop common understanding of how principal preparation changes are affecting program quality.
• Develop a deeper understanding of what the state needs long-term to support the production of more effective school leaders.
• Develop strategies to elevate the documented impact of the recent Illinois P-12 Principal Endorsement legislation by working with state agencies, school districts, principal preparation programs, and other stakeholders.
• Build the capacity of state agencies, incrementally and annually, to grow support for dramatically changed partnerships between districts and principal providers.

ISLAC is chaired by Dr. Steve Tozer, Professor of Educational Administration at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Dr. Diane Rutledge, Executive Director of the Large Unit District Association.  Staff for the Council will be provided by Dr. Lynne Haeffele and Dr. Kristine Servais, serving as consultants to this work and Dr. Lisa Hood, providing in-kind support.  The council will be comprised of approximately 50 representatives from professional organizations, P-12 education, private and public universities, special interest groups, the Illinois General Assembly, and the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education.  More information about ISLAC can be found on Illinois School Leader. 

Modeling Effective Collaboration on the Alignment of Standards and Assessment Based on the Common Core Standards Among High Schools, Community Colleges and Four-Year Institutions

Illinois Board of Higher Education, March 2014-September 2014
*Funding for the IBHE P20 Illinois Learning Standards was extended to the 2014-15 school year as a result of a grant extension amendment. 

Adopted in 2010 by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSSO), forty six states, two territories and the District of Columbia are now participating in the use of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The original purpose of the CCSS was to provide consistency across the states of what knowledge, skills and abilities students are expected to learn in subjects such as English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics (and eventually Science and Social Studies) in order for them to be competitive in a global economy. Much of the focus has been on the implementation of the standards in K-12 schools with the emphasis that the new standards are designed to assure students are ‘college and career ready’.  However, the vision of the CCSS, in which higher education was an active partner, was much broader at not only ensuring the success of students in elementary and secondary education, but subsequently, in post-secondary education as a result of higher standards and aligned expectations between secondary and post-secondary education. To achieve this outcome requires that higher education not only be informed of the CCSS but also engaged as a full partner in its implementation. With this in mind, the American Council on Education (ACE) recommended four key areas where actions by higher education are needed, including:

• Aligning key school-to-college policies, including more targeted college readiness supports to help students make the transition
• Developing assessments and aligning with placement policies
• Aligning K-12 and higher education curricula (e.g., developmental courses, bridge courses, dual credit courses, and first-year postsecondary courses)
• Preparing new and existing teachers (including the inclusion of Arts and Sciences faculty) 
  Learn more...

Illinois Partnerships Advance Rigorous Training (IL-PART) Project

U.S. Department of Education, October 2013 through September 2018
$4,600,000
Staffing: Erika Hunt and Alicia Haller

The U.S. Department of Education awarded CSEP a School Leadership Program grant of $4.6M over 5 years.  The grant will be used to support the Illinois Partnerships Advance Rigorous Training (IL-PART) project, which represents a collaborative effort between high-need school districts and universities that have come together in formal partnerships aimed at improving the way in which principals are prepared and developed in Illinois. 

IL-PART is comprised of 3 qualifying high-need district/university partnerships:

1. Aurora (East) District 131 and North Central College
2. Bloomington District 87 and Illinois State University
3. Quincy District 172 and Western Illinois University

The grant also partners with the Center for Catholic School Effectiveness at Loyola University and the Catholic school diocese representing Aurora, Bloomington, and Quincy. 

The consortium of partners are collaborating in the effort with three clear goals:

• Goal 1 - Prepare highly qualified school principals for high-need Develop a deeper understanding of what the state needs long-term to support the production of more effective school leaders.
• Goal 2 - Develop effective partnerships between university principal preparation programs and high-need districts with the supports designed to build leadership capacity in an effort to improve student outcomes.
• Goal 3 - Dissemination of IL-PART evaluation findings and emerging best practices in principal preparation and partnership development.

Developing the Charlotte Danielson Early Learning Framework for Teaching: Growing Teachers' Practice and Principals' Knowledge of Effective Teaching at the PreKindergarten - Grade 3 Levels

McCormick Foundation, June 1, 2013 through May 31, 2015
$485,000
Staffing: Lisa Hood, Debra Kasperski, Erika Hunt, Pam Rosa with Rosa Educational Consulting, and Lizanne DeStefano, Gabriela Garcia, and Sarai Coba from I-STEM Initiative of UIUC

The Center for the Study of Education Policy (CSEP) at Illinois State University is conducting a study to validate the Danielson Framework for Teaching in PreK-3rd grade classrooms in Illinois.  This study also explores the implementation of the Illinois teacher evaluation system in these early learning classrooms in terms of best practices in using the system to grow teachers' practices.  This study will take place in approximately seven selected districts and early childhood centers throughout Illinois (Northern, Central, Southern, and Chicago) in Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 with a sample of PreK-3 teachers and teacher evaluators (e.g., principals, master teachers, directors).

Conducting a validation study of the Framework has multiple purposes:

• To study whether the Danielson Framework is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating teachers in early learning classrooms.
• To study if the Framework and the teacher evaluation system provide accurate and reliable data that PreK-3 teachers and their supervisors can use to identify strengths and weaknesses, and how they use that data to identify appropriate professional development mechanisms to promote teachers' growth.
• To develop training and resources that support early learning teachers and their supervisors in their use of the Framework and their local teacher evaluation system.
• To provide recommendations to the Illinois State Board of Education and other policymakers about best practices for effective and appropriate teacher evaluation for PreK-3 teachers.

A website was created, Teacher Evaluation in Early Childhood Classrooms, that houses information about the project, including:

• Project staff and partners.
• The Danielson Framework with Early Learning Examples developed through this project as well as through other districts and states.
• Illinois Performance Evaluation system requirements for Illinois education agencies.
• Early learning resources that support the use of the Danielson Framework and best practices in teacher evaluation.
• The use of student assessments in PreK-3 teacher evaluation.
• State of Illinois and other states early learning teacher evaluation policies.
• Publications, presentations and reports that staff members develop in regards to the findings from this study.

Midwest Expansion of Child Parent Center i3 Validation Study

University of Minnesota through U.S. DOE i3 grant, January 2012-January 2016
$350,000
Staffing: Erika Hunt, Ashley Long, and Laura Kalmes

The Midwest Child-Parent Center Expansion Project was awarded an Investing in Innovation or “i3” grant of $15 million over five years from the U.S. Department of Education.  Beginning fall 2012, the project is implementing the CPC education model in 33 sites in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin beginning this fall.  Site locations in Illinois include the McLean County School District 5 in Normal, Chicago Public Schools (where the program was developed in 1967), and Evanston/Skokie School District 65. In addition to the Chicago Public Schools, the Erikson Institute will collaborate with the CPC expansion team to develop the professional development system and Illinois State University will contribute to the dissemination and sustainability of the model. SRI International will be conducting a rigorous evaluation of the implementation and impact. You can learn more about the CPC program at their web site.

Illinois State University Statewide RtI Research and Evaluation Team

Illinois State Board of Education, 2011-2017
Staffing: Gary Cates, April Mustian, Lisa Hood, and Dianne Gardner Renn

Since October 2011, Illinois State University has been under contract with the Illinois State Board of Education to serve as the external evaluation team for state’s RtI program. Lisa Hood and Dianne Gardner, researchers and evaluators from CSEP, are members of this team partnering with faculty from the Department of Special Education and School Psychology, April Mustian and Gary Cates. This project is a five-year grant funded by the State Personnel Development Grant under Part D of IDEA 2004 from the U.S. Department of Education.  The program evaluation addresses the need for a systematic mixed methods program evaluation on the State of Illinois' ability to provide intensive professional development, coaching, and technical assistance on Response to Intervention (RtI) that yields large-scale, sustained RtI implementation in districts across Illinois.  The ISU Evaluation Team is collecting fidelity of implementation data using both quantitative and qualitative methods as well as collecting baseline data on student outcomes.  As the project progresses, the evaluation team will continue to collect student outcomes data to assess the SPDG project's effects on RtI implementation at the district and school level, as well as student outcomes in reading, mathematics, behavior, attendance, discipline, and promotion.

Leadership to Integrate the Learning Continuum (LINC)

McCormick Foundation, 2008-current

The LINC initiative, funded by the McCormick Foundation since 2008, is focused on supporting leaders in early childhood and K-12 to develop and nurture a seamless learning continuum centered on children's learning and development. The intended outcome is to develop and implement policies/practices that address the missing "links" in creating a learning continuum to support the whole child from birth to beyond. At the core of this work is the role that early childhood and K-12 school leaders play in their efforts to collaborate with families, support agencies, and community and state stakeholders to bridge these "links". At the beginning of the work, an advisory committee made up of early childhood and K-12 stakeholders made recommendations for the role of leadership (early childhood and K-12) with bridging the divide between early learning and K-12 education that resulted in the new P-12 principal endorsement in Illinois. Building from this initial work has been the following:

ESEA Improving Teacher Quality Grant Evaluation

Illinois Board of Higher Education, 2003-current

The Illinois Board of Higher Education has often had difficulty in assessing the impact of a statewide grant program by pooling evidence from individually funded grant projects. It has been even harder for the Board to extract from individual evaluations general lessons for policy and practice. The Center’s goal for the Evaluation Team is to derive general lessons for improving teacher quality by collating data from individual projects funded by the ESEA grants for Improving Teacher Quality. In brief, the goal is to solve the above-stated problem of generalizing from numerous individual grants to an assessment of the statewide program as a whole. You can learn more about the ESEA evaluation here.

National Board Resource Center

Illinois State Board of Education, July 2002-current
$298,000
Staffing: Debra Kasperski, Mindy Bolin, Stephanie Wright, and Traci Muir

The National Board Resource Center (NBRC) at Illinois State University is recognized as one of two national centers by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The NBRC maintains a National Board comprehensive support system to expand recruitment and candidate support throughout Illinois. The NBRC offers a wide array of services to educators across the state. Services include recruitment sessions; candidate cohort face-to-face sessions, virtual cohorts, assessment center workshops, retake meetings, renewal sessions, the NB Professional Development School program, traditional support programs, a variety of online NBCT mentor trainings, mentor/coach trainings and a selection of graduate courses. Additionally, the NBRC offers graduate courses to support candidates while completing the NB process. The NBRC website provides podcasts, working agenda, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, and resources for all trainings. NBCTs, teacher educators, and professional development providers may access these resources at no cost and improve programs and deliver high quality professional development to teachers throughout Illinois and the nation. At this time one hundred of the 102 counties in Illinois have an NBCT. In 2014, NBPTS began the three year process of revising the NB Certification process. The NBRC combined the whole school concept (piloted for three years) with the new NB revisions to roll out the Illinois NB Professional Development School program. Thirty school groups, including 380 teachers, registered for this program. Illinois has produced 6,300 NBCTs. Illinois ranks third in the nation in the number of new NBCTs and fifth in total number of NBCTs. Chicago continuously ranks in the top three cities. The overall candidate count for the Illinois Candidate Fee application is currently 789 with the next application opening in February 2015.

Grapevine

The Grapevine project entails an annual compilation of data on state tax support for higher education, including general fund appropriations for universities, colleges, community colleges, and state higher education agencies. Each year states give tax appropriations data for the new fiscal year, and revisions (if any) to data reported one year ago, two years ago, five years ago, and ten years ago. Updated state reports are entered on the Grapevine Web site as they are received from May through December of the calendar year. Over 30 years of data are available. You can visit the Grapevine website here.

Past Initiatives

Find past initiatives.