Laurie Elish-Piper, dean of the NIU College of Education, has been named a Deans for Impact member dean.
Founded in 2015, Deans for Impact is a national nonprofit organization creating networks of leaders from different contexts who collaborate to improve the way they prepare future teachers.
Deans for Impact also empowers, supports and advocates on behalf of leaders at all levels of educator preparation who are committed to transforming the field and elevating the teaching profession.
The current roster of 22 member deans hails from 14 states, and represents a diverse mix of public, private, rural, urban, small and large universities.
Members gather twice each year to advise and design the programming of Deans for Impact; to share their own stories of leadership and struggle; and to work with other deans on the unique challenges of teacher preparation.
As part of a select network of proven leaders helping to outline a vision for system-wide change, they also are expected to lead their own programs in pursuit of Deans for Impact’s mission – that each child has access to teachers who are good on Day One and who are on the path to become great over time.
Elish-Piper’s nomination and voted-on confirmation as a member dean allows her to continue the work she began in July 2018 as an Impact Academy fellow.
The Impact Academy is a yearlong fellowship in which fellows work with Deans for Impact to transform their own teacher-preparation programs using the organization’ essential building blocks to improve their program and boost teacher readiness.
During that year, they also are provided with leadership coaching from the member deans.
