More than two dozen classroom paraprofessionals and long-term substitutes in rural and small-town school districts throughout the northwest corner of the state are embarking on a tuition-free path to becoming special education teachers. The NIU College of Education’s Licensed Educator Accelerated Pathway
Read moreNIU, RPS, Grow Your Own Illinois ‘RISE’ together to equip RPS 205 employees as licensed elementary education teachers
More than two dozen future teachers who already work for the Rockford Public Schools in support roles are now on their way to employer-paid bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education from Northern Illinois University. Among their champions is Grow Your Own Illinois, the
Read morePLEDGE-ECC cheers fourth ElEd cohort, celebrates Early Childhood trailblazers
Ask Ania Tyrka why she wants to become a teacher, and she immediately smiles and points right at 10-year-old Anthony. “This little guy – my son,” said Tyrka, a “mom, homemaker and wife” who also credits 12-year-old daughter, Zosia, for the decision
Read moreNIU PLEDGE, Elgin Community College add 18 elementary teachers to pipeline
The numbers tell an amazing story. Eighteen B.S.Ed. in Elementary Education majors started the third cohort of the College of Education’s PLEDGE (Partnering to Lead and Empower District-Grown Educators) program with Elgin Community College in the fall semester of 2021. All 18
Read moreU-46’s first principal prep cohort nears August completion of master’s degrees
When Gladys Crespo graduated from high school in her native Puerto Rico, she planned to become an engineer. That was her initial path in college as well, but it didn’t last. “I ended up teaching other students what they needed to do,
Read moreReady to teach: Second PLEDGE cohort celebrates ECC-NIU education degrees
Michael Brady’s motivation appeared when he was in sixth-grade – in the form of a male teacher. For Jocelynne Escontrias, the role models in those School District U-46 classrooms shared her culture: “It was just great to see people lead by example
Read moreCongratulations!
Congratulations to these members of the NIU College of Education family! Jocelynne Escontrias, a senior Elementary Education major, is among 23 Huskies chosen to receive the 2022 Outstanding Women and Gender Advocacy Student Award given by the NIU Presidential Commission on the
Read moreU-46 paraprofessionals ‘leap’ to begin journey to Special Education degrees
Thirty-five paraprofessionals from School District U-46 have begun their employer-paid pursuit of NIU bachelor’s degrees in Special Education. Part of the College of Education’s PLEDGE-Partnering to Lead and Empower District-Grown Educators initiative, the new Licensed Educator Accelerated Pathway (LEAP) program provides a
Read more