Professional Articulation for Recruiting/Retaining Teachers for Neighborhood Engagement and Renewal (PARTNER) Project

The Professional Articulation for Recruiting/Retaining Teachers for Neighborhood Engagement and Renewal (PARTNER) Project will increase the number of individuals from the Little Village community who enter teacher education programs and return to Chicago to teach.

Illinois State University is the largest producer of teachers in the nation, however only about 100 of its 1,200 graduates takes jobs in Chicago Public Schools annually.  Funded by a 2.5 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the PARTNER Project will do the following:

  • Obtain community support for teacher education.
  • Link recruitment and support services for partner institutions.
  • Develop a tracking system to follow participants through postsecondary education and beyond.

The PARTNER Project will implement a system that articulates the work of schools, community colleges, universities and community agencies and businesses, to recruit and retain quality teachers.

With particular emphasis on the Little Village area, home to one of the largest Latino populations in the U.S., the PARTNER Project at Illinois State University will join forces with Chicago Public Schools, State Farm Insurance Company, Little Village Community Development Corporation, Golden Apple Foundation, National Board Resource Center, City Colleges of Chicago (Truman and Daley Colleges), and Local Initiatives Support Corporation.