Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program

Community of Practice

Community of Practice: General Information
This Community of Practice serves as a collaborative platform where passionate educators like yourself can come together to share insights, strategies, and lessons learned from your experiences implementing the Teacher Vacancy Grant. By joining forces, we aim to cultivate a supportive environment where innovative ideas flourish and where we collectively address challenges faced in tackling teacher vacancies.

Here's what you can expect from our Teacher Vacancy Grant Community of Practice:
- Shared Learning: Engage in open discussions to exchange successful strategies and innovative approaches that have proven effective in addressing teacher vacancies in your local context.
- Peer Support: Benefit from the collective wisdom of fellow grantees who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of the Teacher Vacancy Grant program.
- Professional Growth: Collaborate with educators from diverse backgrounds to expand your knowledge and skills in addressing teacher shortages and improving educational outcomes.
- Resource Sharing: Access valuable resources, tools, and best practices to enhance your implementation efforts and maximize the impact of the grant.
- Networking Opportunities: Forge meaningful connections with like-minded educators who are committed to making a difference in their communities through the Teacher Vacancy Grant initiative.
We believe that together, we can create a vibrant Community of Practice that empowers educators to thrive and inspire positive change in the education landscape.

We look forward to your active participation and invaluable contributions to our shared mission of addressing teacher vacancies in Illinois and fostering excellence in education.
Community of Practice: Recordings and Resources
- Tuesday May 20, 2025, 10-11 a.m.
  - Exploring the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program
    
    Please view the informative webinar designed specifically for Teacher Vacancy Grantees! This session will delve into the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship program, a unique pathway that combines classroom instruction with hands-on teaching experience.
    
    What You'll Learn:
    - Program Overview: Understand the structure and benefits of the program.
    - Eligibility and Application: Learn about the eligibility criteria and the application process.
    - Support and Resources: Discover the support and resources available to apprentices, and learn about programs already operating in Illinois.
    This webinar is an excellent opportunity to gain insights into how the program can help address teacher shortages and support your vacancy work.
    - Webinar
    - Presentation
- Tuesday April 15, 2025, 10-11 a.m.
  - The Teacher Vacancy Team | Pathways to Success
  - During this webinar, the ISBE team provided information on the history and next steps for the grant. The team also highlighted the strategy briefs available on this webpage that provide additional information on key initiatives for district implementation.
- Tuesday February 18, 2025, 10-11 a.m.
  Please view this one-hour Community of Practice session on "How the Teacher Vacancy Grant is helping us Find, Grow, and Keep High Quality Teachers" and "How to be Remarkable", we will hear from two Teacher Vacancy Grant recipients highlighting the strategies that have assisted their districts in teacher recruitment and retention.
  - Susan Fumo, Freeport School District 145 | How the Teacher Vacancy Grant is helping us Find, Grow, and Keep High Quality Teachers
    Susan Fumo, the assistant superintendent of Human Resources for Freeport School District 145, will share strategies used by her district. She will highlight how the district uses Teacher Vacancy Grant funds to find, grow, and keep teachers.
  - Yunek Moore, Peoria Public School District 150 | How to be Remarkable
    The slogan of Peoria Public Schools is “Where remarkable happens every day.” Yunek Moore, teacher pathway coordinator for the district, designed this presentation to showcase how her district strives to achieve remarkable outcomes every day, even via its grants. “How to be Remarkable” dives into the targeted strategies Peoria Public Schools uses to address teacher recruitment and retention. Such efforts have yielded measurable outcomes and paved the way for a stronger, more diverse teaching workforce. A key achievement is the development of successful alternative certification programs, which support substitutes and paraprofessionals in becoming certified teachers. Data-driven insights through Hanover Research help improve teacher support. Equity and early engagement initiatives like Future Teacher Clubs and Education Pathway programs are inspiring the next generation of educators.
- Tuesday January 28, 2025, 10-11 a.m. | Blending and Braiding Funds for Teacher Vacancy Grant Strategy Sustainability
  Please view this one-hour virtual workshop on Blending and Braiding Funds for Teacher Vacancy Grant Strategy Sustainability where we explored national research and strategies on blending and braiding funds to ensure sustainability. This session guided districts in identifying which strategies to continue beyond the grant period and considered future funding streams to support these initiatives. Several resources are presented, including the Illinois Braiding and Blending Guide, Talent Development Framework: Funding Guide, and Funding Guide: Supporting Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program with Federal and State Funds.
- December 19, 2024
  Communicating the Impact of Your Teacher Vacancy Grant, hosted by the Illinois State Board of Education
  
  During the webinar, we explored innovative strategies and shared guidance on creating effective one-pagers to communicate the impact of your Teacher Vacancy Grant funding. We hope this recording serves as a valuable resource for showcasing your successes and engaging stakeholders.
  
  Additional resources that may be helpful:
  - One-pager template

Community of Practice: Upcoming Opportunities

Teacher Vacancy Grant Summit

The Teacher Vacancy Grant Summit took place on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, in Bloomington, IL at the ISU Bone Student Center. The event’s objective was to support grantees in addressing local teacher shortages.

Attendees engaged in collaborative sessions to discuss strategies for filling teacher vacancies, reviewed data from the Year 1 evaluation report, and learned about the grant’s role within broader teacher shortage initiatives from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Participants showcased the successes of their strategies and began developing one-pagers to communicate the impact of Teacher Vacancy Grant funding. Additionally, they explored sustainable, long-term approaches for their district's teacher vacancy initiatives, through considering how to blend and braid funding streams to support future programming.

Please see the materials below for additional support and information.

Summit Schedule
9:00 - 9:15 a.m.	Welcome Remarks  (slides 1-4)
9:15 - 9:50 a.m.	Teacher Vacancy Grant Research Summary  (slides 5-6; IWERC Presentation)
9:50 - 10:00 a.m.	Unconference: Setting the Stage  (slides 7-10)
10:00 - 10:45 a.m.	Framing the Teacher Vacancy Grant within ISBEs Larger Teacher Shortage Strategy  (slides 11-35)
10:45 - 11:00 a.m.	Break
11:00 - 12:00 p.m.	Communicating the Impact of Your Teacher Vacancy Grant  (slides 37-55) One-pager template
12:00 - 12:45 p.m.	Working Lunch
12:45 - 1:30 p.m.	Gallery Walk  (slides 57-59)
1:30 - 2:30 p.m.	Unconference: Topic-Focused Tabletop Conversations  (slides 60-64)
2:30 - 2:45 p.m.	Break
2:45 - 3:30 p.m.	Sustaining Teacher Vacancy Grant Strategies  (slides 67-104)
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.	ISBE Office Hours and Optional Work Time  (slides 105-107)
4:30 p.m.	Closing Remarks (Please complete the Exit Survey here)

Early Results of Year 1 Funding

We are pleased to announce that the first year of Teacher Vacancy Grant has led to 5,400 new hires and retention of 11,000 educators! The Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) recently released early results from a $45 million state investment that show improved recruitment and retention in the state’s most understaffed school districts.

“It’s a great time to be a teacher in Illinois," said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Tony Sanders. "The funds provided by the state’s Teacher Vacancy Grants are empowering school districts to provide new financial incentives, special pipeline programs, and other supports to recruit and retain teachers. Illinois is leading the way in investing in education, making our state the best place for educators to build their careers.”

See latest news.

ISBE partnered with IWERC to evaluate the grant program and release two studies:

Strategy Briefs

Teacher Vacancies Grant Memos

Additional Opportunities

FY 24 Information - Archived

Eligible districts

have received direct communication from the Illinois State Board of Education.

An information webinar was held on June 27, 2023.

FY 25 Information - Archived

Eligible districts have received direct communication from the Illinois State Board of Education.

An information webinar was held on June 26, 2024.

Resources

Office Hours

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Data Dashboard – Vacancy Information and Impacts

Community of Practice

Teacher Vacancy Grant Summit

Early Results of Year 1 Funding

Strategy Briefs

Teacher Vacancies Grant Memos

Additional Opportunities

FY 24 Information - Archived

FY 25 Information - Archived

Contact Information

Resources

Office Hours​

{{CurrentPage.Title}}

Data Dashboard – Vacancy Information and Impacts

Community of Practice

Teacher Vacancy Grant Summit

Early Results of Year 1 Funding

Strategy Briefs

Teacher Vacancies Grant Memos

Additional Opportunities

FY 24 Information - Archived

FY 25 Information - Archived

Contact Information

Office Hours