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• 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.

• Communit​y of Practice: Recordings and Resources
  • March 18, 2026, 9:15-10 a.m.​
    Title:TVG Community of Practice-Supporting Special Educators
    Description: You’re invited to a brief session highlighting key resources that support new special education teachers. We will provide an overview of tools available on ISBE’s Special Education webpage and feature high‑quality, evidence‑based materials from OSEP‑funded Technical Assistance Centers.
    This session will help you quickly locate practical supports for onboarding, instruction, and retention of early‑career special educators.
    • TVG Community of Practice-Supporting Special Educators Presentation
  • February 18, 2026, 9:15-10 a.m.
    Title:TVG Community of Practice-Multilingual and EL Support for Educators
    Description: You’re invited to a focused professional learning session highlighting key supports available to districts serving English Learners. During this 45‑minute Community of Practice, we will provide an overview of ISBE’s Visiting International Teacher Program and explore resources offered through the Multilingual Department to strengthen the recruitment and retention of educators who support English Learners.
    This brief but informative session will help districts better understand available pathways for staffing, access tools designed to support multilingual programs, and connect with colleagues engaged in similar work.
    • TVG Community of Practice-Multilingual and EL Support for Educators Presentation
  • 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.
      • Exploring the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program​​ Webinar
      • Exploring the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program​​ Presentation​
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Shauntice Wheeler has more than 24 years of experience in education as a teacher, district leader, assistant principal, and state education agency leader. She brings deep expertise in supporting educator development and workforce policies. Mrs. Wheeler is skillful in leveraging quantitative and qualitative data to strategically address needs.
  • Lois Kimmel's expertise focuses on educator shortages and diversifying the teacher workforce, with a specific emphasis on teacher recruitment and preparation. Ms. Kimmel leads projects and serves as a subject matter expert related to the teacher workforce, teacher career pathways, and teacher preparation.

  Resources:

  • Presentation Slides: Community of Practice Virtual Sessions for Teacher Vacancy Grantees: Process for Sustainability Planning​
    
  • Grantees: Process for Sustainability Planning
    
  • Guide Links:
    
    • GTL Shortages Funding Guide
    • GTL Special Education Shortages Funding Guide
    • GTL R-TAP Funding Guide
    • Midwest CC Braiding and Blending Guide
  • 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
  ​
  

  March 18 from 9:15-10:00
  Title: TVG Community of Practice-Supporting Early-Career Special Educators
  Description: You’re invited to a brief session highlighting key resources that support new special education teachers. We will provide an overview of tools available on ISBE’s Special Education webpage and feature high‑quality, evidence‑based materials from OSEP‑funded Technical Assistance Centers.
  This session will help you quickly locate practical supports for onboarding, instruction, and retention of early‑career special educators.
  We hope you can join us!

  April 15 from 9:15-10:00
  Title: TVG Community of Practice-End of FY 26, closeout procedures
  Description: You are invited to join the TVG Team’s Community of Practice focused on preparing for the Fiscal Year 2026 closeout. This session is designed to bring our community together to share guidance, best practices, and tools that support a smooth and efficient year-end process.

  May 19-Details coming soon!

  Full sign-in details:
  Teacher Vacancy Grant 2026 Communities of Practice
  Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
  You can also dial in using your phone.
  Access Code: 582-651-725
  United States: +1 (872) 240-3311
  Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts. ​​​​
  

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.

• ISBE Slide Deck​
  
• Teacher Vacancy Grant Summit Booklet​​

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​)​

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 (I​WERC) 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:

• How Illinois Districts are Addressing Teacher Shortages: An Evaluation of the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program
• Early Teacher Staffing Trends: An Evaluation of the Teacher Vacancy Grant Pilot Program​
  

Teacher Vacancies Grant Memos

• 1+2+2
• Apprenticeship
• Creating Career Advancement Opportunities for Teachers
  
• Financial Incentives Brief​
  
• Grow Your Own CTE Programs
• Improving Hiring Practices
• Invest in Diverse Teacher Recruitment
• Positive Working Conditions
• ​Recruiting and Supporting Bilingual Educators​
  
• Residency Programs
• Strengthening Teacher Mentoring & Induction
• Teacher Home Loan Assistance
• Teacher Planning & Collaboration​
  

Additional Opportunities

• Change Agent
• Opportunity Culture​​​​
  

Eligible districts

An information webinar was held on June 27, 2023. 

• June 2023 Presentation​
  
• June 2023 Webinar​
  

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

An information webinar was held on June 26, 2024.

• June 2024 Presentation
• June 2024 Webinar​