In the 2022-23 school year, the Illinois State Board of Education established affinity groups for diverse educators through a partnership with Teach Plus Illinois. The affinity groups bring diverse educators together to build supportive communities, examine current retention issues they face, and make recommendations that address those issues.
Background Information
The IL Affinity Group Network began as part of ISBE's three-year
Strategic Plan to support educator retention by leveraging partnerships that will provide access to coaching, mentoring, and teacher leadership opportunities. ISBE began reporting the three-year teacher retention rate disaggregated by race/ethnicity for the first time in 2021. At that time, the data showed that Illinois schools retain Black teachers at the lowest rate of all teacher groups – 80.6 percent, compared to an 87.6 percent rate for White teachers.
Research from the Learning Policy Institute shows that diverse educators boost the academic performance of all students, and particularly increase the performance of diverse students, including better reading and math test scores, higher graduation rates, and increased aspirations to attend college. Studies show that students taught by teachers of the same race/ethnicity are less likely to be chronically absent and less likely to experience exclusionary discipline.
In February 2022, ISBE piloted the Illinois Affinity Group Network, the first statewide network of its kind in the nation to support diverse educators. In its first two years, the network supported 1,100 educators from 82 districts across Illinois. The impact has been clear: In the 2023-24 school year, 97% of participants in the Affinity Groups were retained as educators in Illinois—outpacing retention for Black teachers by 12% and White teachers by 7%. Additionally, 97% of participants and facilitators reported increased capacity for racial and equity work, stronger relationships with allies, and a greater sense of belonging within their educational communities. The data further show that these groups have helped educators identify strategies to address issues contributing to attrition, contributing to the overall goal of improving retention for teachers of color.
Illinois Affinity Group Facilitator Fellowship
Each year the Illinois Affinity Group Network brings together educators from across Illinois. Specifically, the network hosts a year-long fellowship for educators interested in leading affinity groups in their area. The fellowship provides support to over 30 facilitators each year. These educators are selected with the expressed intent to bring together groups of teachers to identify and address local issues that contribute to the lower retention rates of diverse educators. These affinity groups will work in various regions across the state to bring together educators to develop recommendations to retain diverse educators. The affinity groups have access to implementation funds to support group activities, including stipends for participants serving on advocacy action teams.
To learn more about the Illinois Affinity Group Network and Facilitator Fellowship, visit the
Teach Plus Illinois website.
Administrators and educators interested in learning more or joining an affinity group can fill out an
interest form.
