CPS Student Teaching Equity Project

I am pleased to announce that a Teacher Quality Partnership Grant proposal developed by the Chicago Public Schools and the Goodwin College of Education has been awarded. This award will support the implementation of a five-year Pre-Service Teaching Equity Project (P-STEP) that will attract, recruit, prepare and retain high-quality teachers for hard-to-staff schools across Chicago. 

The overarching objectives of P-STEP are to:

1. 1)  Improve and expand upon pre-service teaching experiences, including field experiences and student teaching opportunities in hard-to-staff schools;

2. 2)  Equitably place student teachers throughout CPS;

3. 3)  Improve the experience and efficiency of pre-service teacher preparation;

4. 4)  Improve the recruitment, training, and retention of experienced “cooperating teachers” of color to mentor/guide pre- and new teachers; and

5. 5)  Incentivize pre-service teachers from underrepresented groups and high-needs subject areas to accept full-time employment at hard-to-staff schools.

Partners on the project include: the Chicago Public Schools, Gage Park High School, McAuliffe Elementary School, Chicago State University’s College of Education and College of Arts and Sciences, DePaul University and the Goodwin College of Education at Northeastern Illinois University.

Congratulations to Catherine Wycoff, GCOE Director of Clinical Experiences and Student Teaching, for her efforts to secure this grant award. Over the next five years, Ms. Wycoff and the GCOE will support P-STEP as a higher education thought partner, providing expertise and input on how to support principals and cooperating teachers and overcome challenges that pre-service teachers face in hard-to-staff schools.