Petition to ISBE

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Let’s do better by our teachers – and in turn, all children.  Please sign this petition and share it widely. 

To the Illinois State Board of Education:

We are parents, educators, civil rights advocates, and community members who share the belief that every child in Illinois deserves equitable access to high-quality literacy instruction, and every teacher deserves access to high-quality training and curricular materials to support that instruction. A recent national report that found most of the reviewed Illinois educator preparation programs neglect critical elements of reading instruction and persist in including instruction in debunked practices has left us outraged, disheartened, and motivated to demand change.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has failed in its responsibility to rigorously monitor and assess the course content offered by Educator Prep Programs, thus depriving countless educators of the quality education they deserve. We, those who count on the devoted and professional educators who teach our children, demand accountability and immediate action to rectify this situation.

Those who choose to dedicate themselves to teaching invest significant time and money to attend an ISBE-approved program. They deserve to know that ISBE’s stamp of approval means that program is aligned to ISBE’s literacy standards, which are widely recognized as high-quality. But this report shows a deep disconnect between ISBE’s standards and the course content in many accredited Illinois programs.

It is a new day at ISBE, with a new State Superintendent, several new board members, and a new focus on literacy outcomes. We call on you to leverage your authority in program approval to ensure educator preparation programs offer high-quality, comprehensive literacy content aligned to ISBE’s standards, and cease teaching instructional methods that have been scientifically debunked.

Sincerely,

Comments

  1. Ensure educator preparation programs offer comprehensive literary content aligned to ISBE’s standards.

  2. We call on you to leverage your authority in program approval to ensure educator preparation programs offer high-quality, comprehensive literacy content aligned to ISBE’s standards, and cease teaching instructional methods that have been scientifically debunked.

  3. Ensure educator preparation programs offer literacy instruction grounded in the science of reading – say no to balanced literacy

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