We Love Illinois Schools

We sit down with Víctor Gómez, Illinois’ 2025 Teacher of the Year, to unpack what bilingual STEM education looks like when it’s treated as rigorous, affirming, and truly equitable  Víctor shares his monarch butterfly story from Michoacán, Mexico, where migration, memory, and identity meet, and how that metaphor helps communities reframe bilingualism as something to celebrate. He also connects the...

As ISBE’s team tours the state collecting feedback on the second draft of our Illinois Comprehensive Numeracy Plan, we wanted to share this fun conversation with math education expert, John SanGiovanni, who has authored more than 20 best-selling books on the topic. He sees math — and numeracy — in daily activities that everybody does, and says we all do more math than we give ourselves credit for....

“Some of us come into teaching because we always loved school. Some of us come into teaching because we didn't love school, and we want to change something about it.”  That’s a glimpse into Dr. Rachael Mahmood’s journey. With a Russian Jewish mother and an Indian Hindu dad, Rachael never felt like she fit in when she was a child attending school. That experience fueled her desire to become an...

BEACON is the state’s new online portal designed to help Illinois families connect to behavioral health resources. Available for use by state agency staff, healthcare providers, schools and families, it streamlines the process of finding and accessing relevant services to help ensure that every child in Illinois can receive the support they need. This portal can match families with the programs th...

Focused on our mission to prepare all students for success in college and careers, it’s easy to overlook the fact that some instruction on caregiving would be useful. Katharine Bensinger took on a request from a student club and ended up with some prestigious partners in the creation of ParentABLE , an evidence-based curriculum that has been piloted with hundreds of students statewide. The parenti...

Ryan Wamser and Matt Weld from Regional Office of Education 40 are leaders in the world of school Social-Emotional Learning, or SEL. Together, they staff the Area 5 SEL Hub in Southwestern Illinois – one of seven regional hubs that offer professional development to local teachers and school administrators on trauma-informed practices and all things SEL. By far the most popular workshop they offer...

Briana Morales is our 2023 Illinois State Teacher of the Year. She’s a high school English teacher at Gordon Bush Alternative Center – the alternative school for East St. Louis School District 189. To learn more about our Teacher of the Year program, visit our website . To nominate someone for 2024 Teacher of the year, go to this page . To request Briana for a speaking engagement, express interest...

The National Teacher of the Year finalist and Oregon High School teacher known as Ms. Rad talks about why she advocates for having special education students in her Spanish class, how she overcame her fear of public speaking, the role llamas played in improving her teaching technique,  what she does in her spare time, and so much more.   Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Lindsay Record, the communications lead for our Learning Renewal team, hosts this episode. Her featured guests are Mashana Smith , Ph. D, director of REACH at the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, and Marla Graham, principal of the Lovington Grade School in Arthur CUSD 305 . They share experiences and strategies to address trauma so that students can fee...

Steven Herkert is director of ROE services at Regional Office of Education 8. He is also a principal mentor with the Illinois Principals Association, and a passionate advocate for the 5Essentials Culture and Climate Survey. In this episode, he talks about mistakes he made as a principal, what he got right, and how principals can use data to make their schools better. Our theme music is by José Riv...

This episode features two guests: Chanice Artis is a Project Coordinator for Valley View Schools, and previously taught middle school language arts in Romeoville and Bolingbrook. Italy Wallace is an instructional technology coach, certified by both Apple and Google, for Lincolnshire School District 103. She previously taught elementary and served as an assistant principal in Joliet. But this conve...

 Just before her official retirement, Illinois State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala reflects on her four decades in education and especially her four years at the helm of the Illinois State Board of Education.   Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Gower District 62 Superintendent Dr. Victor Simon talks about data mining the 5Essentials, and how his personal background reminds him why it matters, and its connection to the Equity Journey Continuum. Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Dr. James L. Hayes, principal of Harvard Park Elementary in Springfield, talks about the "Comprehensive" summative designation his school received in 2019, and how IL-Empower helped his campus achieve a vast improvement.  Listen to the end for surprise positive outcomes that reach beyond the gradebook. Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Days before announcing our 2022 Teacher of the Year, we asked Justin Johnson, our 2021 Teacher of the Year, to tell us what he learned, what he missed, what advice he has for the next Teacher of the Year -- and what advice he has for ISBE, as we work to retain and sustain teachers of color. Our theme music is by José Rivera.

Jett Hawkins wanted to wear his hair in braids. His school said that hairstyle violated the dress code. So Jett's mother, Ida Nelson, began working to change the school's policy. Less than a year later, she and 4-year-old Jett had transformed school dress codes throughout Illinois with the passage of a new law.  In this podcast, Ida explains why hair has such profound significance in Bla...

Have you ever heard of the "racial empathy gap"? Did your own education omit some important information? Is there anything you should know about the town that you live in? Hear our eye-opening conversation with Jessica Splain, a social studies teacher at Crystal Lake Central High School, who created a professional development course titled Race In America. Our theme music is by José Rive...

In the 2019-2020 school year, East St. Louis School District 189 lost four middle school students to gun violence. In response, Dr. Tiffany Gholson, director of Parent and Student Support Services, created a team of social workers to respond on-scene to any traumatic incident involving youth, day or night.   Her team works in cooperation with state and local police to intervene with victims, famil...

We are joined by three stellar educators for a lively chat about their personal experiences as students, the teachers who inspired them, the value of diverse educators, and what these Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading standards could mean for Illinois students. Rudy Hernandez is superintendent of Cicero School District 99 — a large elementary district west of Chicago, with more than 10,00...

Sometimes, students need educators to connect them with advocates. Teachers are mandated reporters, duty-bound to act on suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. In this episode, hear how Child Advocacy Centers can help, in a conversation with Kim Mangiaracino, executive director at Children's Advocacy Centers of Illinois; and Julia Strehlow, Director of Education, Prevention and Policy at...

Career and Technical Education courses are now more important than ever. They prepare students for high-wage jobs in the post-pandemic economy, and bolster local businesses by supplying the necessary skilled workers.  But how do you have a hands-on CTE class when you can’t have in-person instruction? In today’s podcast, we’re going to take you to Township High School District 214, where every stud...

On National Census Day, we're featuring an in-depth interview with Anita Banerji, who leads the organization Forefront's 2020 Census efforts for Illinois. We also drag a teenager away from his video game to fill out the census survey in real time. Theme music by José Rivera Incidental music by Ben Johnson