Urban Teacher Preparation

During your coursework at Illinois State, you may participate in opportunities to prepare you to live, teach, and be agents of individual and social transformation in low-income and under-served communities throughout Illinois, particularly in Chicago and other urban settings. As stated in the university's conceptual framework for teacher education, "Illinois State graduates aspire to teach everyone, especially those on the margins, those who have been or are in danger of being excluded" (Realizing the Democratic Ideal, 2000).

What does it mean to be prepared to teach in an urban school?

To be effectively prepared for urban and high need schools, you will need to:

actively learn about the ways schools and communities are socially, economically, politically, culturally, historically, and geographically situated and related.
have rich, sustained, first-hand opportunities throughout their program to work with racially/ethnically, economically, and linguistically diverse children in urban schools and neighborhoods.
learn that good teaching always begins with seeing each child, fully and fairly, as a multi-dimensional being, an individual with a unique history, hopes, and dreams—a child of promise and possibility.
understand the importance of valuing students' cultures and lived experiences—and making space for them in the classroom—while espousing the crucial importance of subject-area content as well.
rigorously question stereotypical views of city kids, families, and neighborhoods, and learn to see the assets of the communities rather than the deficits.
examine the ways their own racial, cultural, and class identities have shaped their perspectives, and students of economic and social privilege are encouraged to analyze the advantages they've enjoyed that may have previously gone unrecognized.
examine and critique the sources of economic, racial, gender, and linguistic inequity within schools and communities, and understand how these factors influence students' lived experiences within and outside of the classroom.
explore together whether and how educators can and should be part of social movements that seek to overcome racial, economic, and linguistic barriers.
focus on urban schools but with interest in collaborating with others who attend to the related needs of rural, small town, and suburban schools.

Opportunities to help prepare you to teach in urban schools

There are many opportunities at Illinois State for you to expand your knowledge and skills for teaching in urban schools.

Keep track of your urban education experiences to supplement your application

Download an urban teacher preparation checklist (pdf) of all opportunities for preparation to teach in urban schools. We recommend that you keep track of the experiences you have and include them as a supplement to your application for a teaching position.

Join a student organization

Urban Needs in Teacher Education, UNITE, a registered student organization, offers students opportunities to learn about urban education through hands-on experience and introductions to education's most influential professionals.

Select courses, clinical experiences, and student teaching options

Enroll in optional professional education courses, such as C&I 232 and C&I 312.
Request a student teaching placement in an urban school.
Select general education courses and other content courses to expand your knowledge of the urban culture.
Minor in a program that relates to urban communities and schools.

Working with your academic advisor, you can select the educational options most appropriate for your needs and interests. Specific information is available on the urban teacher preparation checklist (pdf).

Engage in optional experiences in urban schol and communities

Multicultural Mentorship Program
Be partnered with child who is growing up in the Chicago Public Schools and learn more about teaching in diverse settings. Learn more about the Multicultural Mentorship Program.

Chicago Urban Bus Trip
Get first-hand experience in urban education through a one-day trip to the Chicago Public Schools. One trip is offered each semester. Learn about the Chicago Urban Bus Trip.

Service agencies in Bloomington-Normal
Tutor students from high needs neighborhoods. Volunteer and paid positions are available. Specific information is available on the urban teacher preparation checklist (pdf).

Stay informed by joining an e-mail list

Join a Urban Teacher Preparation e-mail list to stay informed of opportunities to help you explore teaching in an urban setting. Subscribe to the e-mail list. (Change your preferences or unsubscribe.)

About Urban Teacher Preparation at Illinois State

Urban educational experiences at Illinois State are provided by the work of the Urban Teacher Preparation Initiative. This interdisciplinary faculty group works to develop additional opportunities for preparing teachers for urban schools.