University News
WIU to Provide Laptops to 20 Students Enrolled in "Grow Your Own" Teacher Education Program
February 13, 2008
MACOMB/MOLINE, IL -- As part of the Illinois State Board of Education's (ISBE) "Grow Your Own" (GYO) program, Western Illinois University will provide 20 laptop computers to college students enrolled at WIU-Quad Cities and Black Hawk College (BHC) statewide teacher education program. The laptops will be given to the students at a special event 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20 at the Martin Luther King Center in Rock Island.
Western, a member of a consortium involving BHC, the Community Caring Conference in the Quad Cities, Moline Public Schools and Rock Island/Milan District #41, received an initial planning grant in 2006 from the ISBE for the innovative teacher preparation program that supports nontraditional candidates to become teachers and to teach in their communities. As part of the FY'08 operating grant, which totals $170,000, Western will provide the laptop computers to the 20 students currently enrolled in the program and staff from WIU's Office for Partnerships, Professional Development and Technology (OPPDT) will provide technology training.
"The students enrolled in the program are already employed at one of the schools participating in the program or are involved as parents or volunteers at the schools," explained Lynda Conover, coordinator of Western's GYO program and associate professor of special education. "The GYO program aims to prepare teachers for low-income schools that typically have the highest rates of teacher turnover and are among the hardest to staff in the state. By working together, Western and its partners can share our experiences and best practices to truly reflect the needs of our communities and build a program that works well here in the Quad Cities."
The 20 students enrolled completed their first WIU special education class during the Fall 2007 semester and will finish their general education courses at Black Hawk College in Spring 2008. Beginning in Fall 2008, the cohort will begin taking education courses each semester at the
WIU-QC campus.
According to Darlos Mummert, a WIU special education professor who taught the cohort during the fall semester, the GYO program is important to the Quad Cities not only because the graduates will become qualified special education teachers, but they will also be teachers who are firmly rooted in their community and its schools.
"Because many of these students have children who go to area schools, the commitment to excellence in education is personal as well as professional," Mummert added.
Mummert was assigned to teach the first GYO class at Western as she usually teaches the department's Foundations in Special Education course.
"On many levels, it was just a typical teaching assignment, just the luck of the draw; however, 'luck' is a pale word when describing the experience of teaching the GYO cohort," she said. "I typically enjoy my classes and my students, but the GYO students were special. The group is fun, smart, irreverent and incredibly receptive. They were willing to work hard to increase academic skills and were open to suggestions. Because many of the students already work in the schools in a variety of capacities they were able to make immediate connections between course material and the real world. That gave class discussions a depth and maturity that I rarely enjoy in a more typical class."
Members of the Community Caring Conference (CCC), which is located at the Church of Peace in Rock Island, serve as mentors for the students. The GYO program, led by Angela Richardson, provides tutoring, monthly support sessions and other activities for the students.
Western is one of nine universities participating in the Grow Your Own Illinois programs. Students who have been accepted into GYO receive their education at no cost through a "forgivable loan" program. Program loans will be waived after the teacher becomes certified and works for five years in an eligible, low-income school.
"This program creates an opportunity to prepare teachers who will stay in the communities where they are needed," Conover added. "What is unique about Western's GYO program is that our students are going through this together. They are taking the same classes, at the same time. This provides an excellent support network for the participants."
After the students complete the required courses, Western will sponsor a series of preparatory workshops for the students prior to their teacher certification exams. According to Conover, the initial cohort is expected to complete Western's teacher education program by 2013.
"This program provides a tremendous opportunity for many districts in our region to overcome teacher retention challenges in their schools, particularly those that serve mostly low-income, minority students," added Rose Campbell, vice president of Black Hawk College.
For more information, contact Conover at 309/298-1909 or visit www.growyourownteachers.org.
Posted By: Darcie Shinberger (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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