Launching Partner Plus – Join Us Today!

Since its inception ten years ago, participation in the Illinois P-20 Network has been free to participating organizations. Financial support for the Illinois P-20 Network has been provided by Northern Illinois University (NIU) and the NIU Division of Outreach, Engagement and Regional Development. For a period of time more than five years ago, there was additional funding from the Illinois Community College Board, and the Illinois P-20 Network has funded specific projects with contracts and grants from state agencies as well as by providing custom partner services on a fee-for-service basis to school districts and postsecondary institutions. 

Over the past five years, demand for the knowledge and expertise provided by the Illinois P-20 Network has grown significantly. As a result, the Illinois P-20 Network seeks to meet that increasing demand with increasing capacity while also maintaining expert levels of knowledge and high-quality service. From answering questions via email to setting up short Zoom meetings on topics ranging from career and college readiness to educator engagement to instructional coaching to instruction and assessment, we are excited to partner with organizations across Illinois. Having a consistent revenue stream to support this work is critical for the sustainability of the Illinois P-20 Network and will help us meet increasing demand in these and other areas of need. 

To continue (and expand) the current efforts of the Illinois P-20 Network, today we are launching Partner Plus. This is not only an opportunity to support the Illinois P-20 Network – but it also offers specific benefits for your organization. 

Registration now open for 2023-2024 Educational Coaching Network Institutes and Workshops

In our previous Newsletter, we announced that the Educational Coaching Network (ECN) is joining the Illinois P-20 Network. The Illinois P-20 Network’s Educational Coaching Network is excited to announce that registration is now open for the 2023-2024 institutes and workshops with Jim Knight. These are opportunities to learn directly from the leaders in educational coaching. Through educational coaching, schools and districts and postsecondary institutions can improve all aspects of learning and accelerate and deepen our collective improvement and effectiveness as educators. 

Most sessions will be held at NIU Naperville with two events being held in Rosemont. Additionally, there are discounts for groups of three or more. 

For the 2023-2024 year, ECN is excited to offer the following Institutes. Click on each of the links to learn more about each Institute, including dates and pricing.

• Foundations of Instructional Coaching Institute with Jim Knight – Register
• Advanced Coaching and Leadership workshops with Jim Knight – Register
• Student-Centered Coaching Institutes with Diane Sweeney – Register

Learn more about the Illinois P-20 Network Educational Coaching Network at: p20network.niu.edu/ecn

Welcoming the Educational Coaching Network to the Illinois P-20 Network

Over the past few years, the depth and breadth of the Illinois P-20 Network has grown significantly from 65 organizations just three years ago to well over 250 organizations now that serve over 1.6 million students. The P-20 Network focuses on using research and data to lead to increased opportunities for all students and more equitable outcomes through its efforts taking place to support Career and Technical Education, to improve early college credit through the Dual Credit Think Tank, and to ensure that outstanding educators are serving students through KEEP Illinois, among other work. Today, we expand those efforts further for the 2023-2024 year and beyond with the addition of the Educational Coaching Network to the Illinois P-20 Network. 

Over nearly a decade, the Educational Coaching Network (ECN), which has been based until now at Northwestern University, has served hundreds of educators from Illinois and the Midwest through a variety of professional learning structures. The Educational Coaching Network has served as Jim Knight’s Midwest partner, and ECN will continue to do so as it moves to the Illinois P-20 Network and Northern Illinois University. Additionally, the Educational Coaching Network is able to bring other leaders in educational coaching to our region, such as Diane Sweeney, who will be providing a series of workshops in 2023-2024, and builds a community of learner among instructional coaches and the school and district leaders who support those efforts. 

The Educational Coaching Network will specifically further our efforts around equity and opportunity as well as educator engagement and retention, and the Educational Coaching Network serves as an outstanding addition to further the coaching-centric efforts of the Illinois P-20 Network’s partner organizations at Northern Illinois University, such as NIU STEAM, the Illinois MTSS Network, and the Illinois Migrant Education Program. 

With registration about to open in the coming weeks, today, you can already check out the full slate of ECN workshops coming up on our new Illinois P-20 Network Educational Coaching Network website: p20network.niu.edu/ecn