Being a cooperating teacher means making a connection with young educators. This helps them become better teachers and provides a foundation for their careers. Ready to be a cooperating teacher? Apply today. See how our cooperating teachers impact our student teachers: https://bit.ly/4b3Ysic

Welcome home! Congratulations to all the newest Illini receiving their admission today. We can't wait until you're here! Schedule a visit: https://bit.ly/46XiqKj

Honoring his legacy, the Dr. David Zola Coffee Bar is the hub of collaboration, community, and inspiration within the College of Education. Supporting it provides coffee, snacks, and equipment upgrades that directly impact Education students. Support the Zola Coffee Bar ▶️ https://bit.ly/4aOnCku

When you give to study abroad scholarships for the College of Education, you invest in educators who will inspire understanding, curiosity, and compassion. Go #OrangeAndBlue and make global learning accessible, affordable, and transformative for our students. ▶️ https://bit.ly/46ppZsO

Asif Wilson has been touring Illinois screening his new documentary, Against the Current. The documentary follows a Chicago Public School student as she travels from Chicago to Cairo, exploring sites of Black resistance. She and Wilson talked to ABC-7 Chicago about the film and its powerful message

Teachers! We're looking for cooperating teachers in Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle Grades, and Secondary English, Math, Science, and Social Studies. If you're interested in hosting student teachers in your classroom, apply today: https://bit.ly/405kHPC

In his most recent state of the state address, Governor J.B. Pritzker renewed his call for a cellphone ban in Illinois classrooms. Rebecca Hinze-Pifer talked with WCIA 3 about the fine line administrators must walk between enforcement and equitable treatment.

Registration for Convocation 2026 is now open 🌟 If you’re looking forward to celebrating with us at the College of Education ceremony on May 17, don’t forget to sign up! 🎓 Register here: https://go.education.illinois.edu/convocation-registration

Congratulations to @ciatillinois.bsky.social assistant professor Devon Hedrick-Shaw on receiving an honorable mention dissertation award from the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE). More:

Congratulations to Lisa Jackson, '95 English Education, on being named to the Illinois State Board of Education's Teacher of the Year cohort and Special Education teacher of the Year! Jackson teaches high school and special education classes at Woodland High School in Streator, IL.

Congrats to @ciatillinois.bsky.social's Asif Wilson on receiving two grants from the State of Illinois. A $2 million grant from the Illinois State Board of Education will help Wilson and a team of Illinois scholars develop resources and training for inclusive social studies for teachers statewide.

Get ready for Illinois Orange & Blue Days! 🔶 🔷 Held March 4-6, Illinois’ three-day crowdfunding initiative supports student experiences and campus projects. Give to a project that supports our students: Education Study Abroad: https://bit.ly/46ppZsO Zola Coffee Bar: https://bit.ly/4aOnCku

Champaign's Danielle Mallett, ’17 Elementary Education, was named to the 14-member Teacher of the Year cohort as Bilingual Teacher of the Year. Mallett has found a special connection with Stratton Academy of the Arts, where she has taught since her student teaching placement.

The Latina Voces program partners students at Urbana High School with university faculty, including @ciatillinois.bsky.social Idalia Nuñez, Monica Gonzalez Ybarra, and Catherine Dornfeld Tissenbaum, to create art that celebrates their identities.

Congratulations to Erin Gahimer, Ed.D '24 EPOL, on being named to the 2026 Cohort of the Early Career Research Fellows program from GlobalEd! Erin currently works for Indiana University, Bloomington, in International Admissions.

The Forum on the Future of Public Education is hosting a workshop for K-12 teachers that will help them navigate the new state climate change education mandate. The workshop is being held on March 7 at the Campus Instructional Facility. Please RSVP to attend by February 26.

As part of her Humanities Research Institute Fellowship, Mirelsie Velázquez, associate professor at EPOL, is researching Latine activism at the University of Illinois and showcasing how they have been instrumental in transforming educational spaces.

Building on the foundation of the popular Teen Summit of the 1990's, @ilpublicmedia.bsky.social and assistant professor Malaika McKee are creating a new version for today's teens. The initiative is backed by BET co-founder and Illinois alum Sheila Johnson.

Join us as we celebrate @ciatillinois.bsky.social professor Rochelle Gutierrez on her election to the National Academy of Education. February 17 2-4 p.m. ACES Funk Library, Heritage room More Info:https://bit.ly/4rUfxC2

Publication alert! EPOL Ph.D. student Israt Z. Nipa was recently published in the Journal of Education. The article examines the lived academic experiences of South Asian Bangladeshi and Indian international doctoral students at a U.S. midwestern university.

Cameron Schwing, Ed.M. '20 @ciatillinois.bsky.social, is representing the University of Illinois in the Big Ten Academic Alliance’s Data Visualization Championship. Voting closes tomorrow! Vote here: https://bit.ly/4rHAzmZ

Join us on March 5 at 6 p.m. for a virtual session of the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series. Leading and Thriving in Our Current Climate features Illinois alumni who are serving in senior educational leadership roles. No registration required to attend. More: https://bit.ly/4mkqXLQ

Congratulations to EPOL professor Mary Kalantzis on receiving funding from the Spencer Foundation. It will fund her initiative to explore the potential of Generative AI to support translingual Latinx students’ disciplinary literacy in U.S. middle and high schools. More:

We’re proud to offer a new resource for our local community. @epsyatillinois.bsky.social's Healing, Training, and Research clinic offers budding mental health counselors hands-on experience under the supervision of licensed counselors, while providing services free of charge.

Congrats to EPOL assistant professor Oliver Tapaha and alum Nathan Tanner on their publication in AERA Educational Researcher. Together, they tell the story of the black educators recruited to Navajo Nation schools in the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Join @ciatillinois.bsky.social assistant professor Asif Wilson for a screening of his new documentary, Against the Current. The film follows Kyla, a high school senior and community organizer, who journeys across Illinois in search of ways Black people have resisted oppression throughout history.

Congratulations to @paul-bruno.com, an assistant professor, and Haeryun Kim, a Ph.D. student at EPOL, on their new publication in the journal Leadership and Policy in Schools. Their research uses unique data from a school district in Central Illinois to study how teacher hiring committees work.

With more visitors than Memorial Stadium and State Farm Center each year, the Illini Union is a campus hub for connection. Becki Salzman, M.A. ’07 EPOL, oversees it all. The lifelong Illini was profiled by the University of Illinois alumni association for keeping the campus icon a welcoming place.

Congratulations to @ciatillinois.bsky.social assistant professor Giselle Martinez Negrette on receiving the Early Career Reviewer award from the Bilingual Research Journal. More: https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/1526/1883638244

You may be familiar with Mike Pierce, a Master’s student at @ciatillinois.bsky.social and the first @ejpatil.bsky.social student admitted to Illinois. He’s now been accepted into a Doctoral program in the College of Education. He talked with @ilpublicmedia.bsky.social about his path and what's next.

We’re proud to offer two new Microcredentials on culturally responsive teaching. Developed and led by Marlee Bunch, Ed.D. ’23 EPOL, these asynchronous modules support educators’ culturally responsive practice through sustained, reflective learning.

Spring Graduates ‼️ Make sure to put yourself on the pending degree list via self-service by the end of the day today. It’s the first step towards walking across that stage.

We hear there are new Illini today 😏 To the first members of the class of 2030, WELCOME!

EPOL assistant professor Jennifer Nelson was recently published in the journal Social Science Research. Her article examines how individuals or groups project their views of outgroups and how that projection influences workplace interactions. More: https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/1526/372738735

Applications for University Primary School for the 2026-27 school year are now open! Learn more at their open house on February 10. More info: https://uniprimary.illinois.edu/

Join us on Saturday for an opening reception for Latina/x Voces at the Krannert Art Museum from 1-3 p.m. Through immersive installations and personal storytelling, participants reflect on the ways their traditions and lived experiences shape their sense of self and community. https://bit.ly/4q3WuDS

For years, EPOL professor Linda Herrera has documented the monumental undertaking of overhauling Egypt’s education system. With her new book out, she sat for a Q&A with Egyptian publication BabMasr to discuss what she’s seen and what lessons can be learned.

Our online master’s degree options are once again ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News and World Report. #6 - Curriculum & Instruction #6 - Best Online Master’s Programs for Veterans (New) #9 - Educational/Instructional Media Design Explore our online degree options: https://bit.ly/3ZAZoFf

New book 📕 Professors Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis are co-authors on a new book titled Literacies in the Age of AI: Teaching and Learning in the Digital Era. The book will be released on February 17 and is available for pre-order. https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/1526/247008352

Join us on February 9 at 1 p.m. to hear from our eight Centers and Initiatives. Each director will share an overview of their work, highlight current projects and collaborations, and share ways you can connect on future opportunities. Please RSVP by February 2. More: https://bit.ly/45uUIUQ

Congratulations to Mary Lynn Boscardin, Ph.D. '84 EPOL, on having the research award from the Council of Administrators of Special Education named in her honor. More:

Congratulations to teaching assistant professor Theopolies Moton III on receiving the honor of 2026 MLK Champion by the University of Illinois MLK Commemorative Planning Committee last night. Read more: https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/1526/52701161

New Publication: Nidia Ruedas-Gracia, assistant professor of Educational Psychology, has penned an article in the School Community Journal on belonging and whether it varies over time among adolescent students in Native schools. Read it: https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/1526/942164265

Help us recognize outstanding Education graduates by nominating them for a 2026 College of Education Alumni Award. Deadline: Jan. 30 at 5 p.m. Categories include: 🔸 Distinguished Alumni Award 🔹 Emerging Leader Alumni Award 🔸 NEW: PreK-12 Educator Excellence Award Learn more: https://bit.ly/4qtOpcv

Congratulations to Special Education associate professor Catherine Corr on receiving the Social & Behavioral Science Impact Award from the Center for Social and Behavioral Science. More:

We express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Tom Schwandt, Professor Emeritus and former Chair of @epsyatillinois.bsky.social. He was an internationally recognized leader in evaluation research whose work significantly advanced the profession’s role in democratic societies.

Ready for your next adventure, but this time, in orange and blue? Transfer applications for Fall 2026 are now open through February 1! Apply: https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/transfer

We’re proud to offer our first-ever ISBE-approved fully online microcredential for teachers. This self-paced microcredential in Trauma-Informed Education examines the impact of trauma and strategies to address it for students ages pre-K to 18. Learn More:

Awaiting your return with open arms. See you soon 🧡

You'd look pretty good in orange and blue. Today's the last day to submit your application for Fall 2026 undergraduate admission. Apply: https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/myillini-apply