On December 6, 2021, the 2022 INCS Teacher Leadership Cohort (TLC) was announced. The goal of this nine-month fellowship is to equip teachers with the experiences, knowledge and skills to support them to speak out on behalf of their students, their schools and themselves. The voice of teachers is sorely absent from discussions about the future of education and these 15 teachers want to be part of the conversation.
The 2022 TLC Members represent charter public schools from across the state of Illinois.
Here is the list:
Dorothy Crawley Underwood, CICS Wrightwood
Thomas Daniels, Urban Prep
Emily Sill, Rowe Elementary
Douglas Rudd, Springfield Ball Elementary Charter School
Juan Pablo Esquivel, Noble Baker
Constantina (Tina) Haralambopoulos, Elgin Math & Science Academy
Johnard Irizarry Aspira Business and Finance
Kwalee Kemp, ACE Amandla
Mark Lenz, Catalyst Maria
Zachery Manta, Namaste Charter School
Timothy McAlister, North Lawndale College Prep Charter High School
Shannon Phillips, Acero Tamayo
Raymond Smith, UChicago Woodlawn Charter High School
Melissa Thompson, Prairie Crossing Charter School
Janise Wright, KIPP One Primary
INCS started the Teacher Leadership Cohort last year to build the capacity of charter public school teachers to speak out and share their opinions. The TLC aims to support the commitment and drive of charter teachers by providing leadership development opportunities to help them to amplify their critical voices.
TLC programming includes six professionally moderated training sessions, a stipend of $1500, and leadership and speaking opportunities. Trainings begin in January 2022. Over 40 charter teachers from all over the state applied to participate. After careful evaluation, 15 teachers and paraprofessionals were invited to participate.
Keep an eye out for these teachers. You may be hearing from them soon! Applications for the third cohort of the INCS TLC will open in October 2022.
For more information, contact the INCS Senior Director of School Support, Allison Jack, at ajack@incschools.org.