Below are upcoming opportunities to explore.

District ‘Share the Success’ Presentations Sought for 2019 Joint Annual Conference, November 22-24, 2019. The 2018 Joint Annual Conference is a fresh memory, but it is not too early to begin thinking about the 2019 Conference. In fact, school districts and related education organizations are being invited now to submit their proposals (RFPs) for “Share the Success” panel presentations. Proposals for the 2019 Joint Annual Conference are due in the Springfield office by Friday, February 22, 2019.

Illinois Teacher Leadership Summit…an ECET2 and Powered by Teach to Lead Event April 5-6, 2019, Decatur Conference Center and Hotel, Decatur, Illinois.  We are excited to announce the Illinois Teacher Leadership Summit. The summit is a great opportunity for teachers to develop concrete plans to solve local problems in their districts and network with other teachers in the state. Educators from across the state will work to collaborate, problem solve, and develop action plans to put their own expertise into action. Our hope is to attract exceptional educators from across the state to use teacher leadership as a vehicle to change the face of education.

Teach to Lead will be hosting the 17th Teacher Leadership Summit in Philadelphia, March 29-31, 2019. As with previous “open topic” summits, the Philadelphia Teacher Leadership Summit will bring teacher leaders and other stakeholders together to collaborate, problem solve, and develop action plans to benefit students and schools. Teams must include at least one practicing classroom teacher, and idea submissions can address any perceived area of need in schools, as long as the plan leverages teacher leadership as a key strategy for meeting that need.

The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development (GOECD) leads the state’s initiatives to create an integrated system of early learning and development programs to support Illinois’ vision that access to a continuous, equitable, and high-quality early childhood system enables children, with the support of their families and communities, to grow up safe, healthy, happy, and ready to succeed. GOECD is hiring for several positions to assist in the coordination, management, and implementation of activities for the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5). Please click on the links below to view the job descriptions:

Education Innovation and Research (EIR) New Funding Opportunity for K-12 InnovationAlso Seeking Peer Reviewers  The U.S. Department of Education’s EIR program provides funding to create or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to improve the achievement and attainment of high-need K-12 students.   There are three types of grants available: Early-phase, Mid-phase, and Expansion.  This unique three-tiered grant structure links the amount of funding that an applicant may receive to the quality of evidence that supports the efficacy of the proposed project.  $125 million is available for awards, and 25% of these funds will be reserved for rural applicants serving predominantly rural students.  In addition, EIR aims to award at least $60 million for STEM education projects.  In both of these cases, this funding will be contingent on the receipt of a sufficient number of applications of sufficient quality.  Applications are due April 2, 2019.

Keeping It Legal: Maximizing Your Power Without Crossing the Lobbying Line Webinar  February 20, 1-2 p.m., EST  As you fight for equitable changes within your community, learn how to strategically lift up student and family voice without lobbying.

Engaging Boards and Trustees and Strategic Learning Effecting social change in a rapidly changing political environment and an increasingly interconnected world requires a learning orientation. Without continuous learning, organizations—and thus boards and trustees—are unaware about what is working where, with whom, and why, as well as what changes or refinements are needed in order to achieve desired results.  Engaging Boards and Trustees and Strategic Learning provides a fresh set of resources for CEOs, evaluation staff, and senior leaders to use in conversations with board members about strategic learning. Join a webinar on March 7, 2019, at 2 p.m. ET.

GRANT OPPORTUNITY  The P-20 Council Teacher and Leadership Effectiveness (TLE) Committee and the College and Career Readiness Committee are collaborating to launch a joint RFP to fund pilot grants that integrate the concepts of the Diverse Learning Exchange within Education Pathways.  Please review the RFP if you are interested in applying.