From August to May, one cohort of Illinois State University teacher candidates spends their days at Sheridan Elementary School in Bloomington’s District 87 to develop deep relationships with students, amongst colleagues, and across the community.
Dr. Sara Jones, assistant professor of elementary education in the School of Teaching and Learning, leads a year-long community-embedded cohort for students enrolled in their junior block of elementary education courses. The program is in its second year and was created as a response to two important needs from Sheridan Elementary faculty and for students in Illinois State’s Honors Program.
Jones reflected upon her four years in the School of Teaching and Learning and visiting Sheridan Elementary for students’ clinicals. “I developed relationships with the teachers and administrators there. They expressed a desire to do more. They loved when ISU students and classes were coming in, but it felt very one-sided,” she said.
Elaine Roberts, fourth-grade teacher at Sheridan who serves as a cooperating teacher, said that whereas traditional clinicals often feel less personal and more easily forgotten, this community-embedded model leads to greater empathy and lasting connections. Teacher candidates get an opportunity to work with students from a variety of backgrounds.
“Having a strong understanding of your students’ needs and backgrounds will only make you a stronger teacher. This program allows teacher candidates to experience that early on in their program and can impact where they see themselves after graduation,” Roberts stated.
Illinois State honors student Morgan Huddleston assists a student at Sheridan during class.
Jones explained that this model also helps teacher candidates practice the theory of culturally responsive teaching. “I noticed that our teacher candidates could talk the talk, but they hadn’t really had opportunities to walk the walk,” she added.
Kaitlyn Lay, a senior elementary education major from Yorkville, who participated in 2024–25, described how Jones literally took her cohort on a walk around the school early in the semester to learn about the surrounding community. She said, “We really took the time to learn about the people we were going to be interacting with regularly, the area they live in, and what resources they have available.”
Sheridan Principal Danel Behrands-Harr explained that these experiences both inside and outside the classroom, have a lasting impact on her school. “The positive rapport that ISU students build with our students helps our students’ self-confidence and self-regulation grow and develop.”
This clinical experience also allows students to complete an honors project embedded within their advanced coursework. The program was created in collaboration with the Honors Program, but it is not limited to honors students. Any elementary education major who wants to participate in this clinical experience can enroll, and everyone who completes the program receives an honors designation on their transcript.
Jones said, “Doing the year-long experience and having that deeper relationship with the school community is going above and beyond what is expected of them in their other coursework and clinicals.”
As an example, Jones described how teacher candidates curated collections of texts that related to existing units, focused on diverse representation, and were available at the Bloomington Public Library.
Past and current members of the cohort also emphasized that the experience is not just about the community in which they are teaching but also the community they are creating.
Amanda Egge, a junior elementary education major from Normal, who is currently in the 2025–26 cohort, said, “We have just hit the middle of the semester, and I have truthfully never been as grateful for a group of people to spend every day with!”
Egge was especially excited to participate in Sheridan’s Trunk-or-Treat event, dressing up as a box of crayons alongside her fellow teacher candidates in the cohort.
Lay said, “One of the biggest takeaways from this cohort experience was the bond I built with my peers … I probably spent more time with this cohort last year than I did with my own family and friends!”
Valerie James, senior elementary education major from Fox Lake, who also participated in the 2024–25 cohort, said, “I still visit Dr. Jones whenever I can, as she was the glue that held our cohort together. The support she offered truly shaped our cohort experience and community. The effort and passion she had for developing a powerful learning and professional development experience for us will never go unnoticed.”
By investing in and connecting with the community, Jones facilitates culturally responsive teaching that impacts everyone involved.
