One-third of Illinois educators considering leaving profession in midst of COVID-19 pandemic
SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Education Association (IEA), the largest education organization in Illinois, announced that a poll of its membership showed one-third are considering leaving the profession, amid an already existing teacher shortage, over concerns of safety and stress. “This should sound the alarm for every person in Illinois…
Illinois Education Association President Kathi Griffin highlights importance of community metrics, safety measures in Gov. JB Pritzker’s press conference on face coverings
SPRINGFIELD – Today, Gov. JB Pritzker held a news conference in Chicago in which he announced a proposal he will introduce to the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules to give local law enforcement and public health departments more options when trying to enforce mandates on face coverings and…
IEA Legislative Update for March 29, 2019
The Illinois General Assembly has been debating countless proposals to address a myriad of issues facing the citizens of the State of Illinois. As is usually the case, the question arises “who is going to pay for it?” So, this year the conversation about revenue has been robust. Here are…
How To Become a Teacher in Illinois
To teach in Illinois, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree and a teaching license. On this page, we’ll go over the steps required to teach in Illinois, plus answer some commonly asked questions about licensure.
Illinois Education Association Region 5 honors area educators for outstanding commitment to their schools, students and communities
EDWARDSVILLE — The Illinois Education Association (IEA) Region 5 honored educators from Albers, Carlinville, Brownstown, Central Community, Triad, Greensville and St. Jacob for their outstanding commitment to their schools, their students, their communities and to public education. The annual IEA Region 5 awards banquet recognizes honorees based on union, school…
Carbondale teachers to file intent to strike notice today, could go on strike in 10 days
CARBONDALE – The Carbondale Education Association (CEA) will file its intent to strike notice with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board (IELRB) today. The notice allows CEA to legally strike in 10 calendar days. The earliest date educators could walk is Fri., Oct. 4. “We are filing our intent to strike…
Statements from Triad Education Association president and Edwardsville Education Association vice president after judge grants motion for IEA to intervene in latest DeVore case
EDWARDSVILLE – Triad Education Association (TEA) President Andrew Frey, Edwardsville Education Association (EEA) Vice President Mollie Rice and Loretta Haggard, an attorney with Schuchat, Cook & Werner, representing the five IEA local unions in Triad and Edwardsville, released the following statements. These statements come after today’s hearing in Madison County…
Harvey Educators to distribute 2,000 bags of supplies to community members in need
HARVEY – The Harvey Education Association (HEA) will be holding a community drive-thru to distribute supplies like hand sanitizer, masks, disinfectant wipes and other much needed essentials to families and students in the South Suburbs on Saturday. “With school starting again, we want to make sure all our students and…
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Thornridge High School teacher selected IEA’s State Teacher of the Year
Stephanie Hortsman, a French teacher at Thornridge High School in Dolton, has been selected by the Illinois Education Association (IEA) as its 2017 Teacher of the Year. Hortsman was recognized for the honor on Thursday (3/30/17) at the annual Representative Assembly of the IEA. Some 1,200 delegates, guests and state dignitaries…
IEA issues statement denouncing riot in Washington, D.C.
SPRINGFIELD – The following statement is attributable to IEA President Kathi Griffin: “As educators, we are tasked with the aftermath of what happened yesterday in Washington, D.C. – a day that brought out the darkest side of America. In our country, we hold tightly to our freedom. As we should,…
Illinoisans Do Not Approve of Fighting at School Board Meetings, Support Historically Accurate Curriculum and are Opposed to Book Bans
Data from IEA’s Annual Bipartisan State of Education Poll shows where Illinoisans stand on key education issues SPRINGFIELD — To coincide with the first day of early voting for Illinois school board elections the Illinois Education Association (IEA) is releasing a portion of its bipartisan annual State of Education poll. The…
IEA applauds General Assembly for passing state budget and increasing education funding, cautions against changes made to TRS and SURS
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Education Association supports the additional funding provided in the newly passed state budget for both higher education and K-12 education, however the organization has serious concerns about the changes made to TRS and SURS.
Heritage Education Association President Statement on incident at Heritage School
HOMER – The Heritage Education Association President (HEA) Lori Aten issued the following statement: “The Heritage School teacher, who has been vilified in the news media, is an outstanding educator. She’s worked in public education for years and is devoted to the students she serves and her community. Recently, she was…
Naperville educators vote overwhelmingly to authorize a strike
NAPERVILLE – At the conclusion of online voting, the Naperville Unit Education Association (NUEA) membership voted overwhelmingly in support of an authorization to strike. The vote gives the NUEA bargaining team the authority to call a strike. The NUEA and the Naperville Community Unit School District 203 Board of Education…
Illinois Education Association to Release Annual, Bi-Partisan State of Education Report
Poll shows Illinoisans are increasingly worried about the teacher and education employee shortages and support policies that could alleviate the shortages SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Education Association (IEA) will release its fifth annual IEA State of Education report today, the only bipartisan poll monitoring Illinoisans’ views on all aspects of public…
IEA Legislative Update for June 3, 2019
The 2019 legislative session has come to an end. Few, if any, thought it would have ended on such a high note on so many levels. The majority of this update will focus on the IEA legislative priorities. We also think it is important to inform you about the state…
State Board engages Illinois unions to support first-year teachers with coaches and mentors as they navigate unique fall
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced today a partnership with the Illinois Education Association (IEA) and the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) to pair new teachers with building mentors and virtual instructional coaches to help guide them through this most unique first year of teaching. The…
New IEA Learning Portal Experience – Now Live!
The Illinois Education Association strives to offer you free, high-quality online professional development that fits your needs and is available on-demand to fit your changing schedule. We’re excited to announce our updated experience is now live! Check out this video tutorial to get started on the updated experience right away! Are you actively using the Legacy IEA Online Learning…