Illinois Awards AU Teacher Residency Grant to Promote Diversity

Aurora University was named a recipient of a state grant aimed at increasing the number and the diversity of teachers in Illinois.

The $250,000 Teacher Residency Grant awarded by the Illinois State Board of Education will allow AU, in collaboration with West Aurora School District 129, to create and implement a pathway for diverse students enrolled in AU’s Master of Arts in Teaching Plus One program to receive their initial teaching licenses.

Eligible students will receive student-teaching placements and a teaching position within District 129 upon graduation, as well as hourly pay for student teaching, a monthly housing allowance, and a signing bonus. The MAT Plus One program at AU allows students with an undergraduate degree to earn a master’s degree in teaching in one year.

The goal of the grant is to remove barriers to education, increase diversity in the teacher workforce, and address teacher shortages in Illinois.

AU is one of only four institutions in Illinois to receive the ISBE grant. Aubrey Brammar Southall, assistant professor of education and chair of secondary education at AU, served as the lead grant writer and facilitator for this project and worked closely with Valerie McCall EdD ’18, director of educational equity for West Aurora School District 129, who is the lead collaborator from the district.