Over the past year, the IRC has asked members of our community to nominate Illinois teachers working with multicultural, multilingual students who are going above and beyond, and now, we’re celebrating them and highlighting their work. Keep an eye out for these features in the coming months – and if you’d like to nominate someone, email leanet@cntrmail.org. Next up is Neda Sunbulli, a Bilingual First Grade teacher at North Palos District 11.  Says Barbara Dziatkowiec, who nominated her: “Mrs. Sunbulli's classroom is a place where every child's voice is celebrated.  She understands that her English Language Learners arrive with a wealth of knowledge [...]

DEC Statement on Children and Immigration Policy The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is an international professional organization dedicated to advancing equity and supporting families, young children with or at risk for developmental delays and disabilities, and those who care for and educate them. At the heart of DEC’s work is a collective responsibility to address and dismantle systemic inequities that negatively impact young children and their families. DEC is committed to shaping leadership, research, policy, and practices that ensure every child and family can thrive. The Trump administration has proposed drastic cuts [...]

Joint Position Statement in Support of Immigrant Communities from English Learners Advocacy Council in Higher Education (ELACHE), Illinois Association of Multilingual and Multicultural Education (IAMME) and the Latino Policy Forum Members of ELACHE and IAMME stand firmly with our immigrant communities. We oppose policies that threaten the rights and dignity of immigrant families and their children. We reaffirm that every child and youth has the right to a safe, inclusive, and high-quality education, as protected by federal law. We stand in solidarity with immigrant communities and pledge to advocate for their protection and well-being. This joint statement reflects our common mission [...]

Dear Superintendent, Principal, Curriculum Director, and other Administrators, You don’t know me, but I’m writing to you with a request.  For my friends and colleagues who are in school leadership, please check on your multilingual educators, leaders, coordinators, and directors, many of whom are preoccupied with the chaos, fear and uncertainty their students and families are facing from recent and incoming political attacks on immigrant communities. Please know and understand that no, ACCESS testing actually shouldn’t be their top priority right now. The hearts of the human beings we serve should be our top priority: our students, our families, and our [...]