The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning and the Illinois Resource Center are proud to announce that our own Silvia V. Rogel, Director of Strategic Partnerships and External Affairs for the Center, has been named to the Illinois State Board of Education’s new State Education Equity Committee.
As organizations committed to a future where every student’s culture and language are valued and affirmed in Illinois schools, we are excited that this committee is adding such a dedicated champion of equitable and just education as Silvia to this important group. The principles of JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) are essential to our mission at the Center and a passion of Silvia’s—earlier this year, she received her DEI in the Workplace certification from the University of South Florida.
“I was greatly pleased to hear that I was appointed to the State Education Equity Committee,” Silvia says. “I believe equity is crucial in all aspects of policy, and equity in education is only one step in the pathway to a fully equitable society. My educational and professional training have given me a sense of purpose, and that purpose now calls on me to approach this through a servant leadership lens. With this appointment, I hope to serve the Illinois education community as best and as humbly as possible.”
As a member of this committee, Silvia will collaborate with educators and partners from all over the state to shape important recommendations, including:
- Supporting student learning and decreasing educational achievement disparity
- Embedding the history and accomplishments of the historically underrepresented groups in the Illinois Social Science Learning Standards
- Reducing exclusionary discipline for students of color by end of school year 2023
- Supporting implicit bias training through professional development in schools and classrooms
- Improving incentives, trainings, and offerings to recruit a diverse and learner-ready teacher workforce
The ISBE State Education Equity Committee was formed in response to Public Act 102-0458, passed by the Illinois General Assembly in August 2021, in recognition that “this State has an urgent and collective responsibility to achieve educational equity by ensuring that all policies, programs, and practices affirm the strengths that each and every child brings with diverse backgrounds and life experiences and by delivering the comprehensive support, programs, and educational opportunities children need to succeed.” A full list of committee members can be found here. To attend the public meetings of this committee, more information can be found on the ISBE website.
Please join us in congratulating Silvia! We look forward to seeing what this committee accomplishes together and how Illinois schools and their partners put this important work into practice.
