About STEP-UP

     STEP-UP (Summer Teacher Education Partnership for Urban Preparation) is a 4-week teaching and community internship and summer residency program for pre-service teachers from Illinois State University. STEP-UP is one component of the larger TEACHER+PLUS (Teacher Education and Assessment Continuum for High-need Educators and Resources + Principal Leadership for Urban Schools) Project, which prepares and recruits teachers for high-need content areas in Chicago public schools .

     Students who are selected for STEP-UP (STEP-UP Fellows) will live in Chicago in a partner neighborhood where they will participate in a rigorous 4-week program. During the program, Fellows will assist in Chicago Public School (CPS) classrooms during summer school, serve as an intern at a community-based organization, complete TEACHER+PLUS related coursework, and participate in other civically engaged activities in the community. The program has a strong focus on the role community plays in education and the ways in which teachers are a part of the greater community effort toward improving the quality of life for all residents. STEP-UP will provide Fellows an in-depth understanding of one partner community by fully immersing them in the neighborhood.

For more information about Illinois State University's Urban Teacher Pipeline, please visit http://teacherpipeline.illinoisstate.edu/.