By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – We’ve been hearing about the teacher shortage for years, and Alan Mather – a 33-year veteran of Chicago Public Schools – is trying to do something about it.
The Golden Apple Foundation, of which he is president, is trying to elevate the profession. “Our ‘accelerators’ program, which is primarily for rural communities in central, southern, and western Illinois, we take people who have bachelor’s degrees (in something other than education) and put them through a fifteen-month residency and licensure program, so they are ready to go back to their communities, where they will stay and teach.”
“I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology but really realized that our community needs educators,” said Ashley Tyler of Decatur. “I just fell in love with education and found Golden Apple and became an accelerator!”
She now teachers second- and third-grade special education in Decatur.
Mather, Tyler, and others connected with the program spent time at the Capitol this past week.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]
