Golden Apple Award: Addressing Illinois’ Teacher Shortage

Alan Mather, President of the Golden Apple Foundation, will speak on the topic, Golden Apple Award: Addressing Illinois’ Teacher Shortage.  As with the rest of the country, Illinois is facing a dire teacher shortage.  At the start of 2021, there were approximately 2,000 teacher vacancies across the state, with areas of high poverty, in rural, suburban, and urban communities being hit the hardest.  And not only are certain areas of the state particularly hard hit, the most vulnerable students are also left without a teacher in many cases: special education and bilingual education are the hardest hit, with STEM and PE close behind.  Golden Apple’s mission is to inspire, develop and support teacher and school leader excellence, and its focus on that mission through their programs to elevate the profession.  Alan will discuss the teacher shortage and ways to address it.

In partnership with Alicia Winckler, the CEO of Golden Apple Foundation, Alan leads the education work of the Foundation.  Prior to coming to Golden Apple, Alan served in the Chicago Public Schools for more than 32 years, from classroom teacher to principal to a key member of the CEO and Chief Education Officer’s cabinet–leading College and Career Success for the district.  He worked for 12 years as an English teacher, track and cross country coach before moving into administration after joining LAUNCH (Leadership and Urban Network for Chicago).  LAUNCH is the first principal preparation program in Chicago.  In 2014, he was the first recipient of the Golden Apple Foundation’s Stanley C Golder Award for Principals or Heads of School.