NIU Today

The NIU College of Education’s Summer Literacy Conference will take place from Tuesday, June 14, through Friday, June 17, at NIU-Naperville. “Reading and Writing in the Digital Age” will cover: Teaching reading and writing with digital texts and tools Supporting students’ literacy needs in 1:1 environments Addressing issues of technological equity and diverse learners Registration...

NIU’s College of Education will host “Transforming Learning Space with Low Cost High Impact Instructional Technology” – the 2016 Learn-IT Conference – Saturday, May 7, in the Learning Center of Gabel Hall. The conference will provide in-service teachers from the northern Illinois area P-12 school districts a day full of workshops and training activities to...

Area educators can now register for edcamp Northern Illinois, a free evening of professional development that offers nontraditional opportunities to share teaching techniques, discuss new classroom tools and make connections with like-minded professionals. This innovative event will be held from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at DeKalb High School, 501 W. Dresser Road....

After the new state-mandated edTPA became consequential for all teacher candidates in Illinois last fall, the state passing rate was 96 percent. Candidates from NIU posted a 99.13 passing rate, with the vast majority of licensure programs posting a 100 passing rate. NIU started preparing for the edTPA assessment in 2011-2012 when the state first...

NIU ranks fifth on PayScale’s new list of “Best Schools by Salary Potential for Education Majors,” released Wednesday. The report ranks more than 1,000 colleges and universities by median alumni salaries. According to PayScale, the median salary for NIU education alumni with zero to five years of experience is $34,700; that median climbs to $58,300...

La Vonne I. Neal is ready for action. Ready to disrupt cultural disparities in education. Ready to upend the rising numbers of students of color leaving high school without diplomas. Ready to remove institutional obstacles that dissuade people of color from becoming teachers. Ready to enact potentially transformational remedies. The dean of the Northern Illinois...

Heather Grobe, who is studying early childhood education in NIU’s College of Education (COE), did not expect

NIU this semester is launching a new Center for Secondary Science and Mathematics Education, aimed at strengthening the university’s support of science and mathematics education throughout the region. The Illinois Board of Higher Education recently approved center status for a duration of five years, after which it could become permanent. The center will be housed...

Pre-registration for this spring’s NIU Educators’ Job Fair is still open. NIU students and alumni are encouraged to pre-register early. Instructions on how to pre-register are available online. The fair takes place Monday, Feb. 24, at the NIU Convocation Center. Qualified candidates have a chance to get noticed in person as schools and school districts...

NIU has named Jenny Parker, associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, acting associate vice provost for Educator Licensure and Preparation. Parker begins her new role Thursday, Aug. 1. “Jenny has a long standing commitment to teacher preparation,” says Vice Provost Anne L. Birberick. “She will be a strong advocate for NIU teacher...

How do educators help students identify and develop their passion for their professional careers? Professionals in the field of counseling, counselor education and teaching must nurture this desire to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills to be competent educators. So says Toni Tollerud, a Presidential Teaching Professor in the NIU College of Education’s Department of...

Pre-registration for next spring’s NIU Educators’ Job Fair opens Thursday, Nov. 1. NIU students and alumni are encouraged to pre-register early. Instructions on how to pre-register will be posted Nov. 1 on the Career Services’ website. The fair takes place Monday, Feb. 25, at the NIU Convocation Center. Qualified candidates have a chance to get...