Engagement Initiatives

Early CHildHood Access Consortium For Equity Scholarship Program

Northeastern Illinois University is pleased to participate in the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity Scholarship Program. This new and innovative statewide consortium provides full tuition scholarships to Northeastern Early Childhood Education majors who are currently working or who have worked in positions such as teacher, assistant or director in early childhood centers, schools or homes. The scholarships also can cover costs such as room and board, books and supplies.

More information can be obtained by clicking on the link above or by sending an email to teacher-education@neiu.edu.

REHABILITATION LONG-TERM TRAINING SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Through a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Northeastern’s Rehabilitation Counseling program awards scholarships to counseling students who desire to work in the state or federal vocational rehabilitation system. The program has been awarded a five-year grant through the year 2025 to provide full tuition scholarships for interested students admitted to the rehabilitation counseling program. For more information about the grant, contact Dr. Craig Johnston at c-johnston@neiu.edu.

Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Program

Northeastern’s School Counseling program has secured a $4.3 million grant through the U.S. Department of Education through 2027. During the final academic year when school counseling students are placed in their practicum/internship school site, students can receive a $20,000 stipend and tuition for the three advanced clinical courses if they are placed in a high-needs school. There is also grant funding for child care and transportation costs, if needed. Students who receive the scholarship also participate in a series of trainings related to inclusive practices in schools. 

For further information, contact Dr. Beth Gilfillan, Associate Chair of Counselor Education, at e-gilfillan@neiu.edu.

NOYCE TRACK 3 MASTER TEACHING FELLOWSHIPS PROJECT

Supported by the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, and offered in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools, the Museum of Science and Industry, Westside Bee Boyz, and Math Circles of Chicago, this project provides mentorship supports to second-year middle school STEM teachers to help them improve instruction, be confident in their pedagogy, and feel supported in their early careers. Over a five-year period, the project will provide coursework to experienced in-service science and math teachers to help them (1) mentor second year STEM teachers; (2) design professional development and facilitate professional learning communities; and (3) build partnerships with community-based organizations to promote culturally relevant pedagogies. Successful completion of the coursework will result in a graduate level STEM Leadership certificate from Northeastern.

For more information about this grant project, contact Dr. Ruth Dawley-Carr at j-dawleycarr@neiu.edu.

PRISON + NEIGHBORHOOD ARTS/EDUCATION PROJECT (PNAP)

The Prison + Neighborhood Arts/Education Project (PNAP) is a visual arts and education project that connects teaching artists and scholars to incarcerated students at Stateville Maximum Security Prison through classes, workshops, a policy think tank, and guest lectures. PNAP also offers a tuition-free degree-granting program at Stateville in partnership with the University Without Walls Program at Northeastern Illinois University. The Goodwin College of Education supports this social justice-based educational access initiative by providing instructors and administrative support for students. More information can be obtained by clicking on the link above or by contacting Dr. Erica Meiners, Coordinator, at e-meiners@neiu.edu.

ILLINOIS WRITING PROJECT (IWP)

The Illinois Writing Project (IWP) provides professional development on teaching writing, reading and the application of both skills for learning across the curriculum and across whole schools. The IWP is affiliated with the National Writing Project and is directed by Dr. Katy Smith, NEIU and GCOE Professor Emerita. It offers programs and professional development to teachers in Chicago and all of northern Illinois.

More information about the IWP’s programming can be found on the above website or by contacting Dr. Smith at k-smith1@neiu.edu.

VIOLENCE PREVENTION PIPELINE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The Goodwin College of Education, in partnership with Acclivus, Inc., a community health organization focused on the health and well-being of individuals living in Chicago’s most vulnerable neighborhoods, is recruiting and registering adult learners to return to college to take undergraduate courses at the Carruthers Center that can fulfill the requirements for a BA degree in Urban Community Studies. The partnership provides free tuition and involves faculty and administrators working across the Urban Community Studies and University Without Walls programs, as well as the Dean’s Office of the Goodwin College of Education. More information about the program can be obtained from Dr. Lance Williams, Program Director, at l-williamsb@neiu.edu.

EPP Collaborative

The Goodwin College of Education has recently joined the National Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching Educator-Preparation Program Collaborative (EPP Collaborative). This extensive working group is bringing educator-preparation programs together to build understanding of regulatory and financial considerations for launching and sustaining registered apprenticeships in teaching. It also is connecting a national coalition of education deans to one another and elevating stories of teaching and learning that highlight the diverse voices, perspectives, and experiences of educator preparation programs across the country. Learn more about EPP Collaborative.

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS NETWORK

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION FOUNDATION QUEST CENTER

TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 211

Through agreements with each of the above organizations, the Goodwin College of Education provides tuition reduced courses that can be applied toward the acquisition of an additional teaching endorsement on an existing Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL). Each of the agreements outlines the enrollment and supports needed to secure the reduced tuition rate. Courses can be delivered on campus, in hybrid format, or off-campus at mutually agreed upon locations.

Current cohorts are taking courses to obtain teacher leader, principal, special education, and bilingual education endorsements.

For more information about creating a contract with the Goodwin College of Education, please reach out to Dr. Tom Philion, Dean of the Goodwin College of Education, at trphilion@neiu.edu

COUNSELING AND WELLNESS CLINIC

The Counseling and Wellness Clinic, housed within the Department of Counselor Education at Northeastern Illinois University, provides individual counseling for NEIU students, employees and community members. 

This free counseling, offered three times a year to the University and community-at-large, has proven to be a precious opportunity for those seeking growth and wellness for themselves. The serving counselors deliver highly effective help in getting clients back on track regarding their relationships, emotional health, coping behaviors and life quality.

The Counseling and Wellness Clinic is a training clinic for advanced graduate students enrolled in Northeastern's Counselor Education programs (Clinical Mental Health, Couple and Family, Rehabilitation, and School Counseling). The counselors-in-training receive supervision from experienced and licensed Counselor Education faculty. In addition, the counselors-in-training receive feedback and consultation from a Reflecting

Team — an embedded training model within the clinic. Individualized counseling sessions take place virtually, using a secure, private and HIPAA-compliant platform that utilizes Zoom. The counseling services are confidential and free. Sessions are recorded for training purposes. The recording is encrypted and destroyed at the end of the semester.

If you, or someone you know, might benefit from this service, please take action to show your interest by emailing Andrew Connor, the graduate assistant for Adjunct Professor of Counselor Education Jennifer Young, at a-connor2@neiu.edu.

Upon receiving your interest email, we will follow up with you regarding the next steps.

The same ethical standards as professional counselors bind the counselors-in-training. The code of ethics in counseling prescribes that counselors must work within their competence. Since the serving counselors are graduate students in training, the free counseling services are not open to individuals in crisis.

WILLIAM ITKIN CHILDREN’S CENTER FOR DISABILITIES

For more than 20 years, the William Itkin Children’s Center for Disabilities at Northeastern Illinois University has provided diagnostic testing and instructional services to families from all over the Chicago area. Supervised by teaching faculty in the Department of Special Education, graduate students perform an internship as educational clinicians and offer formal testing to identify learning difficulties in children 6 to 18 years of age. The Service Center evaluates children, in either English or Spanish, in the areas of reading, mathematics and written language, and provide emotional/behavioral supports as well.

For more information, download the William Itkin Children's Service Center Brochure (PDF), or contact Gerardo Moreno, Ph.D., at g-moreno1@neiu.edu.

LITERACY CENTER

The NEIU Literacy Center is operated by the Literacy Education graduate program. Current graduate students enrolled in Clinical Practicum in Literacy Education courses are the tutors in this program. Participating graduate students are licensed teachers seeking an advanced degree to either become a Reading Specialist or earn a Reading Teacher endorsement. 

In the center, children and adolescents receive a comprehensive assessment of their current reading skills, and are provided individualized instruction to expand those skills. The Literacy Center is appropriate for students from grades 2-12 who are reading below grade level or have documented reading difficulties.

For more information, please email Dr. Christina Madda at literacy-center@neiu.edu or call (773) 442-5365.

Northeastern Illinois University’s Child Care Center is dedicated to providing the children of students, faculty and staff of Northeastern and the surrounding community with loving care and a high quality early childhood education.

The Child Care Center is managed by the Goodwin College Of Education and provides a laboratory situation where students can receive practical, guided experience in working with young children in toddler, preschool, kindergarten and summer child care programs. For more information, contact Christina Hidaka, Director, at c-hidaka@neiu.edu.