We Love Illinois Schools

We are the Illinois State Board of Education, and we love Illinois schools. We are inspired by the passionate and innovative people who have dedicated their lives to Illinois students. Join us as we learn about their journeys into education, what they’re proud of, and what keeps them coming back to education every day. Listen in to a new podcast from ISBE. Have an idea for a great guest? Email Dusty Rhodes at drhodes@isbe.net.

We Love Illinois Schools is a education podcast hosted by Illinois State Board of Education, with 22 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Illinois State Board of Education hosts We Love Illinois Schools, a education show with 22 episodes published.

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  We Love Illinois Schools

  A Conversation with Víctor Gómez, our 2025 Teacher of the Year

  May 8, 202618 minS0

  <p>We sit down with Víctor Gómez, Illinois’ 2025 Teacher of the Year, to unpack what bilingual STEM education looks like when it’s treated as rigorous, affirming, and truly equitable <br/><br/>Víctor shares his monarch butterfly story from Michoacán, Mexico, where migration, memory, and identity meet, and how that metaphor helps communities reframe bilingualism as something to celebrate. He also connects the monarch phenomenon back to the classroom with STEM instruction, showing how a cultural narrative can lead into physics concepts like forces, acceleration, speed, and distance.<br/><br/>We get practical about policy and practice...

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  Episode #1

  It All Adds Up! John SanGiovanni Explains Numeracy

  Feb 3, 202629 minS3

  <p>As ISBE’s team tours the state collecting feedback on the second draft of our Illinois Comprehensive Numeracy Plan, we wanted to share this fun conversation with math education expert, John SanGiovanni, who has authored more than 20 best-selling books on the topic. He sees math — and numeracy — in daily activities that everybody does, and says we all do more math than we give ourselves credit for. Learn more about our plan at www.isbe.net/NumeracyPlan.<br/><br/>Our theme music is by José Rivera.</p>

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  Episode #20

  We Can Do It Differently

  Apr 21, 202544 minS0

  <p>“Some of us come into teaching because we always loved school. Some of us come into teaching because we <b>didn't</b> love school, and we want to change something about it.” </p><p>That’s a glimpse into Dr. Rachael Mahmood’s journey. With a Russian Jewish mother and an Indian Hindu dad, Rachael never felt like she fit in when she was a child attending school. That experience fueled her desire to become an educator, and now, Dr. Mahmood is wrapping up her term as our 2024 Illinois State Teacher of the Year. In this episode, you’ll hear how sh...

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  Episode #19

  BEACON Lights the Way for Families in Crisis

  Feb 11, 202520 minS0

  <p>BEACON is the state’s new online portal designed to help Illinois families connect to behavioral health resources. Available for use by state agency staff, healthcare providers, schools and families, it streamlines the process of finding and accessing relevant services to help ensure that every child in Illinois can receive the support they need. This portal can match families with the programs that provide the help they’re eligible to receive. Our guest, Dr. Dana Weiner, helped create the portal and explains how it works. </p><p>You can explore BEACON at beacon.illinois.gov.</p><p>Our theme music...

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  Episode #18

  A Short Course on Parenting Teaches Students Essential Social-Emotional Skills

  May 29, 202422 minS0

  <p>Focused on our mission to prepare all students for success in college and careers, it’s easy to overlook the fact that some instruction on caregiving would be useful. <br/><br/>Katharine Bensinger took on a request from a student club and ended up with some prestigious partners in the creation of ParentABLE, an evidence-based curriculum that has been piloted with hundreds of students statewide. The parenting education program is free for districts to opt into, and ParenTeach offers six Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) through TeachIllinois.org for educators who implement ParentABLE.</p><p>Our theme music is by J...

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