Dallas Knack
dallas.n.knack@svcc.edu
815-835-6337

February 26, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SVCC Receives CTE Pathway Grant

Sauk Valley Community College, in partnership with ROE 47, has applied for, and was awarded, a grant to fund educational pathways for local high school students. SVCC is proud to announce that this $249,000 year 1 grant from the Illinois State Board of Education is phase one of a four phase grant cycle, totaling $747,000, that will allow the college to better aid area students who are interested in careers in the education field. High school pathways is a project that SVCC will work with area partners Ashton-Franklin Center High School, Amboy High School, Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico High School, Sterling High School, Forreston High School, Center for Change Alternative High School, ROE47, and Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.

SVCC truly is the community’s college, working with local organizations to better our community. The college greatly values the relationship it has with Sauk Valley area businesses, organizations, and industries. This relationship allows the college to listen to the needs of our area. One of the greatest needs that the college frequently hears of is the shortage of teachers nationwide, and specifically in the Sauk Valley area. To help combat the shortage, SVCC and ROE 47, applied for, and received, a grant to help extend the partnership’s work in career pathways, specifically in education. This grant work will attempt to prepare students to be educators in the hopes that they will return to the area after college graduation.

The education pathway has been initiated by the State of Illinois and gives students a path to follow starting in high school that will allow them to earn an education endorsement on their diploma. To receive the endorsement, students will complete education focused coursework, including Dual Credit courses in education and have completed a minimum of 60 hours of hands-on experience working directly with students. This opportunity provides students with early learning regarding the field of education which will give them a “leg-up” when they enter postsecondary. Several area postsecondary institutions are building incentives into their education programs that will benefit students who enroll with a pathway endorsement.

Receiving the grant will allow SVCC to continue its partnerships with Ashton-Franklin Center High School, Amboy High School, Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico High School, Sterling High School, Forreston High School, Center for Change Alternative High School, ROE47, and Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce. The funding will enable this collaborative to identify students interested in an education career as early as middle school and align their coursework and experiences to have a focus on education. It is the goal of the grant for the schools in the partnership to be self-sufficient at the end of the four-phase cycle and encourage additional schools in the Sauk Valley area to participate and invest in pathways for our local students.

For more information, please contact Janis Jones, PASS Facilitator, janis.a.jones@svcc.edu

Regional Office of Education 47

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