Teacher Leadership

Teacher Endorsements

Teacher Leader Endorsement*
The Teacher Leader Endorsement for the State of Illinois requires the completion of eight courses equivalent to a 24-semester hour program of study to include five core courses, one research course, one advocacy course and one elective course. The endorsement program is designed to align course outcomes with the national Teacher Leader Model Standards.

Teachers must have a master’s degree to have the endorsement applied to their license. Teachers must also currently hold a full-time classroom teaching position and be licensed to teach in Illinois.

Core courses
Teachers must complete all five core courses (15-semester hours):

• MTL 521 Building Professional and Community Relationships through Collaboration
• MTL 528 Examining Issues & Trends in Teacher Leadership
• MTL 536 Linking Assessment, Learning, and Curriculum
• MTL 538 Improving School Climate and Classroom Learning Environments
• MTL 597 Promoting Professional Development for School Improvement

Research Course
Teachers must choose and complete one of the following research courses (3-semester hours):

• MTL 513 Analyzing Reading Foundations
• MTL 552 Using Educational Research to Improve Practice
• MTL 591 Applying Action Research in Education

Advocacy Course
Teachers must choose and complete one of the following advocacy courses (3-semester hours):

• MTL 532 Teaching and Learning in the Diverse Classroom
• MTL 544 Cross-Cultural Studies for Teaching English Language Learners
• MTL 567 Advocating Culturally Relevant Curriculum & Instruction
• MTL 596 Evaluating Diversity Issues in Teaching and Learning

Elective Course
Teachers must choose one elective course (3-semester hours or more). Electives can be chosen from any course in the M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership program or students may choose to take an additional research or advocacy course. For elective course offerings, please visit www.elmhurst.edu/tl.

All teachers earning the Teacher Leader Endorsement who want to add the endorsement to their educator license should contact the Elmhurst College Department of Education Licensure Officer. For course descriptions, refer to the College Catalog.

*Please note: The teacher leader endorsement has been approved by the State of Illinois to begin Fall 2013.

ESL Endorsement*
The ESL endorsement for the State of Illinois may be earned by combining undergraduate and graduate course work in ELL. The approval may be earned on an Illinois early childhood, elementary, secondary, or special certificate, if the teacher has completed 18 semester hours of graduate or undergraduate course work, including documentation of 100 hours of experience in ESL classrooms. Teachers must currently hold a full-time classroom teaching position and be licensed to teach in Illinois.

The ESL Endorsement requires the completion of five core courses:

• MTL 512 Theoretical Foundations of ESL/Bilingual Education
• MTL 517 English as a Second Language Teaching Methodology
• MTL 519 Linguistics in Second Language Acquisition
• MTL 539 Assessment of Students with Limited English Proficiencies
• MTL 544 Cross-cultural Studies for Teaching English Language Learners

All teachers earning the ESL endorsement who want to add the endorsement to their teaching certificate should contact the Elmhurst College Department of Education Certification Officer. For course descriptions, refer to the College Catalog.

*Please note: The ESL endorsement is being revised for Fall 2014. Graduate students planning to earn this endorsement will be advised to sequence courses during the transition. In addition, the bilingual endorsement coursework is expected to be available to graduate students in 2015.

Middle Level Approval*
The following courses are offered online only through December 2017:

MTL 561 Understanding the Middle Level Learner
An intensive study of the stages of adolescence development as presented through theory, research, and practical applications. Students will examine a number of specific aspects of adolescent development including the following: the transitions of adolescence (cognitive, social, biological); the ways in which adolescents function within the many contexts of our society (peer groups, family, school); psychosocial development (personal identity, sexuality, autonomy); and the many issues and problems facing young adolescents in today’s world (substance abuse, bullying, depression, and suicide).

MTL 563 The Middle School: History, Philosophy, Organizational Structures, and Best Practices
An advanced study of the history, philosophy, organization, and procedures of the middle school through observation and participation in a middle school setting as well as through content delivered in the college classroom. Students will explore a number of middle level topics including age-appropriate instructional methods and strategies, the development of curriculum for the middle school learner, and classroom management strategies. Additional topics will address the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical developmental stages of the middle level learner.

*Please note: The middle level approval in the State of Illinois ends in 2017.