Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Wolinski-Norton.
Ashley, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After attending high school in Batavia, Illinois, I enrolled at Illinois State University (ISU) and became a first-generation college graduate, as well as the first “Wolinski” to ever attend college at that time. There, I studied Special Education after being inspired by my brother and the learning struggles he overcame growing up. I saw firsthand the impact a strong special educator had on both my brother and our family.
Upon graduation, I began working on the Southside of Chicago in the Back of the Yards community at a Chicago Public School, Lara Academy. Lara became my home based on the strong feeling of family the school and community offered. At Lara, I worked with students who had behavior and learning needs. There, I also became part of the leadership team. While at Lara, I helped to develop and run wonderful programs called the Pink and Varsity Panthers. These groups were designed to support middle school students and help to give them exposure to the city, social-emotional resources, and service learning experiences.
During this time, I completed my Master’s Degree in Education Leadership. I also worked as a consultant for Heinemann Library Publishing helping to develop series of books for children about Health Issues, Disabilities and Differences, and Science Investigations. Around the same time, I reconnected with contacts from ISU, began to host student trips/visits to CPS, and became a mentor to new teachers graduating from ISU. I realized how much I loved working with these recent graduates who were full of wonderful ideas and excited to join CPS.
I was then offered the opportunity to bridge both of these worlds began working for Illinois State University in 2014. I was able to open a new clinical site where ISU Special Education candidates could complete their clinical requirements in CPS while being immersed in the culture and community for the full year (called Field Base, followed by Student Teaching). I have worked as a Clinical Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Field Experiences in Chicago for Illinois State for four years now. In this role, I teach three courses to college seniors and supervise their teaching in CPS classrooms.
I also am able to build many relationships throughout Chicago visiting classrooms and schools meeting amazing principals and teachers, as well as district officials. This networking and relationship building has helped to support my role at the National Center for Urban Education (NCUE) Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline (CTEP) which is supported through the TEACHER+PLUS (Teacher Education and Assessment Continuum for High-need Educators and Resources + Principal Leadership in Urban Schools) federal grant.
Here, I have partnered with target communities in Chicago including Albany Park, East Garfield Park, Little Village, Pilsen, Back of the Yards, and Auburn-Gresham and the community organizations and liaisons within. After my first year of the Chicago Field Base program 90% of the special education graduates from this group took positions within CPS and since then 70-100% of graduating groups have accepted Special Education positions in CPS.
I began my Doctorate in Special Education at ISU in fall 2016. I am committed to preparing strong special educators who are culturally competent and advancing the field through my research in urban special education, culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices, teacher preparation, and teacher retention.
While teaching in CPS, I was nominated for The Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2011-2012. In addition, I was given the award of Most Dedicated Teacher at Lara Academy in 2014. ISU awarded me with The STAR Teacher! Highly Effective Urban PK-12 teacher in 2014 as well. In 2017, I was awarded the Illinois State University College of Education Outstanding Young Alumni award.
Outside of the Panther Clubs, I have held volunteer positions such as committee positions with the Chicago English Bulldog Rescue. I have also volunteered as an advisor for senior Girl Scouts working toward their Gold Award (which I earned myself in 2001). I have presented at local and national conferences such as Council for Exceptional Children, TED Conference-Teacher Education Division, and The New Teacher Conference (NTCON).
My goal is to continue to create “ripples in the pond” through the preparation I help to provide future special educators specifically in CPS. I am no longer affecting just the students in my classroom, but through working with future special educators, I am helping to impact classrooms of children they all serve. Through teaching coursework and holding the high standards for knowledge, performance, and disposition, which ISU develops in students, I have contributed to the field of education. I have helped to develop wonderful future Special Educators children so need and deserve.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not always been smooth for me, mostly out of uncertainty as a first-generation college graduate. Finding mentors and a great support system along the journey has been the most beneficial tools I would recommend to others. I am grateful for my husband, parents, teaching and school mentors, career mentors, teaching partners, and my higher education mentors. I would also say that another challenge is burn-out in the education field.
Finding a release that brings you joy such a volunteering and spending time with my dog and friends has greatly helped me. Additionally, the challenge of the stigma and bias many educators, especially in CPS face has been hard to overcome. It is a goal of mine for others to experience the true side of the wonderful education many CPS Special Educators and schools are providing to kids all over the city.
Please tell us about Illinois State University-National Center.
The Department of Special Education at Illinois State University is one of the largest and most respected special education programs in the country. The National Center for Urban Education is grounded in social justice and works to cultivate and sustain innovative, resilient, and effective educators for urban schools and their communities.
Over the past 13 years, the Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline has been recognized as an exemplary model earning national acclaim from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, National Network for Educational Renewal, National Broadcasting Society, Association of Teacher Educators, and the American Educational Studies Association. These national and international awards recognize work that fosters the development of quality teaching, research, and professional education practices that promote diversity, equity, and service-learning.
My role specifically is to locate placements for special education teacher candidates from ISU within the Chicago Public Schools, the third largest district in the country. I then teach three courses: Content Analysis, Strategies and Collaboration, Current Laws and Initiatives, and Assessment of Instruction. Additionally, I supervise candidates at their clinical sites all over Chicago and provide professional development.
I am most proud of the high placement rates of candidates accepting positions in CPS upon graduation and my role in assisting in that. The goal for me has always been to prepare strong, culturally responsive special education teacher candidates who stay in CPS and serve students all over our city.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
As a child, some of my favorite memories involve animals and playing “school” with my brother and cousins. I loved being the teacher and am thrilled to get to follow my passions still.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2934 W Lake St. Chicago, IL 60612
- Website: https://cpsfieldbaseilstu.weebly.com/
- Phone: 630-308-1360
- Email: arwolin@ilstu.edu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cpsfieldbaseilstu/
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