Freeport, IL — Highland Community College has been awarded a $30,000 grant from Grow Your Own–Illinois to recruit and support future educators through the Disadvantaged Male Teacher Initiative, a program designed to strengthen Illinois’s educator workforce by identifying diverse, community-connected individuals who aspire to become teachers.
Grow Your Own–Illinois is an Illinois not-for-profit corporation committed to strengthening the state’s educator pipeline by supporting future teachers as defined by the Illinois Grow Your Own Teachers Act (110 ILCS 48/1). Funding for this grant is provided through the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
The Disadvantaged Male Teacher Initiative focuses on increasing access to and success in educator preparation pathways for all students, with a special emphasis on male students from underrepresented and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Through targeted academic support, mentoring, and pathway development, the initiative seeks to address persistent teacher shortages while diversifying the teaching profession.
According to Jim Phillips, VP and Chief Academic Officer, “I am grateful to Dean Schupbach-Roe and Dr. Hyder for their leadership in securing this grant and for the partnerships they are strengthening with our district high schools to encourage students to enter the teaching profession and to come back to our region to teach. This grant further advances Highland’s mission of serving northwest Illinois.”
Grant funds will be used to support program activities such as recruitment, advising, academic and career coaching, and structured pathways into teacher preparation programs. The initiative aligns with Highland’s broader commitment to equity, access, and workforce development.
Highland Community College will collaborate with regional partners to ensure students supported through the Grow Your Own – Illinois program are prepared to successfully navigate next steps, including transfer to four-year institutions.
For more information about Highland Community College’s education pathways and workforce initiatives, visit highland.edu.