UNION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
IFT's professional development opportunities are designed to meet the needs of both new and experienced local leaders and activists in all IFT constituency groups. Our programs provide participants with hands-on learning and a chance to network with other IFT members from throughout the state. We have adapted our training to meet the changing needs of union leadership as we grapple with racial injustice and other inequities.
Curricula is one of the most powerful tools we have as educators. That is why there is an attack on antiracist curricula, schools and institutions of higher learning–because these have been and can be powerful sites of resistance to injustice.
To ensure we move from a place of power and not paranoia in our curricula requires
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courage to teach truth which includes teaching multiple histories and using curricula to identify injustice and resistance; and
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knowledge of these truths and histories and how to teach them in age and developmentally-appropriate ways.
To build this necessary competence and confidence, UPID is launching TEACH TRUTH!: An Academic Freedom Summer—a spring/summer of professional learning that will
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delve into culturally relevant and fugitive pedagogies;
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help educators learn and teach the many curricular mandates we have in IL; and
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provide opportunities for educators to build supportive networks since surviving this era of censorship and attempted erasure will require a collective effort.
Courses will be provided by both IFT staff and vetted partners in multiple formats: virtual and in-person; some as short as 90 mins while others will be held over multiple days. Some courses will be offered multiple times; most are free of charge but some have registration fees. Most, if not all, offer PD credit.
JUNE
2
TRAVELING BLACK:
A Story of Race and Resistance w/Mia Bay
Virtual | 5:30p-6:45p
This is hosted by the Zinn Education Project as a part of their weekly series, “Teach the Black Freedom Struggle.” Historian Mia Bay and Rethinking Schools editor Jesse Hagopian will discuss Bay’s book, Traveling Black: A Story of Race and Resistance, which explores racial restrictions on transportation and resistance to the injustice.
JUNE
4
CREATING AFFIRMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Skokie IFT Office
In-person | 2p-6p
This workshop facilitated by partners from the Public Health Institute is geared towards classroom teachers and student support staff. It focuses on the experiences and needs of LGBTQ+ young people in a school setting as well as the changing legal landscape around transgender and gender-expansive students’ rights. It includes opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and skill-building.
JUNE
22-26
GREAT LAKES UNION LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
In-person | Delavan, Wisconsin
Join your IFT and other union comrades from the Great Lakes region as they build union power and solidarity in these uncertain political times. Courses will focus on how we can organize with our communities, utilize our collective bargaining power and enforce our contracts for the common good.
JUNE
23-26
SUMMER EDUCATOR WORKSHOP
In-person | University of Chicago
Can’t make it to Great Lakes in Wisconsin? The Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP) is offering a 4-day workshop in the summer to explore racial justice in schools. The workshop will explore why race/ethnicity matters in schools, how racial dynamics shape the historical and social context of urban education, how we can integrate racial justice into our classrooms and curricula, and how we help students understand racial issues and become change agents in their communities. Learn strategies to engage in social justice pedagogy from experienced facilitators and build an inclusive environment with a cohort of educators that support each other’s work.
JUNE /JULY
30-2
THE UNION'S RESPONSE TO STUDENT STRESS AND TRAUMA (3-Day Training)
In-person | IFT Quincy Office
This course has been designed to provide all school personnel - including teachers, PSRPs, clinicians, security personnel, food services, and custodial workers - with insights to understand the impacts of trauma on students better and prepare them to respond to their students in ways which promote restoration and healing. Participants will engage in circle practice to support community building and learning.
JULY
9
In-person | Location TBD
CREATING AFFIRMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
This workshop facilitated by partners from the Public Health Institute is geared towards classroom teachers and student support staff. It focuses on the experiences and needs of LGBTQ+ young people in a school setting as well as the changing legal landscape around transgender and gender-expansive students’ rights. It includes opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and skill-building.
VOICES ACROSS TIME:
In-person | IFT Robert M. Healy Center
This dynamic 90-minute professional development session engages educators in uncovering the legacies of Black women leaders—from ancient Africa to the present. Through gallery walk
exploration, group dialogue, and culturally responsive lesson planning, participants will reflect on their own teaching identity and expand their historical literacy.
JULY
10
Teaching Through the Legacy of Black Women’s Leadership from Ancient Africa to Today
JULY
21
CREATING AFFIRMING LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Virtual | Time TBD
This workshop facilitated by partners from the Public Health Institute is geared towards classroom teachers and student support staff. It focuses on the experiences and needs of LGBTQ+ young people in a school setting as well as the changing legal landscape around transgender and gender-expansive students’ rights. It includes opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and skill-building.
JULY
22
UNMASKING RACE:
History, Harm and Healing in the Classroom
In-person | IFT Robert M. Healy Center
Build-your-own-lesson: this interactive workshop will allow educators to leave with concrete lesson plans to utilize in their classrooms. Empower yourself to teach about race with confidence. This 90-minute training delves into the social construction of race, providing educators with the knowledge and tools to address this critical topic in the classroom.
JULY
25-27
AFT TEACH
Together Educating America's Children
In-person | Washington D.C.
This energizing professional learning event offers an inspiring and collaborative experience for presenters and attendees alike; the conference is filled with timely strategies and practical resources you can take back to your school for a successful year ahead.
AUGUST
5-7
THE UNION'S RESPONSE TO STUDENT STRESS AND TRAUMA
In-person | Edward Geppert Jr. Center
This course has been designed to provide all school personnel - including teachers, PSRPs, clinicians, security personnel, food services, and custodial workers - with insights to understand the impacts of trauma on students better and prepare them to respond to their students in ways which promote restoration and healing. Participants will engage in circle practice to support community building and learning.
IFT Evaluator training courses​
GATHERING EVIDENCE DURING OBSERVATIONS AND CONFERENCING USING THE DANIELSON MODEL
This one-day course, intended for administrators who need to re-qualify to evaluate teachers, focuses on increasing inter-rater reliability and controlling bias when collecting, aligning, and rating evidence and conducing post-observation conferences. Upon successful completion, the educator will have satisfied the requirement for retraining in the area of Professional Practice. This AA must be paired with AA3000 to fulfill the entire retraining requirements.
This one-day academy, intended for administrators who need to re-qualify to evaluate all licensed staff, focuses on the use of assessments and measurement models in determining student growth attributable to individual educators. Upon successful completion, the educator will have satisfied the requirement for retraining in the area of Student Growth. This AA must be paired with one of the AAs focused on Professional Practice for the population you evaluate to fulfill the entire retraining requirements.
This one-day course, intended for administrators who need to re-qualify to evaluate teachers, focuses on increasing inter-rater reliability and controlling bias when collecting, aligning, and rating evidence and conducing post-observation conferences. Upon successful completion, the educator will have satisfied the requirement for retraining in the area of Professional Practice. This AA must be paired with AA3000 to fulfill the entire retraining requirements.
AA1801/RETRAINING
Nov 15, 2025 | 8a-4:30p
REGISTRATION OPENS: OCTOBER 6, 2025
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 6, 2025
AA2001/INITIAL
Mar 26, 2025 | 4p-6p
Apr 12, 2025 | 8a-4:30p
Apr 13, 2025 | 8a-4:30p
REGISTRATION CLOSED
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AA3000/RETRAINING
AA1801/RETRAINING
Illinois Performance Evaluation – Initial Teacher Evaluation Training
AA2001/Initial
Jan 14, 2026 | 4p-6p
Jan 24, 2026 | 8a-4:30p
Jan 25, 2026 | 8a-4:30p
REGISTRATION OPENS: Dec 6, 2025
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Jan 6, 2026
Using Student Growth Data in Professional Evaluations For Retraining of Teacher and Principal Evaluators in the Area of Student Growth
AA3000/Retraining
Feb. 21, 2026 | 8a-4:30p
REGISTRATION OPENS: Jan 12, 2026
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Feb 12, 2026
2026 course dates
OTHER COURSES
AFT LEAD PROGRAM
Leadership Education and Development
The IFT, in partnership with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Cornell University, offers the LEAD program to help local union and council teams establish strong relationships with their members and the community. Throughout the year-long program, LEAD teams hold several collaborative meetings to assess their challenges, determine how to strategically overcome them, and develop an effective action plan.
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
TRAINING AND SUPPORT
IFT members are experts in their fields and uniquely qualified to train their colleagues. After completing an IFT Train-the-Trainer course, members are armed with the skills and materials they need to conduct professional development programs in their locals.
Programs include:
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Initial Teachers Evaluation Training
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Evaluation Empowerment
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Building Responsive and Trauma-Informed Schools, and more.
WORKSITE LEADER (WSL) TRAINING
The WSL program is designed to help union activists be effective worksite leaders in their building or workplace. WSLs play a critical role in growing and strengthening their locals and the IFT.
To become a WSL graduate participants must complete five courses, including:
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Union 101
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Communications and Information
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Worksite Advocacy
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Mobilization and Engagement
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Political, Legislative, and Community Engagement
CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING, LEARNING & ASSESSMENT
The importance and power of culturally responsive practices, curriculum, and assessment to ensure students are engaged in authentic learning has never been more relevant. Join this workshop to learn more about implementing the use of curricula and assessments that are both restorative and academically rigorous. Culturally relevant curricula is a key component of trauma-informed pedagogy—but requires specific components, continual self-analysis, and mindset shifts for educators. Educators are encouraged to bring a unit- or lesson-plan to this workshop.
CUSTOM TRAINING
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Additional trainings and assistance are available based on local need and demand. Examples of custom programs include: campaign and candidate training, social media, current legislative issues, and the teacher evaluation process.
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questions? Contact Benita Twillie at
btwillie@ift-aft.org or 630/468-4080.