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Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program is a Finalist

Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program is a Finalist in the Prestigious Innovations in American Government Award

(Washington - August, 2001) — The Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching's Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program, recognized for its unique and effective approach to training resilient and inspiring teachers, is honored with a $20,000 grant and national recognition as one of 15 finalists in the Innovations in American Government Award.

Since it began in 1989, the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois program has helped more than 600 high school and college students become better teachers. The program provides Scholars with $28,000 in assistance for college, as well as teaching mentorship from high school graduation through their first years in the teaching profession. In return, Scholars agree to teach for five years in an Illinois school "of need" - a school with a significant number of low-income students. The program provides Golden Apple Scholars with three times the number of student contact hours experienced by traditionally prepared teachers.

Talyia Riemer is one of those teachers. She was accepted into the Golden Apple Scholars program in 1993. As a high school and college student in the program, Riemer participated in a series of summer institutes that provided her and other Scholars with a wide array of new skills to help them in the classroom. She said the program gave her the guidance she needed to find her niche in teaching: "This experience helped me focus on what age I wanted to teach, and it also helped me to understand kids better." Because of her extensive preparation, Riemer had a smooth transition when she began her teaching career at Boone Elementary three years ago.

The Golden Apple Scholars program's innovative approach to preparing new teachers is producing effective teachers who stay in the classroom. According to a 2001 study of the program by the University of Chicago at Illinois, "Golden Apple Scholars were clearly superior in instructional behavior, reflective practice, professional development activity, and in collaboration with students and community." Since Scholars are successful in the classroom, they keep teaching. Of the 158 Scholars who have begun their teaching careers, 157 remain in teaching or have completed their five-year commitment with the program. The Golden Apple Program also is helping traditionally underrepresented students stay in teaching. The retention rate for African Americans in the program is 80 percent, which surpasses the Illinois and national averages. The college retention rate for Hispanic/Latino Scholars is 88 percent, which is also above the state and national averages.

"All children deserve excellent teachers. The Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois' success shows that our program can be used as a template nationwide to nurture the teaching talent of the best and the brightest young people," said Dominic Belmonte, the director of teacher preparation for the Golden Apple Foundation.

About the Innovations Award

Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the Innovations in American Government Awards focus on the quality and responsiveness of American government at all levels and help foster the replication of innovative approaches to meeting the challenges facing government. "The Golden Apple Scholars program deserves national recognition for its thoughtful and thorough effort to prepare students for long careers in a noble profession," said Gail Christopher, Executive Director of the Innovations in American Government Award. "Countless students would benefit if other states now began to emulate Illinois' successful approach."

The awards - a program of the Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government - are administered in partnership with the Council for Excellence in Government. The Program was founded by the Ford Foundation to identify and promote excellence and creativity in the public sector through its annual awards competition. The National Selection Committee on Innovations in American Government will select five winning programs after a full day of presentations on October 17, 2001 in Washington, DC. Winners will be announced the following day, and each will receive a $100,000 Award.

About the Innovations Partners

The Institute for Government Innovation, established through an endowment from the Ford Foundation, strives to foster excellence in governments throughout the world. It houses the Innovations in American Government Awards Program and serves as a global hub for public-sector innovators through networks, conferences, and research.

The Council for Excellence in Government is a national, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization whose 750 members have served as senior public sector Officials. The Council's mission is to improve the performance of government by strengthening results-oriented management and creative leadership in the public sector, and build understanding in government by focusing public discussion on its role and responsibilities.

For more information on the Innovations in American Government program and the finalists in this year's competition, please visit the Innovations home page at innovations.harvard.edu.