ILLINOIS – Golden Apple, a non-profit committed to preparing, supporting and mentoring aspiring teachers, is accepting applications for both its Accelerators and Scholars programs. Through these programs, Golden Apple seeks to provide pathways for aspiring educators to enter the profession and fill crucial open teaching positions across the state.
Illinois faces an ongoing teacher shortage crisis, leading to classrooms lacking the highly-effective, well-qualified educators our students deserve. A report earlier this year from the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents found that there were more than 4,000 teaching positions unfilled for the 2023-2024 school year, with 91% of school leaders indicating experiencing a teacher shortage.
“Recruiting the new cohorts of our Scholars and Accelerators programs is always an exciting and meaningful opportunity for our team to engage with hundreds of aspiring educators who have the passion for shaping our next generation,” said Golden Apple President Alan Mather. “These programs not only provide pathways to the classroom, but they also represent a pathway to a future where every student has the teacher they deserve. We encourage all of those looking to make a meaningful difference in their community to apply today!”
The Scholars program focuses on teacher preparation and tuition assistance for high school seniors as well as freshman and sophomore college students in Illinois who have the determination and drive to teach. Scholars receive up to $23,000 in financial assistance, extensive classroom teaching experience, academic and social-emotional support, job placement assistance and mentoring from Golden Apple’s award-winning teaching faculty. There are nearly 2,000 Scholars active in the program, with four out of every five staying in teaching for five years or longer. Throughout the history of the program, half of Scholars have been people of color, and over 60% of Scholars are from underserved populations.
“On the heels of welcoming our largest ever classes of Scholars and Accelerators earlier this year, we are thrilled to open applications for our next cohorts of both programs,” said Golden Apple CEO Alicia Winckler. “Golden Apple has a proven record of building the teacher pipeline and supporting students in achieving their dreams. We encourage motivated and high-potential, aspiring educators from across the state to apply!”
The Accelerators program is a 15-month teacher residency and licensure program that expedites the preparation of highly-effective teachers in areas-of-need throughout the state. Geared toward career changers with a bachelor’s degree and current college students not already on a teaching path, program participants take courses at a partner university, receive instruction from established educators, and work with mentors who provide ongoing support throughout the school year and into their first years of teaching. Accelerators receive a $10,000 stipend and have their university-based licensure tuition and fees funded by the program. Since the program began in 2020, Accelerators taught in over 70 school districts across 45 counties in Illinois.
In 2023, Golden Apple received a historic increase in funding from the State of Illinois that allowed them to significantly increase the number of aspiring educators admitted to their Scholars and Accelerators programs each year. In Spring 2024, Golden Apple inducted 430 Scholars into the program, its largest in the history of the program, and inducted over 180 Accelerators, a cohort four times larger than the previous year’s. This level of state funding was maintained in the FY2025 state budget, allowing the organization to recruit similar cohort sizes this year. Golden Apple is committed to expanding the pipeline of organization-prepared teachers to more than 2,000 this year, teaching in 90% of Illinois counties.
To learn more and apply for either the Accelerators or Scholars program, interested parties can visit www.goldenapple.org/accelerators and www.goldenapple.org/scholars.
