INVEST IN THEIR TOMORROW TODAY.

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The Golden Apple Scholars program identifies talented high school seniors or early college students who have the drive to succeed in challenging teaching environments. Scholars are provided with comprehensive support throughout college and the beginning of their careers.

Our mentors are members of the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, master teachers who are past recipients of the prestigious Golden Apple Award. Each year since 1986, we have honored ten outstanding new members.

WHAT IS GOLDEN APPLE?

Golden Apple’s mission is to develop and support aspiring teachers to be successful in schools-of-need in Illinois. Our model is unique because we focus on recruiting directly from the communities we serve. We provide extensive preparation, advising and financial support in college, and mentorship throughout the early years of teaching. Our mentors are master teachers drawn from the pinnacle of the profession, and their ability to inspire and nurture the next generation of great teachers is key to the success of our program.

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Golden Apple believes that great teachers are the building blocks of a brighter future.

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Our vision is an Illinois in which every classroom has a great teacher. Help us make that a reality.

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If you want to improve educational outcomes for students in schools-of-need, Golden Apple is the best investment you can make.

Why teachers?

Why not technology, infrastructure or direct funds?

We are determined to improve educational outcomes for students in challenging school settings. You can talk about the need for better facilities, technology or funding, but only great teachers can ignite the true power of these investments. Teachers provide the spark and give the necessary extra push students need. It is this level of human interaction that ultimately determines educational outcomes. We believe the difference between a competent teacher and a great teacher is nearly everything, especially to students in schools-of-need. At Golden Apple, we are doing the hard work of ensuring that the schools that need them most have great teachers.

For 30 years, the value of our model has been proven. Today, there is no shortage of future educators willing to take our challenge, dedicate the time and make the intense commitments we require. There is no shortage of schools deeply in need of such teachers. There is only a shortage of funds to support the expansion of our impact.

Please support us in our crucial mission to increase the supply of amazing teachers for Illinois’ many schools-of-need.

We do not pursue our mission the easy way. We are dedicated to nothing less than fundamentally improving the quality of teachers across the state.

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What makes Golden Apple unique?

IN COMMUNITYWE RECRUIT FROM THE SAME COMMUNITIES AND

SCHOOLS-OF-NEED WHERE OUR SCHOLARS WILL TEACH

THEREFORE THEY BRING A LEVEL OF CULTURAL AWARENESS AND EMPATHY FOR THEIR STUDENTS

THAT ALLOW FOR GREATER IMPACT

SUSTAINABILITYAWARD-WINNING GOLDEN

APPLE TEACHERS PREPARE ASPIRING SCHOLARS WHO STAY

CAREER-LONG SUPPORTSUMMER INSTITUTESACADEMIC SUPPORT

JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCEMENTORING FOR UP TO 5 YEARS

ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

RESULTSGOLDEN APPLE SCHOLARS ARE READY TO TEACH AND PREPARED FOR SCHOOLS-OF-NEED

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Golden Apple Scholars are among the best and the brightest—incoming Golden Apple Scholars in 2015 had an average ACT score of 25.

80% of Golden Apple Scholars remain full-time teachers beyond five years, despite the challenging environments in which they work.

77% of Golden Apple Scholars earn college degrees within six years, a rate that is seven times the national benchmark for first-generation college students.

60% are first-generation college students.50% are from underrepresented communities.40% are from low-income families.

Race breakdown of Illinois students & Golden Apple Scholars. Compare this to Illinois teachers overall.

ILLINOIS TEACHERS

GOLDEN APPLE

SCHOLARS

ILLINOIS STUDENTS

GOLDEN APPLE SCHOLARS ARE EXCEPTIONAL RESILIENT • CAPABLE • EFFECTIVE • TENACIOUS

Qualities that make Golden Apple Scholars remarkable and effective

Great teaching is an art and a craft that must be mastered. Like any great craft, the skills required are accumulated through practice and can be dramatically enhanced by learning from a master instructor. Our master instructors are Golden Apple Award-winning teachers and teaching Scholars.

Golden Apple leads the way in cultivating and keeping quality teachers in schools-of-need. Our approach is rooted in mentoring and hands-on

practice that far exceeds the intensity of any other teacher-preparation program. We support aspiring master teachers through all four years of college and continue to mentor them in the following five years of their teaching experience. This intensive mentoring, with its focus in the classroom, uniquely prepares them to handle the many real-world challenges of teaching in high-need schools. As a result, Golden Apple Scholars are prepared to not only do the job with resilience but to excel at it.

*We Need Teachers of Color By Jacob Murray & Jackie Jenkins-Scott and Recruiting and Retaining Black Teachers to Work in Urban Schools By Brian R. Evans, Jacqueline Leonard

Students’ educational experiences and expectations improve with

diverse mentors and teachers.*

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Golden Apple Scholars reflect the students we serve.

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MASTER TEACHERS GUIDE OUR SCHOLARS

ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

MENTORING FOR UP TO 5 YEARS

JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE

ACADEMIC SUPPORT

THROUGHOUT COLLEGE

SUMMER INSTITUTES WITH 700+ CLASSROOM

HOURS BEYOND STATE LICENSING

MINIMUM

The Academy supports our Scholars

Golden Apple’s unique formula

results in improved teaching and

higher retention rates.

The Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching is an integral component of Golden Apple’s model. We present awards to eleven extraordinary teachers and school leaders each year in recognition of outstanding service to students. Award recipients are inducted into the Golden Apple Academy of Educators, where they mentor new and aspiring teachers. The Awards program strengthens our ecosystem of excellent educators who are committed to advancing the field through coaching, collaboration and inspiration of future teachers.

THESE RESULT IN IMPROVED TEACHING, RETENTION & OUTCOMES

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Award-winning teachers become mentors for

Golden Apple Scholars.

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Golden Apple Scholars stay in teaching longer

REMARKABLE RESULTS

ILLINOIS TEACHER RETENTION OVER LAST 5 YEARS:

GOLDEN APPLE’S RETENTION OVER LAST 5 YEARS:

82% 2/382% of principals rated Scholars (in their first 5 years) as more prepared to teach on day one than teachers of any other program.

2/3 of principals would choose Golden Apple Scholars over teachers from any other program.

Principals surveyed across Illinois prefer Golden Apple Scholars

54% STAY

80% STAY

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“Studies show beginning teachers who participate in induction/mentoring have higher job satisfaction, commitment, or retention.” —Ingersoll and Strong 2011, University of Pennsylvania

Teacher retention

Consortium on Chicago School Research at The University of Chicago Keeping New Teachers: A First Look at the Influences of Induction in the Chicago Public Schools, 2007

“I plan to remain at this school.” (Elementary school teachers)

“I plan to remain at this school.” (High school teachers)

75

50

25

48%63%

38%45%

57%

28%

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“Golden Apple teachers are among the top 5% of the most effective teachers at my school.” —Illinois Principal, Summer 2015

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ILLINOIS NEEDS MORE SCHOLARS

There are over 3,500 schools-of-need in the State of Illinois.

Golden Apple Scholars must expand to meet the needs of schools and principals.A school-of-need is defined by Golden Apple as a school where 30% or more of the students are on free or reduced lunch or a school whose state test results show that the percentage of students who meet or exceed state standards is less than or equal to 60%.

Imagine Illinois with extraordinary teachers in all 3,500+ schools-of-need. Imagine the incredible impact it can have at every level from an individual student’s life to the entire state education system.

Chicagoland

Statewide Need

Without Golden Apple Scholars With Golden Apple Scholars

Illinois

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ILLINOIS NEEDS MORE SCHOLARS

Our survey of principals shows that Golden Apple Scholars are in

extraordinarily high demand.

While Golden Apple has over 750 Scholars teaching in over 550 schools in Illinois, we will have to expand the program aggressively to meet the demand for qualified teachers. There are almost 3,000 schools that do not yet have Scholars. 

97%

The vast majority of principals

want to hire three or more

Golden Apple Scholars and

97% expressed interest in hiring

additional Golden Apple

Scholars within the next 3 years.

“My only complaint is that I don’t have enough Golden Apple Scholars.” —Illinois Principal, Summer 2015

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Our goal is to achieve a balanced

funding portfolio by 2018,

which will include funding

from K-12 contracts focused on

teacher preparation, induction

and mentoring, grants, and

individual, corporate, and

foundation support.

GOVERNMENT GRANTS

EARNED INCOME:

K-12 CONTRACTS

NON- GOVERNMENT

FOUNDATIONS, INDIVIDUALS,

CORPORATIONS2018GOAL

400 Scholars

200 Scholars

135 Scholars

2013 2015 2018

400

300

200

100

The size of our recruiting class

has grown by almost 50% since

2013 with a record number of

200 scholars in 2015. To begin to

meet the massive demand for

Scholars, we expect this number

to again double by 2018 and

grow thereafter.

ANNUAL AND PROJECTED GROWTH

GROWING OUR SCHOLARS

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ONE GREAT TEACHER CAN CHANGE

“If one Golden Apple Scholar can impact a classroom, let’s say

of 30, imagine what doubling the amount of Scholars would do.

Every time you increase the amount of Scholars being accepted,

you’re increasing the opportunity for more children’s lives to be

impacted, and to change their lives, and to change the course of

their life, just how a teacher changed the course of my life.”

Yesica Ayala, 2014 Golden Apple Scholar

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THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS.

We must increase the number of Golden Apple Scholars so that we have an even greater impact on the lives of Illinois’ students.

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A LIFETIME OF ECONOMIC POTENTIAL

First-generation college students who gain a degree within 6 years

Low-income students who gain a degree by age 25

Students nationwide who gain a degree within 6 years

Golden Apple Scholars who gain a degree within 6 years

Our college graduation rate is extraordinary

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25 11% 15% 77%59%

A college degree leads to a significant increase in economic potential. In fact, a college-educated worker has a median income 84% higher than a worker with only a high school diploma, and contributes an average of $355,000 more to the economy over the course of a career.

College Advising Corps: www.advisingcorps.org/our-work/the-need

10%The U.S. suffers from a massive disparity in higher education attainment. Only 1 in 10 people from low-income families has a college degree. Combine this with the fact that by 2018, 2/3 of all jobs in the U.S. will require a postsecondary degree, and the magnitude of the problem becomes devastatingly evident. A remarkable 77% all aspiring teachers who enter the Golden Apple Scholars program end up with a college degree.

84%

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“An excellent teacher can increase the future earning of each classroom they teach* by $212,000 to $400,000.” —The economic value of higher teacher quality by Eric A. Hanushek, Stanford University, 2011.

* Assuming a class size of 20 students.

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A LIFETIME OF ECONOMIC POTENTIAL

Your dollar triggers a positive chain reaction and contributes to the improvement of Illinois and America as a whole.

60%

60% of Golden Apple Scholars

are first-generation college

students and 50% come from

underrepresented groups.

The long-term benefit of Golden Apple rests, in large part, on our ability to bring these students through college and into professional careers at a rate far above the national average.

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Golden Apple’s success is borne of the unique ways that we recruit and nurture great teachers.

Great teachers must have an

extraordinary capacity to

empathize with their students.

Our Scholars are drawn primarily

from the communities in which

they will ultimately serve, so

they reflect the diversity of their

students better than teachers in

Illinois overall.

Golden Apple treats teaching

as the noble profession that

it is, not as a stepping stone

to other career goals. Our

unique mentorship model

allows Scholars to draw insight

and inspiration from master

teachers, and our 80% five-

year retention rate reflects the

success of our philosophy.

Our exceptional graduation rate

means that the first-generation

and underrepresented Scholars

who enter our program will

benefit from the increase in

economic potential afforded by

a college degree.

Golden Apple Scholars are

changing thousands of lives

across Illinois today. They could

change millions. We ask for your

direct financial assistance in

realizing this goal.

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LEARN MORE AT:WWW.GOLDENAPPLE.ORG

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DONATE NOW!

INVEST IN THEIR TOMORROW TODAY.

HELP US GROW AND REACH MORE STUDENTS.

$2,500–$5,000

TUITIONAnnual tuition assistance paid to an Illinois university on the Scholar’s behalf:

Freshmen & Sophomore $2,500, Junior & Senior $5,000.

SUMMER INSTITUTEScholars attending universities throughout Illinois for 5 weeks during the summer.

Room & board, instructors & stipends.

$5,000

PROGRAM SERVICESAllocation of staff time spent on the Scholars program: Salaries & benefits.

Recruitment, placement, working with new teachers: Recruiting, selection, induction & mentorship.Operating costs: Space rental, communication, office supplies & technology.

$5,000

GOLDEN APPLE FOUNDATION

8 South Michigan AvenueSuite 700

Chicago, IL 60603

Phone: 312-407-0006

goldenapple.org

HELP US GROW AND REACH MORE STUDENTS.