Dr. Allen E. Bearden

Dr. Allen E. Bearden began his career as a Chicago Public School Special Education teacher at Moses Montifiore, a school for Behavior Disordered Boys, where he served as union delegate and district supervisor. He later became acting principal until he left to begin his work with the Chicago Teachers Union. He served the union for fifteen years in the roles of Assistant Director, Director, and Assistant to the President for Educational Issues. In August of 2004 he began his work at UIC.

At UIC he serves as Associate Director for “Supporting Teachers Supporting Teaching,” a Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant. The purpose of the grant is to enable university personnel to work in West Side schools, with the goal of improving teacher quality and teacher retention.

For many years, Dr. Bearden in collaboration with CPS staff has worked to improve and support new teachers by implementing mentoring and induction programs. He helped to establish the first induction program for Chicago Public Schools, Partnership for Professional Practice, and the first systemic induction program for CPS; MINT, Mentoring and Induction of New Teachers.

He views ST2 as an exciting opportunity to extend this work. By enhancing and supporting the mentors of new teachers, we will eventually reach our ultimate goal; improving the educational experiences and achievement of the students we serve in our schools.