North Central College announces new educational partnership with West40

New partnership expands program outreach for its Master of Education in Educational Leadership

North Central College’s School of Education and Health Sciences and the School of Graduate and Professional Studies have forged a partnership with the West40 Intermediate Service Center #2 of Cook County to promote character education across Illinois. The partnership will provide a 20 percent tuition discount for educators employed by West40 or employed by a school district within the West40 region who enroll in select master’s degree programs at North Central.

“This partnership underscores North Central’s important role and history of success in helping prepare school leaders to create cultures of character within their schools and communities across Illinois,” said North Central College President Troy Hammond. “Thanks to the support of the Kern Family Foundation, we’re able to make our character education initiatives available to more educators throughout the region.”

North Central College is committed to inspiring well-equipped, principled, responsible leaders. Through a 4.5-year, $3.2 million grant—the College’s largest private grant ever—North Central is launching character initiatives designed to have a lasting impact on educators, aspiring leaders, and administrators. These initiatives focus on social, emotional, and ethical competencies with an ultimate goal to nurture and foster Cultures of Character in the school systems in which they serve.

“Establishing an alliance with West40 immediately enables us to expand our outreach for the Master of Education in Educational Leadership degree program to over 6,000 teachers in the West40 service area,” said Dr. Marci J. Swede, dean of the School of Education and Health Sciences.

The partnership also extends the College’s ability to reach educators currently underrepresented in administrative ranks, who work in an underserved community and who have demonstrated a commitment to fostering a culture of character in the school setting.

According to Dr. Mark Klaisner, executive director of West40, “Partnering with North Central College in Naperville is an incredible opportunity for our West40 staff as well as our West40 District Educators to complete a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and we are thrilled to have this connection! At West40, our commitment to our teachers is selfish. It’s selfish because what we want above all is successful students and we know the way to get successful students is by having educators be the best versions of themselves and have what they need. By empowering and supporting those who are at the schools day in and day out, we will allow them to better empower the students. We will pull out all the stops to be the resource they need to improve.”

For more information about the College’s character initiatives and Master of Education in Educational Leadership degree program, visit  https://www.northcentralcollege.edu/character-initiatives.