Downers Grove North English chair to serve on Carnegie Educator Advisory Panel

Downers Grove North High School English teacher and department chair Christopher Bronke recently was selected to serve on The Carnegie Educator Advisory Panel. The panel consists of nine secondary teachers and school-based leaders from across the nation.

During the 2023-24 school year, advisers will provide counsel on key initiatives, particularly the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s high school redesign initiatives. Advisers also will share their stories of impact, lessons learned and experiences in today’s educational system.

“I am excited to partake in a learning journey with other respected educators to design programs that respond to the changing needs of students and the educational landscape,” Bronke said in a news release.

Bronke has served as the English department chair at Downers Grove North High School since 2012. Before that role, he was an English teacher at Downers Grove South High School. He has held numerous teacher leadership positions at the national level, including a seat on the Teacher Advisory Council for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, currently serving as the past chair for the Conference on English Leadership and recently finishing his term serving on the Executive Committee for the National Council of Teachers of English.

“I am thrilled to see Chris play a critical role in developing different educational policies and programs to further the advancement of the program and ensuring all students have the opportunity to live a life full of ambition,” Hank Thiele, District 99 superintendent, said in the release.

The nine selected panelists will be instrumental in molding the Future of Learning portfolio, specifically emphasizing secondary education innovations.

“New tools, programs and methods are needed to provide students with more engaging learning opportunities inside the classroom and Chris is the type of educator and leader who brings new ideas, experiences and inspiration to the world of education,” Downers Grove North High School principal Courtney DeMent said in the release.

The mission of the Carnegie Foundation is to drive transformational change in education. Enacted by an act of Congress in 1906, the foundation has a history of creating change in the education sector, including the Education Testing Service, the GRE and the Carnegie Classifications for Higher Education. The foundation also was instrumental in forming the U.S. Department of Education and Pell grants.