State Programs
State Summary 2010 — Illinois
State Contact
Mr. Kevin Daugherty
Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom
1701 Towanda Avenue
Bloomington, IL 61702
P: 309.557.3334
F: 309.557.2098
E: kdaugherty@ilfb.org
Website
Classroom Resources
All resources can be found under Illinois AITC website www.agintheclassroom.org
*Farmer George Plants a Nation book guide *Pod to Plate companion guide *Cooks and Books Literature guide and activities *Scrambled States of Agriculture linking Agricultute, Geography and Childrens Literature *Beef Princess of Practical County companion guide *Little Joe companion guide
Major Program Accomplishments or Outputs
Continued efforts in making AITC easily integrated into County Membership, Promotions, and Legislative Areas.
42 City of Chicago Teachers participated in our Adopt a Classroom program. 1 Teacher has been paired with a farm writer that is using flip video to correspond between the farm and the classroom, creating our first virtual classroom connection.
Continued efforts to measure student and teacher perceptions and retention of AITC Efforts.
Continue releasing new materials that are sensitive to gender, race and impairments.
Continued to offer Graduate Credit for our Summer Agricultural Institutes through our unique partnership with Illinois Universities.
Continuing as Official Education Provider for Teachers offering 72 Workshops for Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs) to 2561teachers.
56 Pre Service Workshops conducted for 1627 Pre-Service Teachers.
Major Program Impacts or Outcomes
74% of Summer Ag Institute Graduates incorporate Agriculture into lessons on a daily or weekly basis AFTER Attending an intensive training course on agriculture.
73% of Illinois teachers who have completed a Summer Agriculture Institute list Corn as the top agriculture topic taught in classrooms. Followed by environment and conservation (65%), water and apples(63%),Natural Resources and Soybeans and Pumpkins (61%), plants (59%), and Conservation (57%).
99% of IL Teachers Strongly Agree or Agree that Illinois Learning standards can be met through incorporating Agriculture, and that Agriculture enhances the curriculum. 99% believe that agriculture can be taught in any subject area, and that agriculture fits the needs of elementary students. 85% of our teachers strongly DISAGREE with the statement there is no future in Agriculture, and 96% agree and strongly agree that agriculture has a skilled, highly trained work force.
In pre-post questions after our intensive training courses, teachers have an attitudinal shift of 32% to the positive (59% pre, 91% post) in the statement that farmers and ranchers are computer literact and a 25% increase (72% pre, 97% post) in the question about farmers provideing safe foods.
97% of our teachers believe that students benefit greatly from learning more about agriculture.
94% of teachers surveyed planon teaching various careers related to agriculture after learing more about those careers compared to 37% pre-survey. (57 point increase)
Biosketch
Kevin Daugherty is the Education Director for the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom program. Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (IAITC) is a program that provides educational resources, training and support for classroom teachers throughout the state related to agriculture. Through this program IAITC strives to increase school children's understanding of their food and fiber system. The program also works to make agriculture advocates of students, teachers and parents. All products developed are based upon the Illinois Learning Standards, are research driven and work to insure accountability for teachers by assisting them in meeting curricular needs (Language, Fine Arts, Social Sciences, Science, Math, and Health, Physical Education and Nutrition) using Agriculture as a springboard.
Kevin served as the 2003-2004 President of the Agriculture in the Classroom Consortium of State Contacts, which serves as an advisory panel to the USDA Agriculture in the Classroom Program.
Kevin has been with Illinois Farm Bureau® since April of 2000. Prior to joining the Farm Bureau® staff he had experience in publishing, training and development and as an award winning junior high history teacher in central Illinois.
A native of Oakland, Illinois Daugherty holds a BS in Secondary Education from the University of Illinois, and a MS in Adult Education from Eastern Illinois University. He and his wife, Katherine, have three children and live in LeRoy, Illinois, where he serves as President of the local school board.