Letter: In the Name of Consistency, Coherence for Chicago’s Students

I am not writing this blog as the President of Advance Illinois. Advance Illinois is a bipartisan state-level policy and advocacy organization. As such, we do not generally engage in district-level issues that appropriately belong in the purview of local systems, communities, and leaders. So I am not writing in my official position, but as a parent whose children all attended CPS schools from kindergarten through high school, as a former LSC member of two different CPS elementary schools, as a former CPS teacher, and as a Chicagoan who believes that education is the backbone of any city and that schools are critical anchors of their communities. As someone who has dedicated her professional life to public education, and as a parent who has experienced the power and promise of Chicago’s public schools, it is painful on multiple levels to watch what is happening at the leadership level right now.   

It should be axiomatic that educational leaders work first and always on behalf of students; that what is best for children is the north star of any decision or activity. It is hard to square that belief with any decision to change leadership of a complex school district like CPS in the middle of the year…without cause. Schools and students benefit from consistency and coherence. Every bit of educational research ever done underscores the value of having clear structures, curricula and programs and staying the course over time. There isn’t one right way to “do” school, but once you choose a thoughtful, informed, coherent plan and path, it is essential to stay with it. Disruption, on the other hand, gets in the way of good instruction, strong culture, and deep learning. 

There is little more disruptive than changing leadership in the middle of a school year, so if one is to undertake such a change, it should be absolutely necessary to student well-being. It is hard to argue that is the case here. It is my understanding that the Board of Education is not considering removing CEO Pedro Martinez “for cause”, and truthfully it seems hard to imagine they could make the case for that.  Instead, the rationale seems to be about politics and power – adult issues, not student issues. 

For that to happen – on full and public display – is hard to watch.  That it is happening on the eve of newly-elected Board members being installed makes it that much harder.   

This is Chicago, and you can’t live here without knowing something about politics. But as a parent, a former teacher, a former LSC member, and someone who believes in and fights for public schools and students, I am saddened to see politics at play in this way when there is so much at stake. 

Reaching, Engaging Communities to Build Support for Equity-Driven Public Policy

This summer, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (4th District) and Representative Carol Ammons (103rd District) introduced SB 3965, the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula for Public Universities bill. Based on recommendations from the state's Equitable Funding Commission, this historic bill centers student need and considers factors not previously accounted for in higher education funding. These factors include a public university's unique mission and size, student demographics and need, and expected revenue. In determining the distance between what an institution needs to serve students versus what it expects to bring in a given year, the formula calculates the institutions “adequacy gap,” allowing the state to allocate funding in an equitable manner.   

Once SB3965 was filed, the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding (CTHEF) began organizing “listening sessions” across Illinois public university campuses. The Time is Now: Equitably Funding Our Public Universities sessions engage with university communities – college students, university faculty and staff across the state of Illinois in discussions about how more adequate and equitable institutional funding can improve student experiences and lead to more equitable outcomes in college completion and degree attainment.  

 “Community engagement provides a platform for creating awareness of public policies such as SB 3965,” said Isabel Enad, a Senior Community Engagement Associate at Advance Illinois who has been collaborating with other core partners of the Coalition – the Partnership for College Completion, Young Invincibles, and Women Employed — to develop and facilitate such listening sessions. "By socializing and championing policy proposals together, our advocacy for our students' needs strengthens.” 

For Enad, engaging the community encourages widespread participation in increasing public awareness about the bill. The goal for listening sessions is to bring not only higher education leaders into dialogue about policy proposals but to engage members of the community who may not already have existing knowledge of higher education funding but are passionate about advancing access in education.  

Enad said that while the agenda of the listening sessions may differ slightly from one university to another, the primary purpose of these events is to make sure that all attendees have the information and space needed to develop their thoughts about SB 3965. This goal is kept at the core of planning for these sessions, one among many strategies community engagement uses to garner participation and interest. Each listening session is broken into two main components: the presentation on the bill itself, and a portion dedicated audience participation, whether that is a Q&A and/or roundtable discussion. In addition, a post-event survey provided to participants serves as another opportunity to raise questions or express opinions on the bill and learn about more ways to engage with the CTHEF.   

“We are at a critical time in higher education and are actively working to ensure that funding is adequate and equitable,” Enad said. “This means that people should have the opportunity to ask questions, critique, and advocate for this bill.”

A recent listening session held in October at Northern Illinois University (NIU) featured a presentation, panel discussion and roundtable discussions. Women Employed President and CEO Cherita Ellens moderated the program’s panel that included NIU President Dr. Lisa Freeman, NIU faculty member Dr. Simón Weffer, Hernandez, and NIU student Jatavion Young. The panel discussion explored the importance of students having access to the supports and resources they need to persist in attaining their college degree. Young, a junior, shared how some of his friends have been unable to continue their college education due to a lack of resource support. Were the bill to pass, Young said it would be important for additional funding to be invested 'in programs that address individual student needs—academic, financial, and mental health. “Without resources, students don’t know where to go,” he said. 

Jelani Saadiq, who leads Government Relations at Advance Illinois, said that hosting listening sessions such as these makes a difference in helping legislation move forward.  While community engagement teams work to build coalitions with those directly impacted by legislation, government relations teams push for policy and legislative change with the support of coalitions. The primary goal is to ensure that any systems-level change reflects the input of those who are most impacted by the policies. The listening sessions serve as an avenue for members of the community to learn the intricacies of a topic and ask questions. When community members understand a topic, they are prepared to participate in the elevation of a related bill. 

“Higher education policy should reflect the unique needs of universities in Illinois,” Enad said. “Listening sessions are an important strategy in ensuring that policy can respond to on-the-ground experiences as accurately as possible.” 

Eucarol Juarez is the Senior Communications Associate for Advance Illinois.

Learn more about the Coalition for Transforming Higher Educations Funding’s The Time is Now Listening Sessions.

Kindergarten Readiness and What's Next for KIDS

As part of the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) recently released Illinois Report Card, the state included the 2023-2024 Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) data.

Since the tool’s statewide implementation in 2017, KIDS data has been the state’s window into understanding kindergarten readiness among Illinois children in a developmentally appropriate way. While KIDS is not the only student outcomes data available at the local level, it is the one and only data we have at the state-level to understand readiness across districts. The data has been eye-opening and has both motivated and enabled district and statewide policymakers to make data-driven decisions that support systems and programs improving kindergarten readiness.

The data reveals that in the 2023-2024 school year, 31.6% of all students in Illinois demonstrated kindergarten readiness in all three developmental areas (social and emotional development, language and literacy development, and math), a slight improvement from the previous year. While it is good news that the state has shown some improvement in overall readiness, it is disturbing to know that gaps across lines of race, income, and specialized learning style not only begin before young learners enter kindergarten, but that these gaps remain stubbornly persistent. 

Percentage of Readiness in all Three Developmental Areas by Race/Ethnicity, 2017-2024

Percentage of Readiness in all Three Developmental Areas by Student Group, 2023-2024

Why KIDS Data Matters

Findings from a series of recent reports from the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) on Kindergarten readiness are consistent with what the latest KIDS data reveals about disparities between student groups. White and Asian students were 15 to 25 percentage points more likely than Black and Latinx students to be kindergarten ready in all three domains. Students who were eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch (FRPL), were English Learners (ELs), or had an Individualized Education Program (IEP) were 15 to 25 percentage points less likely to be kindergarten ready in each of the three domains. Report authors go on to answer a critical question in their secondary report: do disparities grow, shrink, or remain stable as students move through the educational system? The answer - kindergarten readiness predicts later academic achievement. Specifically, students who enter kindergarten with demonstrated readiness are more than twice as likely to be proficient in Math and English Arts in Grade 3. That relationship affirms the relevance of the tool, but here are a few things to consider.

Readiness on KIDS alone does not guarantee later academic success. Data indicates that Black, Latinx, and those students who receive free/reduced price lunch are less likely to score at or above proficiency in Grade 3. These trends are particularly troublesome, underscoring the need for targeted supports (e.g. technical assistance, increased resources) during the early and primary years, further consideration of the mixed-delivery system, and better understanding of individual family needs. 

In addition, while it is understandable that there is a relationship between kindergarten readiness and later academic proficiency, the truth is, our goal should be to disrupt that relationship. Put differently, when KIDS data lets us know that a student may be struggling, it creates an opportunity for us to provide the support necessary to catch the child up. If we are able to do that effectively, one would hope that later academic proficiency would consistently exceed kindergarten readiness levels. 

What is the State Doing to Support KIDS

Over the last few years, with support from the McCormick Foundation, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has hosted annual KIDS Summits. At the November 2024 KIDS Summit, over 200 teachers, districts, and school administrators convened to learn from experts and peers across the state about various applications of the tool’s data, guidelines of the tool’s implementation for special populations, and connections of KIDS to the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan. This year’s main topic was meeting learning standards through play with other sessions ranging from using play for learning and assessment in special education settings to the role of play-based learning in the transition from PreK to K. The clear takeaway from the summit was that a play-based learning environment is essential to achieving KIDS' full potential in kindergarten classrooms and critical in understanding where children are developmentally in their learning journey. Beyond the tool’s implementation, there has been a false dichotomy between play and learning when in fact they are seamlessly intertwined, and play-based learning has proven to be critical to students’ learning and development.

How KIDS Can Improve

While we were excited to see ISBE prioritize play-based learning in this year’s summit, more can be done to not only improve the tool’s implementation, but also to support a statewide focus on closing outcome gaps between student groups for our youngest learners. The KIDS Advisory Committee has recommended that ISBE address these issues through increased community engagement with district leaders to better understand the tool’s current administration and application. The feedback can then be used to create materials that details how KIDS can assist districts in strengthening their K-2 instruction. Lastly, ISBE should consider increasing the number of measures that are required for KIDS. Evidence from current districts who administer the tool with increased measures suggest that if the KIDS tool is administered more than the required number of measures across multiple times in the school year, educators can make better use of the data to inform and advance developmentally appropriate instruction.

What’s Next?

Following the momentum of the successful KIDS summit, the recently released KIDS data, and the IWERC KIDS reports, we look to ISBE to provide strategies that put the state on the path to fulfill the goals and design of KIDS for all students, including those who are diverse learners and English Learners. With the state’s new Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) in its first planning year, it is a critical time to examine persistent gaps in kindergarten readiness and ask ourselves how we can do better to fulfill the needs of our youngest learners. IDEC, in partnership with ISBE and other stakeholders, has the unique opportunity to 1) use the data we already have to inform the development of stronger and more equitable systems that lead to closing readiness gaps and sufficiently preparing young children from birth to age 5 for kindergarten while also 2) practicing active continuous improvement of the current KIDS assessment and system to improve data reliability and validity.

Maya Portillo is the Senior Policy Advisor for Advance Illinois. Melissa Maldonado is a Policy Analyst for Start Early.

ISBE’s New EBF Spending Plan Report: Here’s What to Know and Why It’s Important

Since the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) plan was passed in 2017, Illinois has invested nearly $2 billion dollars in new state funds in K-12 public education through the formula, and now eight years later the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has released the Evidence-Based Funding Spending Plan Report: July 2024, an exciting new report that adds to the growing understanding of how these new funds were spent across the state. 

Research shows that money matters in education and that evidence-based, sustained investments in our students on things like reducing class sizes, adding interventionists, and providing student wellness supports have direct impacts on students’ outcomes. So it is no surprise that advocates and lawmakers have long been eager to see how these substantial new investments through EBF are being spent in schools. We saw early indications of how strategically districts were investing these new dollars through the EBF 5 Year Evaluation released in 2022, but that report looked at a small subset of districts.  

A key part of the EBF legislation requires district to complete, as part of their annual budget submission, an EBF Spending Plan that describes the strategic investments they intend to make with state funds and their process for determining these allocations. Since their implementation in 2018, while community members could explore each individual district’s plan separately, making sense of the spending plans at the state level was not possible. 

This year’s report is the first time that we are able to see the state’s findings on how districts across the state invested the new tier funding from FY2025. A few highlights of the report: 

• School districts were most likely to prioritize improving programs, curriculum, and learning tools or expand pupil support services like social workers. 

• Districts engaged with a variety of stakeholders to inform allocation of new EBF dollars – with principals, special education program directors, and school board members as the most frequently cited. 

• District leaders most frequently used educator shortage, retention, and recruitment data to assist in prioritizing new funds. 

• Core Teachers, Specialist Teachers, and Instructional Materials were the three most common investments. 

• On average, districts spent 71% of Tier funding on core investments (i.e., core teachers, instructional facilitators, nurses, etc.) 

• District leaders most often invested funds designated for English Learners (EL) in EL Intervention Teachers and EL Pupil Support Staff (i.e., nurse, social worker, family liaison personnel, etc.) 

The Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) Formula helps the state understand what a district needs to adequately and equitably support their students and bolster student outcomes. The evidence that undergirds the formula is clear: smart investments rooted in the research can have clear and meaningful impacts on students. The EBF Spending Plan Report and individual spending plans allow for community members to identify whether districts are investing their resources in the most strategic way and engage more fully in the budgeting process.  

“The EBF Spending Plan report and individual spending plans allow for community members to identify whether districts are investing their resources in the most strategic way and engage more fully in the budgeting process. ”

 As we move into budget season, it is more important than ever to dig into the wealth of information we have at our disposal – district spending plans, statewide reports, the ISBE Report Card – and urge both state leaders to continue increasing investments in EBF and district leaders to highlight the powerful work being done with these investments.  

In a new Funding Illinois’ Future blog, learn how Illinois educators are accessing ISBE’s spending plan tool to understand how new EBF dollars are being invested in their districts. 

Kelsey Bakken is a Senior Policy Advisor for Advance Illinois.

Five Things To Know About SB3965

Illinois’ future depends on a higher education system that is adequately resourced and able to provide affordable, high-quality programs to college students from every background and corner of the state. To date, however, many institutions are dramatically underfunded, resulting in public universities having to advocate for their own funding with no transparency on the amount of funding each university receives or why they receive it. And while institutional funding often sees across-the-board increases or decreases, the current funding approach does not take into account student needs, actual costs, or institutional revenue. It is merely ensuring that all institutions receive the same percentage increase on their prior funding, further entrenching inequities rather than solving them.

The solution? SB3965, the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula for Public Universities Act. This new bill represents the next step toward an Illinois public university funding approach that focuses both on ensuring institutions have the funding they need to support their unique missions while ensuring they have adequate funding to serve their diverse student populations and build adequacy, equity, stability, and accountability and transparency into the process. The formula centers students by considering the various factors that contribute to their success and funds institutions with those evidence-based insights in mind.

But that’s not all. Investments made through the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula for Public Universities Act are poised to strengthen enrollment, increase completion rates, and reduce the time it takes to complete degree-obtaining programs. It is an innovative approach to postsecondary funding that will transform our system for the better. So, here are five things to know about SB3965.

1. It calculates a unique Adequacy Target for all eligible public institutions that incorporates student need. Instead of political negotiations driving distribution decisions, the formula factors in the costs needed to support individual student needs for critical academic and student support services. This ensures that students will have the programs, services, and resources they need to be successful.

2. It aims to close equity gaps. Understanding that there continues to be deep and persistent gaps among some student populations compared to their peers in the state, the formula addresses those gaps through a number of components. Adjustments throughout the formula are made in a data-driven manner that looks at the current gaps in enrollment and retention for targeted student groups and adjusts the funding needed accordingly. Through student-needs adjustments and funds for universities to provide holistic supports, the formula may help to close equity gaps in enrollment, persistence, and graduation.

3. It considers the uniqueness of our public universities. This proposed formula factors in the diverse and specific needs of different institutions through institution-level adjustments. For example, smaller institutions would get an adjustment to address the fact that they cannot take advantage of economies of scale. There are also adjustments based on the level of research each institution engages in. Additionally, universities that serve large concentrations of students who have been historically underrepresented from our university systems will receive an additional weight to support these students.

4. It embeds accountability and transparency into Illinois’ public university funding. SB3965 includes recommendations for an innovative Accountability and Transparency Framework to increase transparency from the start. Spending plans and reporting ensure that new funds are targeted towards critical academic and student support services. By creating this kind of review committee, it confirms that universities are making progress toward their goals and sees to it that new dollars are spent on resources that are shown to close equity gaps

5. It’s setting the tone for the whole country! Illinois would be the first to implement an evidence-based adequacy model that accounts for the true costs of serving the students in our state, moving away from base-plus models that perpetuate inequities and from performance-based funding models that negatively impact outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.

Read more about SB3695

Passing and funding this bill are critical and will result in an estimated $1.4 billion in additional funding over 10-15 years to ensure all universities have adequate resources, over 29,000 additional university graduates moving through the system, and more than $6.3 billion in additional state taxes paid over the lifetime of these graduates.

Racquel Fullman is the Communications Coordinator for Women Employed, a core member of the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding. 

The Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding is a group of like-minded individuals and organizations across Illinois who believe that by advancing a public university funding model that prioritizes racial and socioeconomic equity, then we will see statewide increases in higher education equity; through better-resourced institutions serving more representative student populations, more resources directed to colleges serving Black, Latinx, low-income, rural and first-generation college students, and increased investment in higher education. For more information, visit transformhigheredil.org.

Early Childhood and Illinois’ New Single Agency

On May 9, 2024, the Illinois General Assembly passed the historic SB1, creating a single Department of Early Childhood by uniting early childhood services into one new agency. This is an important step in supporting Illinois children and their families with the programs and resources they need to thrive.  

Recently, Educator Advisory Council (EAC) members Cara Craig, a Home Visitor with Head Start/ECE Policy at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater/Childcare Network of Evanston, and Michelle Zurita-Sharpe a Pre-Kindergarten Special Education Teacher at Chicago Public Schools discussed their thoughts on the current system and their hopes for the new single agency that SB1 has established. 

How would you describe Illinois’ early childhood education and care system before the passage of SB1? How did that system impact your specific work and how have you seen it impact the children and families you serve? 

Cara: I have been working in Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Illinois for 25 years. I hope that SB1 brings some form of consistency of quality to programs. ECE has such a strong impact on children and their families, and it is not available for everyone. I recently came from teaching in a private school. We served exclusively affluent families, and these families can always find childcare. I now work for Head Start and the disjointedness of choices and availability is very hard to navigate. Having an umbrella for ECE will hopefully bring things together for families, teachers, centers and ultimately children. 

Michelle: Before the passage of SB1, the early childhood education and care system was divided with each agency working to provide similar services in silo. This division created dysfunction in the system for child care providers, families, and workforce members. As someone who went from working in a community-based child care center (CBO) to a public school setting, I experienced firsthand the lack of pay parity that exists for preschool teachers between different settings. I got paid significantly more working in a public-based child care center compared to the CBO despite the fact I followed the same curriculum, had a similar demographic of students, and worked in the same city (a 5-mile difference). In the public school setting, I also worked less hours, had better benefits, and more material support. Contrast to the public school setting, the CBO I worked at had staff that experienced greater financial hardship which contributed to a higher staff turnover rate. The turnover disrupted the educational experiences of children as they were then forced to divide between other classes or tough it out with substitutes that did not know them and their needs. Those of us who stayed were overworked amongst the staffing shortage and could not rely on help from the director, because the director too was overwhelmed navigating the multiple funding streams required to keep the center open and each of the different classrooms in compliance. 

What excites you about the move to a unified agency and why? What concerns you? 

Cara: I am excited about the positive movement towards the importance of ECE, respect for the people who do the hard work of ECE, the need to make it accessible for all. Not that it needs to be the same, but that families have access to what they need. I am concerned it will become a huge unconnected agency that doesn’t understand what is going on in the real world, losing funding, or taking funding from other important things. 

Michelle: I’m excited that the unified agency and Smart Start investments overall will go towards helping child care providers give their staff raises via the Smart Start Workforce Grants and Quality Improvement Grants.   

How will the move to a single agency impact young learners, their families, and providers/educators? How will it impact you? 

Cara: Hopefully it will bring about an understanding of resources and make them streamlined for families, less confusing and easier to access. 

Michelle: This excites me because it is a step in the right direction to retaining current workforce members and hopefully recruiting new ones. 

In your opinion, what will ensure that this is a smoother transition for all involved? Are there any key factors the state should take into consideration to improve and strengthen how the system has worked for providers, families and children? 

Cara: I think that they need to ensure that they have voices from teachers, and families. Being well-meaning is not enough.

Michelle: To ensure a smooth transition, the state needs to center family and educator voices. Providers and classroom-based staff who work directly with children need to be involved at every step of the process. They have the expertise necessary to make decisions that are not just good for children but best for them. 

How will the single agency help your early childhood community? 

Cara: Hopefully access to resources. 

Michelle: Once programs are unified under the Department of Early Childhood, I would like to see the child care deserts in my community be addressed. Where I live, in Worth, Illinois, there is not enough care available for the number of children under 6 living in the town. This requires families to travel farther away or rely on family members to care for their child while they go to work. The same can be said for surrounding neighborhoods such as Steger, Ford Heights, Justice, Hometown, Lemont, and Chicago Ridge. 

New Data Shows Snapshot of Kindergarten Readiness in Illinois

Advance Illinois Senior Policy Advisor Maya Portillo and Start Early Policy Analyst Melissa Maldonado share a snapshot of the steady increases of kindergarten readiness in Illinois, although gaps persist.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released its next installation of Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) data, providing a snapshot of the skills young children had as they entered kindergarten in the 2022-2023 school year. The COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult to implement the tool and collect the valuable information it provides, but the data the state gathered makes it plain that while COVID-19 disruptions have had an impact, we are heading back to pre-pandemic readiness levels.

As noted in the recent KIDS report, 30% of all students in Illinois demonstrate Kindergarten readiness in all three developmental areas (social and emotional development, language and literacy development, and math), a steady increase that puts the state slightly above pre-pandemic levels. Indeed, since the launch of KIDS in 2017-2018, and despite pandemic challenges, the percentage of students rated “Kindergarten ready” in all three developmental areas has increased by 6 percentage points, reflecting a positive upward trend over time.

While state-wide numbers reflect improvement over time, the percentage of students demonstrating Kindergarten readiness in all three domains varies widely across lines of income, language and learning style. Persistent early gaps between student groups underscore the need for targeted support both during the early years, and in the early primary grades – particularly for students identified as English Learners. Currently implementation challenges exist to assess and identify English Learners but this implementation issue is being addressed by the KIDS Advisory Committee.

Other researchers are beginning to investigate whether and how KIDS relates to later academic performance. A new report from the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) concludes that KIDS scores are predictive of 3rd grade test scores in Math and English language arts (ELA). Yet, even with similar Kindergarten Readiness scores, Black and Latinx students are less likely to be proficient in 3rd grade math and ELA compared to White students.1

Some of these upward trends are encouraging, but persistent gaps require further work and study in the next few years. To address these gaps, assessment directors and school and district leaders should support administrators and teachers by reducing the amount of costly and redundant kindergarten readiness assessments, promoting the importance of a play-based environment in kindergarten, refering districts to KIDS coaches so they can acquire resources for implementing play-based learning, and ensuring there is an appropriate and full implementation of KIDS. It is too soon to draw any connections or conclusions, but we will note that these recent, modest increases coincide with the first year of Governor Pritzker’s Smart Start IL plan – a multi-year effort to increase funding for early childhood over a period of four years. The administration also plans to create a new Department of Early Childhood, which provides an opportunity for the state to create transformational changes that will benefit the early childhood workforce, young children and their families. This transformational work should be paired with sustainable investments and improved data collection, and we will all be watching to see if these coordinated efforts benefit our youngest learners. 

—

1Kiguel, S., Cashdollar, S., & Bates, S. (Forthcoming). Kindergarten readiness in Illinois: Trends and disparities in readiness using the Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS). Chicago, IL: Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC), Discovery Partners Institute, University of Illinois.

The Success Network: Supporting Partnerships and Coalitions that Strengthen Student Opportunities and Outcomes

A few short weeks ago, the Illinois Education and Career Success Network wrapped up its 11th annual conference. This year’s convening, Awareness to Action: Promoting Equity in Education and Careers, was targeted to secondary and postsecondary education partners, workforce development entities, community-based organizations, advocacy organizations, state agency partners, and national partners who are interested in equitably increasing the number of individuals with a college degree or postsecondary credential in Illinois. Across various sessions, attendees delved into topics such as access to quality education, workforce development, and eliminating systemic barriers that hinder opportunities.  

 “It was wonderful to see over 360 participants from across the State come together to learn, collaborate, and share best practices,” said Cheryl Flores, Director of Community Engagement at Advance Illinois. "It was inspiring to be with so many leaders with such a strong commitment to ensuring students are supported as they progress to and through postsecondary education and into the workforce.”  

 In 2009, the Illinois P-20 Council,  a statewide council that makes recommendations to the Governor, Illinois General Assembly, and state agencies for developing a sustainable statewide system of high-quality education and support from birth through adulthood, set a goal for Illinois to increase the number of individuals with high-quality college degrees and postsecondary credentials to 60% by 2025. While the P-20 Council and state agencies monitor progress against this goal and advocate for state policies that support it, it was clear that local effort and leadership was essential if Illinois was going to move the needle on getting students to and through postsecondary and into the workforce.  

 So in 2013, Advance Illinois, Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University (EdSystems), and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) collaborated to launch the 60 by 25 Network in 2013. The goal? To advance equitable postsecondary attainment in the state by working in partnership with state and local leaders to develop actionable strategies grounded in relevant data, research and best practice.  

 Eleven years later—and having renamed itself the Illinois Education and Career Success Network to make clear that it is committed to change beyond 2025– the Success Network supports communities around the state, working with stakeholders to gather and use data to set goals and monitor impact and collaborate with partners to develop sensible strategies to increase meaningful and equitable postsecondary attainment. The annual Success Network conference allows these networks and communities to come together to share best practices and lessons learned. And the interactive Leadership Community Dashboard helps communities visualize regional educational trend data, and group and compare their information with state averages.  

This year’s conference also spotlighted some timely and high-profile issues. Advance Illinois delivered presentations on "Why Illinois Needs an Equitable, Adequate, and Stable Higher Education Funding Approach" and "The State of Our Educator Pipeline: Strengths, Opportunities, and the Early Impact of COVID-19”. In the higher education funding session, Advance Illinois Senior Policy Associate Eyob Villa-Moges and Senior Policy Advisor Kelsey Bakken discussed challenges in Illinois’ current approach to funding its public universities, and walked the audience through recommendations being considered by the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding to make college more affordable, effective, and more equitable. [NOTE: The Commision has since released its recommendations and propose to increase overall funding to ensure each university has the resources they need to support their unique student body and mission, and to allocate new funds to universities furthest from full funding.  

“Illinois has disinvested in its public higher education system for two decades, and even in years when it attempted to increase funding, it did so using an historically inequitable system that has been driven more by political negotiation than student need. Sadly, the status quo does not serve either students or the state well," Villa-Moges said. “The Commission’s recommendations give us a blueprint to do better, enabling institutions to meet the challenges of educating their student body, both today, and tomorrow." 

And there may not be a hotter topic in the state than ongoing shortages in teachers, paraprofessionals and school counselors and social workers, and the reality that our educators do not come close to matching the diversity of our student population. Jim O’Connor, Project Director at Advance Illinois, shed some light on where we are making progress and where we still have challenges during a presentation “The State of Our Educator Pipeline 2023: Strengths, Opportunities, and the Early Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic”.  Jim noted that the supply of new teachers and principals has increased in recent years (and at a faster rate than the country as a whole), as has the diversity of candidates going into the profession, and districts have added over 5,000 new positions. However, many more educators are using emergency licensure (short-term approvals and provisional licenses), and the supply of paraprofessionals has declined.  As importantly, educator shortages are not the same regionally or by position. Vacancies are concentrated mainly in remote rural and urban districts, and vacancy rates are especially high in Special Education and Bilingual Education. Finally, and sadly, vacancies disproportionately impact Black and Latinx students, students from low-income households, English learners, and students with IEPs. As part of this session, Briana Morales, 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year and Josh Stafford, Superintendent, Vienna High School, presented teacher retention strategies that are working for their school communities.  

 “If we want all students to have the option to earn a postsecondary degree or credential, we have to care about everything from preschool and home visiting to the strength and diversity of our educators to the affordability of our community colleges and universities and their ability to support every student to and through school,” said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois.  “And that takes teamwork. So we look forward to the work ahead and the many and powerful partnerships and coalitions and networks that are working everyday to make sure students have strong opportunities and outcomes.”

Strengthening the Illinois Educator Pipeline Should Involve Investing in the Student Teaching Experience

Student teaching is a vital part of an educator’s preparation. The experience gives them a chance to practice and hone their craft with the support of an experienced (cooperating) teacher.   

There’s room to improve this experience in Illinois. Student teachers and cooperating teachers face challenges as a result of being unpaid for their services. Given the backdrop of persistent teacher shortages in various subject areas and geographies, and the disparate impact this has on students across lines of race and income, it is timely and right to address this issue.    

Challenge: Student teaching poses a financial barrier for too many prospective teachers, especially prospective teachers of color. 

For many teaching candidates, student teaching means financial hardship during the 10-16 week period spent in school practicing their craft. It can mean cutting back on the part-time or full-time work necessary to pay for their living costs. A recent report from Teach Plus highlights how even adults already working as paraprofessionals or teaching assistants often need to take a leave of absence during their student teaching experience, requiring them to go without critical pay and benefits.    

The economic implications of being a student teacher have an impact on who makes it into the teaching profession. We know from research that affordability is a barrier into teaching generally, but especially for students of color, who are already sorely underrepresented in the educator workforce and who make a positive difference in classrooms. The more debt students take on, the less likely they are to go into lower wage professions like teaching, with higher education debt disproportionately impacting Black Teacher candidates.    

Challenge: Few cooperating teachers receive any compensation or support for their role, despite their importance to the quality of the student teaching experience. 

Since school districts generally do not compensate cooperating teachers for the additional responsibilities involved, experienced teachers are not exactly clamoring to take it on.    

This is unfortunate since cooperating teachers play a critical role in developing the next generation of educators. Being a cooperating teacher takes extra time, effort, patience, and mentoring skills. We know from research that teaching candidates placed with highly-effective cooperating teachers end up teaching like a third-year teacher in just their first year in the classroom.  That’s significant! 

Yet, 72% of educator preparation program staff report that it has become even more difficult to find cooperating teachers since COVID. The National Council on Teacher Quality’s 2020 review of about 1,200 prep programs found that only 10% of prep programs take an active role in screening for any cooperating teacher skills or qualifications. From our own survey of teacher preparation program staff, we estimate that less than 20% of cooperating teachers receive training for the role.   

Investments in enhancing and making the student teaching experience more affordable can help expand our pipeline and direct more candidates to the districts and schools that need them.  

According to our recent report, The State of the Educator Pipeline, 2023, Illinois is dealing with an educator shortage in particular subject areas and geographies. The report’s findings underscore the need for strategic investments in the teacher pipeline that will help students from early childhood education (ECE) to 12th grade, along with students with special needs, students of color, and English Learners in particular, by addressing these challenges head on: 

• 3,532 unfilled teaching positions in Illinois in 2023, with 1/3 of them in Special Education 

• An additional 3,359 teachers are teaching on provisional licenses or short-term approvals, including 16% of bilingual teachers.   

• In 2023, about 61,000 students in Illinois did not have a fully certified teacher leading their classrooms. This disproportionately affected schools with more students from low-income households, Black and Latinx students. In fact, 35% of the state’s Black students are learning in high-vacancy schools (schools where 5% or more of their teaching positions are unfilled), compared to 15% of all students.  

Student teaching is a vital part of building pipelines in hard-to-staff schools and districts.  We know from Illinois research that the median distance from where someone went to high school and ends up teaching is 13 miles. We also know that  teaching candidates often wind up at the school where they completed their student teaching. Research from Washington state showed that 23% of teachers teach in the same district where they grew up but 37% of teachers teach in the same district where they did student teaching. If we could be more deliberate about where teaching candidates do their student teaching, we could specifically address the need for teachers in schools with the greatest need.   

Districts that deliberately invest in their student teacher pipeline are seeing those investments pay off.  An example is Rockford Public Schools District 205. Student teachers in Rockford Public Schools can earn from $6,250 to $20,000 depending on whether they are student teaching 16 or 32 weeks respectively.  Importantly, student teachers are placed with the most effective teachers in the district.  And these cooperating teachers can earn $10,000 annually and complete these duties as part of broader suite of Multi-Classroom Teacher Leader roles. Those selected to be cooperating teachers must be passionate about growing teachers, have demonstrated strong instructional skills, and  have a history of taking on informal and formal leadership roles within their school.  And the program is working. 76% of the program completers have reached or are on track tenure and the district has expanded its investments so that there are now 18 pre-service teachers in the full-year student teaching program.    

There is more Illinois can do to expand paid student teacher opportunities and strengthen compensation and supports for our cooperating teachers. This legislative session, Representative Faver-Dias introduced HB5414, which would: 

• Pay all student teachers in the state $10,000 and pay cooperating teachers $2,000. If full funding is not possible, priority would be given to student teachers with the highest demonstrated financial need, pursuing licensure in high need subject areas like early childhood, SPED, and bilingual and completing their student teaching in high need schools.  

• Ensure that participating cooperating teachers complete training that aligns with the state’s training for mentor teachers. 

• Prohibit teacher preparation programs from maintaining a policy that student teachers can't be paid.  

• Require an evaluation to better understand how to improve the program.   

If we pay student teachers and their cooperating teachers, ensure that our cooperating teachers are consistently trained, and encourage student teacher placement in high need subject areas and schools, the state will be strengthening a critical part of its teacher pipeline, responding to shortage areas, supporting its continued growth, and increasing its diversity. Taken together, this investment will move us closer to ensuring all PK-12 students have the teachers they need to fully realize their potential.     

Jim O’Connor is a Project Director for Advance Illinois. 

Using Data to Better Understand the Educator Workforce

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has been sharing a snapshot of the supply, demand, and educator shortages in Illinois for roughly twenty years. This past December, they released their latest version of the triennial Educator and Supply Report, featuring an ambitious and expanded scope. The report analyzes a wide set of metrics, using employment data from teachers, administrators, and support staff. 

There’s a great deal to dig into. For my part, having released a report this past fall on how the state has been doing in growing, preparing and retaining its educator workforce, especially amidst COVID, I found certain data points of particular interest. This included updated educator retention data from SY22-23, which suggest that teacher and principal retention has largely returned to pre-pandemic levels after a temporary 'boost' during the early pandemic years (though what these trends look like can depend on how you define ‘retention’). Interestingly, ISBE’s analysis also shows that the number of former educators returning to the profession, which decreased in the first year of the pandemic, still hasn’t bounced back. 

While these overall numbers are important, anyone who lives in Illinois knows that there are significant differences in educator supply and demand across communities and schools throughout the state. The most recent report embraces this geographic diversity, demonstrating how retention varies from region to region. 

There are real regional disparities across certain metrics. Yet ISBE’s analysis also makes clear that some challenges are consistent across the state. While the racial composition of public school students varies from place to place, every region in the state sees a profound gap between the percentage of students of color and percentage of teachers of color. It is both intuitive and substantially research-backed that a racially and ethnically diverse teacher workforce matters. Still, no matter where in Illinois you look, you’ll see a workforce that is far from representative of local students. 

Finally, the report reminds us that reality does not always reflect our expectations. For example, we know that there is high demand for bilingual and foreign language teachers. That said, data from the last three years show that rates at which completers of educator preparation programs were hired into Illinois public schools within one year of completion were lower for educators with bilingual and foreign language endorsements compared to educators endorsed in most other areas. 

To me, this exemplifies why reports—and data—like this matter; our assumptions about trends and challenges may not align with reality. On its own, data cannot fix what ails Illinois’ educator workforce. But it’s a critical tool for understanding where the real challenges actually are, how they manifest, and what it will take to address them. If we don’t accurately understand the problem, we may propose or invest in misguided solutions. ISBE’s report, in combination with other recent or upcoming research and analyses, is not only illuminating and important, but should help guide efforts to build out and support the educator workforce this coming legislative session and beyond. 

Mercedes Wentworth-Nice is a Senior Policy Associate for Advance Illinois. 

Educator Advisory Council: Welcome to the New Cohort

The best education policy is grounded in the experiences and input of those on the front lines of education everyday. For this reason, Advance Illinois formed the Educator Advisory Council (EAC) composed of educators from across the state. This past December, Advance Illinois welcomed the 2023-2025 EAC cohort, bringing together educators who span from early childhood to post-secondary, represent the rich diversity of the state, and collectively have over 300 years of experience leading both inside and outside the classroom. 

The EAC informs our policy recommendations by ensuring they are grounded in best practices. The EAC is one of the groups we rely on to help inform our perspective, push our thinking, and ensure that solutions to some of the most challenging and complex education issues are informed by one of the groups most impacted by these policies and decisions: educators. During their time with the council, members take a deep dive into our policy priorities, learn how to use their voice as advocates, develop a shared understanding of structural racism and how it shows up in the education system challenges we see today, and are afforded various leadership opportunities. We are fortunate to have a group of dedicated, experienced, and diverse educators join us and we look forward to their collective impact.  

Read more about the Educator Advisory Council.

Cheryl Flores is the Director of Community of Engagement for Advance Illinois.

Summer Q&A with Illinois Superintendent: Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat, Peoria Public Schools District #150

This summer, we will get to know more about our Equity First superintendents. Advance Illinois’s Equity First coalition is an alliance of superintendents across Illinois that advocate for public policy that promotes equity in public education for students. The group gathers to discuss education policy and school community issues to help inform Advance Illinois’ education policy agenda and statewide policy broadly.  

In this week’s blog we converse with Peoria, Illinois superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat.

 Why did you go into the education field?

Education is a profession where you can see the impact that you are having on your students and your community. My why is to give each and every child a fighting chance for a good life. 

Tell us about your school district. What are some accomplishments you want to highlight from your school district?

Accomplishments include:  

• Virtual town hall meetings  

• Wraparound Center  

• Food pantry  

• Counseling  

• Respite  

• Modified calendar  

• District-wide literacy and math 

• Flexible seating (available in all K-8 buildings)  

• Dual Degree Option – HS diploma and Associates degree  

• Instrumental updates

What have been some of the challenges you’ve had or are addressing in your school district?

Ensuring that every child is reading in first grade or before.

How does EBF funding play a role in the success of the students you serve or the school district?

The best word to describe Peoria Public School (PPS)’s position in respect to the IL School Report Card is growth. 56% of PPS schools are designated commendable or higher, compared to only 39.1% in 2018-2019. Nine schools improved in designation compared to four in 2019. Charter Oak Primary School and Reservoir Gifted Middle School were recognized as exemplary schools, placing them in the top 10% of schools state-wide. Franklin Primary School, Harold B. Dawson Jr. Middle School, and Manual High School, 3 schools located in some of the most distressed zip codes in the State, rose from the lowest designation to commendable. Peoria Public Schools places equity practices at the forefront of every strategy and implementation. As we continue our path forward, we will invest in innovative and well-proven strategies to support our school improvement efforts with the following: 

High School Graduation Rate – Intense and deliberate credit recovery and alternative schools allow students to work at their own pace AND at the most convenient times of their day. Constant contact with home school liaisons and deliberate intervention services ensures students stay the course and has had a large impact on outcomes.  

Freshmen on Track – Teachers have all developed specific competencies and allow students to learn from mistakes. The ability to reassess has helped students move more successfully to their sophomore year.  

Attendance - A combination of door-to-door home visits followed by monthly data analysis meetings, interventions, and celebrations have made large improvements in attendance, tardies, and chronic absenteeism.  

Opportunities for Advanced Learning – Improved engagement by expanded options of and access to Advanced Placement (AP) courses while maintaining a strong International Baccalaureate (IB) high school and providing dual enrollment opportunities for students through dual credit courses within the high school setting (both traditional college and CTE pathways) and opportunities for students to spend full days of their junior and senior year on the community college campus.  

Career Pathways – Expansion of career and technical pathway opportunities has increased industry credentials earned by students to over 600 with most students earning at least two credentials, certifications, licenses, and dual credit.  

Curriculum Revitalization – Breathing new life into curriculum and professional development impacting mathematics, Science, English/Language Arts, and Social Studies (including newly adopted Black History curriculum for middle school and high school students) has realigned learning to much higher levels of rigor while still providing intervention support. The literacy framework has been restructured so students are reading at grade level by third grade. Students writing every day is an additional focus to increase proficiency. Individual devices are also more readily available in classrooms. Innovation – Hiring parents as Parent Advocates provides support throughout school buildings while improving parent-teacher relationships. Our International Teacher Exchange program also allows students to learn from teachers from diverse countries.  

Social Emotional – In addition to counseling supports present at each school, the district added two alternative programs to provide SEL and academic supports for primary and middle school students. School Resource Officers focus on intervening and mentoring students. The Justice Advocate staff are assigned to students who are actively engaged with the law. As a result, more students are back in school with a recidivism rate lower than what is seen state-and-nationwide.  

Assistance - Unique to our District is the Wraparound Center where individuals can receive food assistance, counseling services, services for victims and relatives of violent crime, juvenile probation services, programs for single parents, drug and alcohol treatment, legal services, employment training, and certification programs.  

The growth of Peoria Public Schools is a testament to our skilled educators, dedicated board members, resilient students and families, and critical/constant support from community partners and the wider Peoria community. With a clear vision and well-demonstrated strategies, we will continue to accelerate learning and provide more opportunities and growth for a remarkable future for every student. 

What resources and supports can further benefit your school? Or what resources/supports have made a positive difference? 

Additional funding would allow us to do the following to benefit our students such as: 

• Providing additional security staff in its schools.  

• Provide reading recovery teachers to accelerate reading achievement thereby closing the disparity in academic skills of students in our classrooms. 

• Provide more classroom teachers in reading recovery and middle school algebra to augment academic intervention opportunities for our students and provide an earlier and enriched math exposure students would otherwise not have. 

Fun fact about yourself: 

I was a roller-skating champion when I was a kid. 

Summer Q&A with Illinois Superintendent: Dr. Chuck Lane, Centralia High School District #200

This summer, we will get to know more about our Equity First superintendents. Advance Illinois’s Equity First coalition is an alliance of superintendents across Illinois that advocate for public policy that promotes equity in public education for students. The group gathers to discuss education policy and school community issues to help inform Advance Illinois’ education policy agenda and statewide policy broadly.  

In this week’s blog we converse with Centralia, Illinois superintendent Dr. Chuck Lane.

Why did you go into the education field?

I thought I could make a difference in the lives of children and adults. I also remembered how enthusiastic and happy my teachers were in high school and how they seemed to enjoy coming to work every day. That made a lasting impression on me. 

Tell us about your school district. What are some accomplishments you want to highlight from your school district? What have been some of the challenges you’ve had or are addressing in your school district? 

We’ve been able to invest substantially in technology over the last few years. In becoming a 1:1 district, we’ve given our students the necessary technical tools to be successful in today’s workplace. We have continued to add more dual credit classes, which helps our students get a head start on their post-secondary certificate or degree. Centralia High School has also been able to add more career pathways, which allows our students to get a taste of what their future career might look Ike. Many of the challenges we now face center around the shortage of quality teaching candidates. In past years, we would have 20-25 candidates for most positions. Now we are lucky if we have a handful. This is especially problematic for most rural schools across our state. We must be able to replace retiring faculty with high-quality candidates if we want to maintain excellent schools. 

How does EBF funding play a role in the success of the students you serve or the school district?

In simple terms, EBF has totally transformed our school district. In 2017, we were in dire shape financially. The years of prorated general state aid had crippled our school district. When EBF finally passed, Centralia High School was at 51% of our adequacy target. Today after 6 years of steady funding, we sit at 72% of our adequacy target. We’ve been able to make significant strides in investing in our curriculum and teaching staff. We’ve invested heavily in technology adding interactive panels to all classrooms and creating a VR room to give our students a taste of the very latest in the digital world. EBF has leveled the playing field and allowed our students to have a type of high school experience not previously possible during the general state aid days. 

What resources and supports can further benefit your school? Or what resources/supports have made a positive difference? 

Obtaining funds to start a “Grow Your Own Program” would be a game changer for our school district. The only way for us to attract high-quality candidates to our area is to invest in our own students. We currently have an education pathway that exposes our students to the profession but we do not have funding to then help them pay for their college. If we had funding to offer, we could lure them back to our school district to become teachers for our school. In my opinion, having a “Grow Your Own Program” is the only way rural school districts will be able to combat the teacher shortage problem. 

Fun fact about yourself: 

I was a college and high school basketball coach before becoming an administrator. 

Summer Q&A with Illinois Superintendent: Dr. Mary Havis, Berwyn South School District #100

This summer, we will get to know more about our Equity First superintendents. Advance Illinois’s Equity First coalition is an alliance of superintendents across Illinois that advocate for public policy that promotes equity in public education for students. The group gathers to discuss education policy and school community issues to help inform Advance Illinois’ education policy agenda and statewide policy broadly.  

In this week’s blog we converse with Berwyn, Illinois superintendent Dr. Mary Havis from Berwyn South School District 100.

Why did you go into the education field?

It was never a question from a young age that I would end up working with kids. It is always something I was drawn to and walking into my first job as a teacher was all I hoped it would be! Looking back, I remember the excitement of teaching early in my career and now appreciate more than ever the students, staff, and community I am blessed to serve as an educator. 

Tell us about your school district. What are some accomplishments you want to highlight from your school district? What have been some of the challenges you’ve had or are addressing in your school district? 

Berwyn South School District 100 serves approximately 3,000 students in eight schools, six elementary schools and two middle schools. Student demographics are 84% Hispanic, 8% White, 4% Black, 1% Asian, and 1.5% two or more races. Sixty-nine percent of the students we serve are low-income, 16% are students with IEPs, and 30% are English Learners. We are extremely proud of the welcoming, inclusive environments in our schools and are committed to ensuring equitable access to high-quality teachers, curriculum, and resources for all students. We are pleased to have extended our dual language program to the middle schools as we strive to support and enhance the learning opportunities for multilingual learners throughout their years in our district. We believe that our learning environments should be personalized for students, and they should have the tools available to them to extend learning beyond the walls of the classroom and beyond the length of the school day. We are proud that all eight of our schools were recognized as Apple Distinguished Schools for 2022-2025 for empowering our students and staff to think critically and creatively through innovative instructional practices, equitable learning opportunities, and meaningful staff and student engagement. We believe teachers create the inspiration for learning in our classrooms and value the importance of providing them with the resources, professional learning, support, and space to be amazing. Like many districts, we continue to be challenged with filling high-needs positions and to continue to grow essential programs to our community such as dual language, fine arts, SEL support, and after-school opportunities. 

How does EBF funding play a role in the success of the students you serve or the school district?

I can highlight many examples of how EBF has impacted the learning environment and student outcomes in District 100 but would like to focus on one that highlights the importance of quality resources for instruction. As a district, we were significantly underperforming in math. Our resources were not meeting the needs of our staff and students, and five years ago we began a thorough process of researching, selecting, and implementing a new high-quality curricular resource. Curriculum committees researched and selected a resource that ensured our students had access to standards-based, grade level content that allowed them to explore math through a variety of learning tools and instructional practices. We were able to hire math coaches and recently added math support teachers at all elementary schools. As a result, we have seen some of the highest growth rates in math than we have ever experienced, and our most recent MAP data shows our students are growing at a faster rate than their grade level peers across the country. EBF has directly impacted our ability to invest in curricular resources, provide the staffing we need to meet the diverse needs of our students, and address the much-needed improvements in the learning environments we create for our students. Additionally, because of the investment we have been able to make in our teachers, our retention rate has grown by 5% since 2017 and that makes a significant difference for our students, our families, and the entire community.  

What resources and supports can further benefit your school? Or what resources/supports have made a positive difference? 

We are currently researching an ELA curriculum resource that will benefit our students and will invest in continued professional development to support teachers in reading instruction. We also look to continue to invest in SEL supports for students.

Fun fact about yourself: 

I grew up and attended school in the community I currently serve as Superintendent.

Illinois Taking Steps in Supporting Our Students’ Well-Being

Every child deserves a safe and supportive environment in which to learn and thrive, and with the Governor’s signing of HB342 this month, Illinois joins other states in systemically addressing child well-being, and is setting itself apart as a leader in trauma-informed, healing-centered practices that prioritize the whole child.  

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large and growing body of research made plain the importance of social and emotional learning (SEL) and trauma responsive practices in improving educational and life outcomes for students and addressing systemic inequities. In the wake of the pandemic, the need to ensure that schools are equipped to meet social, emotional and mental health needs has become even more urgent.  For example, we know that: 

• While Illinois ranked 13th among states in providing mental health services to youth, according to Mental Health America, nearly 40% of our state's young people who have experienced major depressive episodes were not able to receive mental health care; 

• Pre-pandemic, 40% of Illinois youth were exposed to at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE; Sacks & Murphey, 2018); and 

• In Illinois, K-12 students do not have sufficient access to counselors, social workers, and psychologists. 

From The State We’re In 2022: A Look at the Impact of COVID-1 9 on Education in Illinois

 Whole Child (HB342) 

In 2021, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus made the “whole child” a priority with the creation of the Whole Child Task Force (WCTF) as a component of its Education Pillar Bill. The Task Force was charged with identifying steps the state can and should take to ensure all students would receive the support they need to thrive in school and beyond. Importantly, the Task Force was composed of stakeholders ranging from parents and teachers to school and district administrators, to trauma experts, state agency experts, advocates and providers who met throughout the year to identify key areas of need and opportunity. In 2022, the WCTF released an actionable and comprehensive set of recommendations focused primarily on policies and practices needed to provide an equitable, inclusive, safe, and supportive environment in all schools. While some of the recommendations are currently underway and being implemented by Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), other recommendations required legislative action. Enter HB342, a bill that implements key Task Force recommendations. The bill was championed by Representative Carol Ammons and Senator Kimberly Lightford and passed this spring with strong bipartisan support.  The bill:  

• Adopts clear and common definitions proposed by the task force, including definitions of trauma, trauma responsive learning environments and whole child.  

• Ensures that relevant data on school and district resources, such as counselors and social workers, is included on the Illinois State Report Card. Making this information available will help inform local decision-making and enable stakeholders to engage with local and state leaders around resource allocations and programming.    

• Creates a child “adversity index” to shed light on student exposure to trauma across the state. Specifically, HB342 charges the Illinois State Board of Education with convening a diverse cross-agency group, along with outside experts, to develop a robust statewide index that provides a window into the level of trauma experienced in school districts across the state.  Among other things, such an index will help leaders and policymakers understand the depth and breadth of need across Illinois and inform how the state can best direct financial and other resources.    

• Articulates the preparation, training, and ongoing development that both new and current educators need to support trauma-responsive schools and districts. HB342 tasks ISBE with reviewing requirements for teachers and teacher candidates to ensure educators get the training and professional development they need to respond to trauma.  

• Reconvenes the Whole Child Task Force after five years to check on progress and implementation.  

Importantly, HB342 complements and strengthens other work also underway, including:   

Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) 

The Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) Statewide Initiative was launched in 2020 and provides training to Illinois educators, school mental health professionals, and community members on the impact of trauma on children and adolescents, crisis response strategies, educator self-care, and schoolwide policies and classroom practices to build resiliency among students.   

Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative 

Outside of the school setting, Governor Pritzker launched the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Initiative in 2022 to evaluate and redesign the systems that support Illinois’ most vulnerable kids and adolescents. Recommendations include creating a central resource for families, improving coordination between departments, increasing capacity to serve more children and families, offering universal screening in schools and doctors’ offices, and offering incentives to mental health support staff to earn professional credentials.   

Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership  

The Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP) was created in 2003 after the Children’s Mental Health Act was passed. It is composed of each child-serving state agency and experts representing areas such as community mental health, education, and family advocates. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ICMHP developed a Children’s Mental Health Plan for 2022-2027 to address the needs of Illinois children, and their families. Some goals from the plan include increasing public awareness on all issues connected to child mental health and wellness, and creating a centralized, public-facing hub to streamline system navigation, resources, and funding for families. 

Further, grants complementing this work include: 

Community Partnership Grants totaling $86.4 million that fund partnerships between school districts and community health providers to address the trauma that students and educators have experienced during the pandemic.   

A $1 million mental health grant for four high-need school districts to increase access to mental health services. 

The impact of COVID-19 has spurred an unprecedented increase in the number of children and students in need of mental health support. The need is not new, but the extent and urgency of both the challenge and the awareness have given Illinois leaders an opportunity to step up, and they are doing just that. The work our state has undertaken in recent years is to be commended and must be sustained.  That said, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER II)— the source of resources for the REACH initiative and other state and local efforts to address trauma, SEL and mental health needs in schools and communities— are set to expire in September, 2024.  It is crucial that our state continue to take the necessary and systemic actions to support student well-being and a safe, supportive, and healing-centered K-12 education system overall in Illinois. We have come too far, and the work is too essential. 

Summer Q&A with Illinois Superintendent: Dr. Donn P. Mendoza, Round Lake Area School District #116

This summer, we will get to know more about our Equity First superintendents. Advance Illinois’s Equity First coalition is an alliance of superintendents across Illinois that advocate for public policy that promotes equity in public education for students. The group gathers to discuss education policy and school community issues to help inform Advance Illinois’ education policy agenda and statewide policy broadly.  

In this week’s blog we converse with Round Lake, Illinois superintendent Dr. Donn P. Mendoza from school district #116.

Why did you go into the education field?

I remember my second-grade teacher having a profound impact on my disposition toward school. As a result of her belief in me, I was able to imagine achieving success in whatever I decided to pursue in life. I went into education so that I could have that very same impact on others around me.  

Tell us about your school district. What are some accomplishments you want to highlight from your school district? What have been some of the challenges you’ve had or are addressing in your school district? 

Round Lake Area School District #116 is innovative in how we provide educational opportunities to our students. We were one of the very first Competency-Based Education (CBE) pilot school districts throughout the entire state. Supporting and implementing CBE practices provides the district with greater flexibility in enabling students to demonstrate learning. In addition to implementing Competency Based Educational practices, the school district employs a standards-based grading system district-wide, including at the high school level. We are also very proud to be only one of eight recipients in the entire state of a grant by the Capital Development Board recently, which will enable District#116 to significantly expand early childhood opportunities for families of the greater Round Lake Area. Challenges in our community continue to include closing the equity gap for students in our school community. 

How does EBF funding play a role in the success of the students you serve or the school district?

Round Lake School District #116 has benefitted significantly from the new evidence-based funding model such that we have been able to expand educational services at a level the likes of which could not have been achieved absent the new funding model. We have been able to add student support positions in the form of interventionists, specialists, counselors, and more. In addition, we have significantly expanded support structures for staff members in the form of mentoring, orientation and professional development/learning opportunities in areas of need determined by the school district and the staff members themselves. I would rank the school district’s professional development program among the best in the state and even the Midwest. EBF has also allowed us to improve the quality of the total educational experience in Round Lake, which includes the fine arts as well as STEAM opportunities.  

What resources and supports can further benefit your school? Or what resources/supports have made a positive difference? 

Continuation of funding the new EBF model on an annual basis is the most critical need in terms of available resources. 

Fun fact about yourself: 

During my first principalship in the late 1990's, one of the second-grade teachers in the school was my actual second grade teacher. This was the individual I referenced in the previous question above about why I chose the education profession. 

Summer Q&A with Illinois Superintendent: Dr. Suzanne Johnson, U-46

This summer, we will get to know more about our Equity First superintendents. Advance Illinois’s Equity First coalition is an alliance of superintendents across Illinois that advocate for public policy that promotes equity in public education for students. The group gathers to discuss education policy and school community issues to help inform Advance Illinois’ education policy agenda and statewide policy broadly.  

In this week’s blog we converse with Elgin, Illinois superintendent Dr. Suzanne Johnson from school district U-46. 

Why did you go into the education field?

As a passionate educator, I strive to create educational opportunities and outcomes for diverse student populations via differentiated and robust instruction while building student autonomy. 

Tell us about your school district. What are some accomplishments you want to highlight from your school district? What have been some of the challenges you’ve had or are addressing in your school district? 

School district U-46 is a Dual Language district providing Dual Language programming for students PreK - 12th grade. Our Dual Language students experience great success on the AP Spanish Language and Composition test. Additionally, I am proud of our work to implement play-based full-day kindergarten for all students across the school district. Our current focus and collective effort is that we will not locate deficits in our students, but rather seek out deficits in our systems that generate our results. Each of our systems must be measured and improved. It is our moral imperative to change until all our systems measurably work for all children in school district U-46. 

How does EBF funding play a role in the success of the students you serve or the school district?

I believe EBF assures equity by explicitly allocating additional resources to areas of greater need, and address climate and culture issues by establishing structures and guidelines for strong, positive communication among all district stakeholder groups. EBF provides more resources to support equitable resources at all levels for all students. EBF has also supported interests to increase primary learning opportunities thereby impacting student achievement. EBF strives to allocate funds based on need rather than enrollment alone. 

What resources and supports can further benefit your school? Or what resources/supports have made a positive difference? 

Additional support for early learners would impact our school district positively. 

Fun fact about yourself: 

I am a graduate of school district U-46, and I have spent my entire career in U-46. 

Summer Q&A with Illinois Superintendent: Larry Lovel, CUSD #176

This summer, we will get to know more about our Equity First superintendents. Advance Illinois’s Equity First coalition is an alliance of superintendents across Illinois that advocate for public policy that promotes equity in public education for students. The group gathers to discuss education policy and school community issues to help inform Advance Illinois’ education policy agenda and statewide policy broadly. 

In this week’s blog we converse with Campbell Hill, Illinois superintendent Larry Lovel from Trico CUSD #176.

Why did you go into the education field? 

I was inspired to pursue a career in education by both my parents, and past teachers, and coaches who made a significant impact on my life.

Tell us about your school district. What are some accomplishments you want to highlight from your school district? What have been some of the challenges you’ve had or are addressing in your school district? 

Within the past seven years, our school district has made significant strides in the areas of student support services and course offerings. The district has added two full-time English Language specialists and a bilingual aide to support our Spanish and K'iche speaking families. And within the past seven years, we have added the following full-time teaching positions K-12 Art, HS Industrial Arts, K-5 Intro to Technology, 6-8 interventionist, two additional teachers for kindergarten /first grade to reduce section sizes, a social worker at the elementary school, a junior high social worker, and an additional junior high Special Education teacher. All these positions were identified as a significant need based on student enrollment trends, student survey data, and parent survey data.  Lower than average teacher salaries, and rampant teacher shortages remain significant challenges for our district. Many of these newly added positions had to be created through grass roots or grow our own efforts at the local level. Without those efforts, many of these newly hired positions would have remained "wish list" items on our district's long range strategic plan. 

How does EBF funding play a role in the success of the students you serve or the school district?

EBF funding was a significant catalyst for positive change in our small rural school district. All new programs, positions, or course offerings are directly connected to the change in the way Illinois schools are funded. As a first year superintendent, I inherited a district with: deficit spending patterns, financial gaps created by years of state proration, a stagnant local economy, minimal growth in property values, and low morale. From my third year to present day, the district has resurrected past programs, added invaluable staff members, and has significantly increased learning opportunities for our students. EBF has had a tremendous and positive impact on our district, on our students, and on our community. 

What resources and supports can further benefit your school? Or what resources/supports have made a positive difference? 

Advocacy for EBF must continue and OUR voices must continue to be shared because there is STILL MUCH to be done and gains to be made. Additionally, legislators must continue to be made aware that many districts, like Trico, are just NOW providing the services and educational programs that it once did in the late 1990's. We are on the right path; however, we are not where we need to be or could be ...just yet. 

Fun fact about yourself: 

I met my wife in college while working on a political campaign. 

3 Reasons Why Advocacy Day Matters

This week, more than 100 educators, parents, students and district leaders traveled to the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield to advocate for increased investments in K-12 school districts during the Funding Illinois’ Future Advocacy Day. 

Coming from across Illinois, champions for equitable access to high-quality education gathered to raise awareness about the need for increased K-12 investments and meet with their legislators to talk about how the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula has made an impact on their school and communities. As part of the day-long event, advocates also rallied together in the Capitol Rotunda to show their presence and share their stories as well as hear from legislative supporters Rep. Carol Ammons, Sen. Adrienne Johnson, and Rep. Laura Faver Dias.

On Funding Illinois’ Formula Advocacy Day in Springfield, Advocates in Springfield that day included parents, teachers, students, and leaders from Noble Schools, Morton East High School, Corazon Community Services, Faith Coalition for the Common Good, Illinois PTA, Teach Plus, West 40, and superintendents from Vienna and Riverton. 

The experience was empowering and energizing and served as a reminder for why Advocacy Day—which many groups gather for each spring—is so important.

In the toolbox of activities advocates employ throughout the year to drive change on the issues they care about, Advocacy Day is an important way to help effect it at the state as well as at the local and federal levels. For us, Advocacy Day is first and always about ensuring every Illinois student has access to high-quality education.

Advocacy Day as a day of action is important for an array of reasons, including those unique to the individual. Here are few that come quickly to mind for us:

Issues Awareness Building By Community Stakeholders

Advocacy Day is an effective strategy for raising awareness about important issues as well as raising awareness about the groups and individuals who care about them, live and in-person when possible. When we come together to advocate for a particular cause, we can generate media attention and even more public interest in an issue. Both of these are critical for building even more momentum and political will for change.

What’s more, on Advocacy Day, the logistical details of traveling to the state capitol, meeting with legislators in-person, and connecting with others who care about an issue, are in many cases lifted off individual advocates’ shoulders and instead coordinated by an organizer. Planned Advocacy Days essentially open the door for more people who care about an issue to come to the table to participate and elevate their voices to drive change with barriers to access such as transportation, food, and scheduling addressed.

Make it stand out

During the Funding Illinois’ Formula Advocacy DAY 2023, educators, parents, students, organizers, and more convened in the state capitol Rotunda for a rally raising awareness about the need for increased Evidence-based Funding (EBF) formula investments and heard from fellow advocates, lawmakers, a school district leader.

In-Person Time Influencing Legislators
When advocates get to meet with elected officials and other decision-makers, they can share their personal experiences and concerns and well-researched points for why a particular policy change is needed. These meetings are also helpful for relationship building between advocates and legislators, which can be important for future advocacy efforts.

Practice, Practice, Practice
By attending legislator meetings and participating in other advocacy activities, students, parents, educators and other community members gain valuable knowledge learning more about the policymaking process and practical experience advocating for issues that matter to them.

After three years of not being able to rally in-person in support of EBF investments, we were thrilled to partner with advocates to make the roadtrip to Springfield and elevate our voices with others for the cause. Everyone has a story to share and advocacy day is the perfect opportunity to share that story with legislators. When people most impacted by decisions others make have an opportunity to influence and advocate for change, that is what democracy looks like. 

Our Students Deserve a Quality Education. We Need Increased Investment in EBF.

We, the Advance Illinois Educator Advisory Council, believe every child across the state of Illinois deserves the opportunity to realize their full potential.

We commend Governor Pritzker for his commitment to our children, as his recommended FY24 funding request for the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula will continue to close the access to quality education gap between school districts.  However, as educators, we believe that greater EBF funding will better support us and our school community as we continue to meet our students’ urgent and complex needs. As school support staff and educators,  we work to ensure that every student within our schools has access to the vital resources they need to achieve their full educational potential. Unfortunately, not all schools can afford necessary services, materials, and additional support; further dividing our students’ collective access to a high-quality education.

Therefore, we urge the Illinois General Assembly to invest at least $550 million in EBF for FY24. We are at a critical juncture in our path towards recovering from the pandemic. Every student across Illinois deserves the opportunity to realize their full potential. That will not be possible without fully staffed schools with adequate resources, especially enrichment and intervention opportunities for students with the greatest need. The most significant measurable difference between schools that have adequate  resources and those that do not is funding. Due to significant education under-funding, our urban and rural students lack the support they need to thrive. At the same time, students in fully-funded districts have better support systems in place, with training for educators and school staff, full time social workers and nurses, classroom assistants, additional academic support staff, etc.. 

We cannot continue to accept the reality that some students have more resources than others simply because of where they live in Illinois. We are the 6th largest economy in the country. We can and must do better!

We believe that an investment in EBF of at least $550 million for FY24 will send a message to our students that their access to a quality education is a priority for our state’s leaders.

Advance Illinois’ Educator Advisory Council

Amanda Dunakin

Bob Chikos

Crysta Weitekamp

Evelyn Sanchez

Freeda Pirillis

Jacob Carlson

Kellyn Sirach

Laura Jordan

Lorenzo Rubio

Megan Zamora

Monica Boehle

Precious Allen

Rebecca Wattleworth

Summer Butler

Teresa Eden

William (Bill) Polasky