From the Desk—Reflecting on Progress in 2024

What a year this has been! While there have been challenges, including a tight budget, we are grateful that 2024 also brought real progress. As we look ahead to 2025, knowing we face another tough budget year and plenty of changes and challenges, the progress made in 2024 reminds us that positive impact is not only possible, but essential. There is, of course, more work to do, but it is important to pause and appreciate where we have taken important steps, seen meaningful growth, and tackled deep-seated and difficult issues. Then, fortified by the knowledge that we can accomplish hard things when we put our minds to it, we can ready ourselves for the next push. 

In Early Childhood, A New Agency and a New Leader! 

2024 is the year that Illinois created the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC), a move that allows the state for the first time to bring together programs that have been managed across three agencies – a move that in turn creates the opportunity to ensure that programs and policies are fairer, more effective, and easier to navigate for both families and providers. Of course, it requires serious focus and visionary leadership to take full advantage of this opportunity. So it is fortunate indeed that the Governor has appointed Dr. Teresa Ramos as the founding Secretary of IDEC. As First Assistant Deputy Governor for Education, Dr. Ramos has been integrally involved in IDEC’s development. A longstanding education advocate (including as Outreach Director for Advance Illinois!), she is committed to working closely with parents, community leaders, providers, and those with technical expertise as the emerging agency shapes key new strategies to strengthen Illinois’ system of early childhood education and care.  

We look forward to partnering with Dr. Ramos and IDEC in 2025 and beyond, and will continue to prioritize core recommendations from the Governor’s Early Childhood Funding Commission. These include stable and coordinated funding mechanisms to support high-quality programs, improved system-wide data and analytic capacity to inform programs and policy, and targeted work to retain, recruit and fairly compensate a qualified and diverse ECEC workforce. Importantly, the state has already made meaningful headway on these critical goals. You can read more about the good work already underway in our recent ECEC publication.  

K12: Signs of Progress, Areas for Improvement 

Along with the rest of the country (and world), Illinois students continue to recover from the impacts of COVID 19 and significant educational and community disruptions.  So it was encouraging that the 2024 Illinois School Report Card included news that Illinois students demonstrated academic proficiency that exceeded pre-pandemic levels in English Language Arts, that kindergarten readiness in the state is steadily increasing, that high school graduation rates continue to improve (especially among Black students), and that college-enrollment is ticking back up.  That is all worth cheering, and suggests that dedicated, hard work at the local level is making a difference, as is ongoing investment in the state’s equitable school funding formula. At the same time, other data reminds us of the work ahead. The state continues to wrestle with significant equity gaps, math proficiency has not yet rebounded, nor has college readiness, as reflected in SAT scores. As importantly, chronic absenteeism rates – powerful predictors of longer-term persistence and achievement - remain troublingly high, particularly for targeted student groups.  

At long last...A Serious Blueprint for Adequate, Equitable, and Sustainable Funding for Illinois’ Public Universities 

This year, after more than 2 years of analysis, research and discussion, the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding concluded its work with strong, actionable recommendations for a better way to fund the state’s public universities. As the Senate and House convened hearings on the Commission’s findings, there was a growing and clear consensus that the state’s current funding approach cannot continue; that it is time to move away from a system that does not consider student or institutional need, that is not connected to any state priorities, and is driven largely by politics. Today, SB3965 and HB5907, which operationalize the Commission’s recommendations, have been filed, and higher education leaders and legislators are actively negotiating a final package. We fully expect the General Assembly to take up this critical issue in the coming session, but it is worth pausing to celebrate that for first time, Illinois has a clear roadmap for how to better support students and universities, and to ensure that sufficient funding follows student need. The state now has a ground-breaking model that is (1) anchored in adequacy and equity, (2) with a distribution methodology that acknowledges the diverse needs of students and the specific missions of universities, and (3) prioritizes new dollars for institutions with the least resources while ensuring all institutions benefit.  

Also on the higher education front, we can and should celebrate that the state continues to grow the Monetary Award Program (MAP), appropriating at a level that allows all applicants to receive awards, even as it has enabled the state to increase average award amounts.  That said, MAP still covers just 55% of average tuition and fees at a four-year public university, compared to 100% coverage in the early 2000s, and Illinois remains one of the least affordable states in the nation to attend college. So the work continues. (And it is worth noting that fixing the state’s public university funding will also help keep tuition rates down.) 

Supporting and Strengthening Our Educator Pipeline 

Illinois has been building a comprehensive and evidence-based set of strategies to strengthen and grow the state’s educator pipeline. These efforts include a new media campaign to attract the next generation of teachers, investment in new teacher mentoring and coaching, and ongoing work to remove financial barriers for student teachers, bilingual teachers, special education teachers, and aspiring teachers of color. The result? Illinois continues to see increased enrollment in teacher preparation programs and a more diverse set of candidates. Federal stimulus dollars have bolstered these efforts, but in 2024 the state wisely chose to use state dollars to continue key programs, such as the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) and teacher affinity groups. We hope the state will continue to invest in these and other critical pipeline programs, particularly as demand for effective and diverse educators increases. 

In addition to creating and growing relevant programs, the state took important steps this year to reflect on and revisit key elements of our teacher licensure and evaluation systems. We commend ISBE and the General Assembly for evaluating and seeking to continuously improve these critical systems, which are in place to ensure our educators are effective and well-supported. 

Sadly, 2024 also brought some challenges. This year, after several years of historic increases in funding to the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship, a 32-year program and one of numerous key investments the state has been making to strengthen and diversify its teaching pool, MTI has come under legal attack. 

The lawsuit against MTI alleges discrimination on the basis of race, as the scholarship is limited to teacher candidates of color. The challenge to this longstanding and effective program is misguided, missing the critical point that this scholarship supplements many other programs, and, more importantly, is targeted to address research-based student need. Put simply, Illinois continues to work to undo systemic injustice and to ensure that students of color are given the tools they need to achieve and succeed at the same rate as their peers. Decades of research tells us that students of color do better across a range of outcomes when they have a teacher of color at some point during their schooling. To address this, Illinois launched MTI, making scholarships available to aspiring teachers of color in exchange for those teachers teaching in schools with 30% or more students of color.  Discontinuing a strategy grounded in evidence to improve student outcomes is in opposition to our state and our children’s best interests. Accordingly, we expect strong support for HR0942 and SR1303 affirming the state’s compelling interest in maintaining this critical program. 

In Conclusion... 

Illinois seeks to become the greatest state in the nation to raise a child, and we are working to implement strong, forward-looking, student-centered policies and vision. Consider the transformative change in K-12 education spurred by Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) reform, this year’s massive governance shift in early childhood, and proposals on the table to bring adequacy and equity to the forefront in Higher Education in ways no other state has attempted. We have proven over and over again that when we come together to think boldly, and when we keep students and children at the center, we can and do accomplish important things. On to 2025! 

From the Desk of Robin Steans - A Reflection on the 102nd Session – Celebrating and Appreciating Putting Students’ Needs First

9 min read

From the Desk: A Reflection on the 102nd Session – Celebrating and Appreciating Putting Students’ Needs First

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is said that budgets reflect priorities, and Illinois’ FY23 budget reflects an ongoing commitment to supporting Illinois schools and institutions, as well as the significant educational recovery and renewal needs brought on by the pandemic. It is hard to imagine, but this was the third legislative session impacted by COVID-19, and in January, it was far from clear how it would proceed. Early fiscal forecasts seemed promising, but with the omicron surge, conflict in Ukraine, rising inflation, and more, things were anything but certain. With tremendous leadership from both chambers and the governor's office, Illinois passed a balanced budget – early, and with clear wins for children, students and educators. In addition to the budget, we also saw thoughtful and targeted efforts to address short- and long-term needs related to the pandemic, the educator pipeline, and efforts to double down on supporting students to complete high school college and career ready. 

FY23 BUDGET

As we shared in our initial statement, there are many things to celebrate in this budget. Increases in funding for the state’s higher education system (public 4-year institutions, community colleges, and a stunning increase to MAP scholarships), Evidence-Based Funding, educator pipeline (including Educators Rising and Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarships), and some early childhood and care programs (Early Childhood Block Grant, Early Intervention, and home visiting) represent a clear commitment to increasing access and equity across the birth through postsecondary (B-20) education continuum.  

The budget also reflects the collective voices of parents, educators, students, and Illinoisans from communities throughout the state. Coalition members of We, The Village sent more than 4,300 letters to state legislators calling for increased investment in early childhood and care. The Funding Illinois’ Future coalition brought together district leaders, parents, caregivers, educators, and civil rights organizations from rural, suburban and urban communities to speak with a united voice to increase funding for EBF. Members of the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Advocacy Team, which included civil rights and faith-based organizations, universities, educator leadership, and advocacy groups, actively engaged decision-makers to ensure aspiring educators of color have increased access to funding. And members of the recently created Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding mobilized their communities and advocated for increased MAP funding. People made noise and were heard!

That said, there were some disappointments. I would be remiss not to note the lack of additional investment in certain early childhood and care programs. The governor's Early Childhood Funding Commission outlined the need for an additional $10 billion to be invested in our early childhood and care system. That’s a big hill to climb, and together with partners, we pushed for a 10 percent across-the-board increase to begin this important journey. The increases that occurred are important and appreciated. But some critical programs, including childcare, received just a fraction of the ask or were flat-funded. We now know what it costs to truly meet the needs of Illinois’ children and families, close equity and opportunity gaps, and pay our early childhood workforce at a rate commensurate with the value of their work and sufficient to attract and keep staff. We need to do even more to make up valuable ground.

LEGISLATION HIGHLIGHTS

Though the budget stole the show, a number of bills passed that will impact education. The vast majority reflect a healthy balance of addressing immediate needs, planning for the future, and codifying policies that support access. Here are a few highlights:

Early childhood education and care awareness and services

Early childhood education and care-related bills that passed this session include efforts to extend child care (CCAP) and Early Intervention (EI) services to some of our most vulnerable children in the child welfare system; ensure families receive EI services in a timely fashion; and require that postsecondary students receive notification of child care services and eligibility. All of these reflect important steps in increasing access to vital services for our youngest children.

Addressing the teacher shortage

Some sensible bills passed that provide immediate and targeted relief around the teacher shortage. These include efforts to increase the availability of substitutes and paraprofessionals, as well as short-term relief on some professional development requirements required for licensure renewal. Given the immediate staffing challenges schools are facing, these flexibilities strike the right balance of providing immediate support while not compromising Illinois’ efforts to grow a strong and diverse educator workforce.

Planning for the future

Additionally, resolutions passed on key topics that we know the state is going to have to tackle over the next few years. These types of efforts help us work smarter and make informed decisions. For example, 10 years into implementation, SR774 calls on the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC) to review research and data on the implementation of our educator evaluation system (PERA) and make recommendations for ongoing improvements. SR900/HR722, charges ISBE and the Professional Review Panel (or PRP) to continue building upon recent findings to analyze and understand the potential costs and implications to EBF. Both of these resolutions allow the state to review critical policies in a coherent, rather than piecemeal or anecdotal, fashion.

College and Career Readiness

On another front, several bills passed that build on and expand elements of the Post-Secondary Workforce Readiness Act, including efforts to expand dual credit as well as accelerate the implementation of postsecondary and career expectations framework, and Career Ready Endorsement/Pathway programs across the state.

Data to inform decision making 

Finally, legislation passed prohibiting ISBE from requiring a standardized assessment in Pk-2nd grade, or from providing or funding assessments on an optional basis.  We supported the main goal of the bill, which was to prohibit required assessments in the early grades or to use them for accountability purposes. But we would have liked to see the bill amended to permit optional support from ISBE for interested districts who would benefit from financial help and/or assessment expertise that they do not have in-house. Importantly, the bill exempts certain diagnostic assessments and observational assessments, like language or dyslexia screeners and KIDS. 

BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION BILL (BIMP)

In true Springfield fashion, the budget implementation bill (also known as the BIMP) included some impactful legislative changes and requirements.  

• Legislators raised the maximum grant size for Illinois’ signature scholarship program (MAP) from $6,468 to $8,508 and expanded the program to include career and technical certificates and credentials. This is obviously terrific news for affordability and accessibility. 

• Starting January 1, 2023, tax credits for teachers/school staff purchasing instructional materials will be raised from $250 to $500. This is in addition to legislation allowing for a 10-day sale tax reduction for school supplies and a one-time tax rebate for dependents.  

• And not to be missed, ISBE is required to take action to correct an error in how enrollment was calculated in EBF for the Chicago Public Schools in FY19-21 by both fixing the miscalculations moving forward (thereby adjusting adequacy targets and base funding minimums) and retroactively addressing impacts to other districts.  

• The BIMP also directs the agency to work outside of the formula and provide one-time “Significant Loss” grants to certain eligible districts that may see a significant drop in their local contribution, a direction made on top of legislative changes designed to systemically ease the impact of dramatic changes in local revenues.  

All told, this session was marked by a budget that reflected student needs, with a focus on equity and access, and it is worth pausing to celebrate and appreciate. But we cannot rest. A great deal of work remains to ensure that all students, from birth to career, have sufficient resources, excellent educators, and system-wide support for success. The full and long-term impacts of the pandemic on our education community are still emerging, and the only thing that is crystal clear is that we will (and should) be addressing them for years to come.

Robin Steans

President

From the Desk of Robin Steans - Making 2022 A Better, Stronger Year for Our Students

7 min read

From the Desk: Making 2022 A Better, Stronger Year for Our Students

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

While 2021 had its share of ups and downs, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge or celebrate the advances made last year. Though COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on our communities, new vaccines for students 5 years old and older mean they are now better protected from some of the toughest physical effects of the virus. In addition, Springfield took some helpful steps. The General Assembly did the right thing and appropriated $350 million to the Evidence-Based Funding formula for FY22, invested federal funds to strengthen and expand the early childhood workforce, and in November, the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding launched, with the charge of helping Illinois make equitable investments in Higher Education.    

This year, Advance Illinois will focus on supporting more adequate and equitable funding from cradle to career, helping strengthen and diversify the educator pipeline, focusing on mental health for students and educators, gathering and putting to work more relevant data, and addressing the impact and implications of two years of disrupted learning and care. 

ADEQUATE & EQUITABLE FUNDING ACROSS THE BIRTH-POSTSECONDARY (B-20) CONTINUUM 

It is vital we take a birth-postsecondary (B-20) funding approach to ensure that every part of the education and care continuum is adequately and equitably funded. Every step of our education system relies on the health and success of the previous steps. K-12 students thrive when they have had access to high-quality early childhood experiences. Post-secondary students persist at higher rates when they have had a strong K-12 education. And, all students perform better when they have access to quality educators and caregivers. While funding is not the only answer to what ails public education in Illinois, years of under-investment and inequitable investment – from early childhood through higher education – take their toll on student achievement and progress.   

This year, we will advocate for: 

Increasing state early childhood investments by at least 10 percent. 

While Illinois has begun new efforts to improve access and quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) over the last year, there is still much work to be done. The governor’s own Commission reports that we are underfunding ECEC by roughly $12 billion. Accordingly, the state needs a long-term plan to put it on a path towards adequacy. In the meantime, the alarm has been sounded, and we urge the state to increase state funding for the ECEC system and individual early childhood programs by at least 10 percent in the FY23 state budget. Such an increase would put Illinois on a path to closing the demonstrable resource gap in early childhood as we develop a longer-term plan. 

Fully-funding the Evidence-Based Formula (EBF). 

Since EBF passed in 2017, the data show that the formula is working as intended. Nonetheless, over 300 districts in Illinois still fall at or below 70 percent of adequacy. The state has committed to putting at least an additional $350 million into the formula every year for ten years. After failing to do so in FY21, the state got back on track by fully funding EBF in FY22. In FY23, Illinois must maintain its commitment to Illinois’ students by continuing to fund the formula. Federal relief funds have been a lifeline to our schools and communities, helping address the immediate impacts of the pandemic. These one-time funds, however, cannot and should not replace EBF dollars that enable schools to build the foundation for long-term, stable instruction, and programming for students.  We ask legislators to recommit to reaching 90% funding by 2030 by putting at least $350 million into EBF in FY23 and reviewing findings from the Professional Review Panel detailing possible avenues for making the formula even more equitable.  

Restoring enrollment, investment, and equity in the state’s higher education system. 

Currently, the state awards Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants to fewer than half of those who apply, and the award covers just a fraction of the costs of attending college. This reality is pricing too many students out of our higher education system, especially students from low-income households and students of color. Undergraduate enrollment in community colleges and public four-year institutions has dropped significantly over the past 5 years, with community college enrollment dropping precipitously since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. After years of disinvestment, Illinois must evaluate what level of investment is required and how to equitably distribute funds to ensure our higher education system and students get the support they need. We will continue to champion a $50 million increase in MAP as well as much-needed additional institutional funding and its equitable distribution. And while we push for funding in the short term, we fight for long-term solutions by being active participants on (1) the Commission as recommendations are developed and (2) in the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding, where we will raise awareness of the need for equity-oriented reform.   

A STRONGER, MORE DIVERSE TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL PIPELINE 

Many parts of Illinois are facing acute teacher shortages, particularly in special education and bilingual education. Years of underinvestment, program cuts, and piecemeal policy responses are making themselves felt. Now is the time to intensify state support for a comprehensive, coordinated, ambitious plan to build a stronger, more diverse educator pipeline – one that recruits and retains talented, diverse educators and closes gaps in high-need subjects and regions. 

We will continue to develop and advocate for a set of evidence-based strategies that address the entire educator pipeline from recruitment to preparation to placement and retention. This includes: 

• Supporting a $2.35 million increase (for a total of $4.25 million) for Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) scholarships in order to support more teaching candidates of color, including Black male and bilingual candidates (a modest increase for an outsized impact);  

• Funding for High School Education Pathways and loan forgiveness to recruit candidates to areas and subjects of need;  

• Expanding proven alternative pathways; 

• Developing and investing in a state infrastructure (such as a unified portal) to simplify access to financial aid and licensure information; and 

• Supporting an investment of $6.5 million in educator induction, mentoring and development for new teachers 

We will also continue to support regular and substantive feedback for teachers and principals together with thoughtful licensure, even as we consider and respond to changing and challenging circumstances. Ten years in, it is clear that the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA), which calls for more substantive feedback for teachers and principals, has led to more robust conversations about classroom instruction and practice, as intended. If there are also adjustments to consider, let’s do so collectively, and in a way that builds on important progress. Additionally, as we continue to build and strengthen the pipeline, let’s review current teacher training requirements to make sure we are maximizing valuable professional development time.  

The single most important thing we can do for students is provide well-prepared, capable educators and give them the support and development they need as the world continues to throw them new and challenging curve balls. Headed into the pandemic, we started to see improvements in the diversity of and enrollment in teacher and principal preparation programs. Let’s deepen and expand our efforts. 

COVID-19 LEARNING RECOVERY 

We are still very much in the midst of a pandemic that continues to severely disrupt our system of education and care, and the situation is far from over. Illinois must not only continue to address ongoing, immediate needs, but also attend to recovery and rebuilding. The research continues to show the impact the past two years is having on children and students, academically and emotionally. Reports from the field also show challenging instructional conditions, especially among students from low-income households, of color, English-language learners, and diverse learners. Illinois has received billions in federal education relief funds to support recovery. We must collect information and data that accurately captures the depth and breadth of need, as well as how these federal resources are being invested and the ongoing impact of these supports. We have a powerful opportunity to learn from and strengthen interventions and practice, to not only better meet student needs, but to truly “build back better.” We encourage a strong research and reporting plan, and urge policymakers and practitioners to take advantage of the P-20 Council plan for learning recovery and student/educator well-being. Finally, we look forward to reviewing findings and recommendations from the Whole Child Task Force for ideas on how we can use this moment to fundamentally re-imagine and strengthen student (and educator) supports. 

As we all can probably agree, the past 22 months have been extremely difficult, and there are only inadequate words for the teachers and leaders who have supported children and students through once-in-a-century challenges. We are committed to fighting for the resources and supports needed for the work ahead this year and beyond. 

Robin Steans

President

From the Desk of Robin Steans - The Moment is Now to Support and Invest in Illinois’ Youngest Learners

From the Desk: The Moment is Now to Support and Invest in Illinois’ Youngest Learners

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As school communities across the state continue to address the ongoing challenges created by COVID-19, and amidst significant and ongoing gaps and complexities in district and state data, Advance Illinois applauds ISBE for releasing as much crucial information as possible in its 2021 Illinois Report Card . Unsurprisingly, these data were sobering and echo much of what we have been hearing from educators, parents, and school communities over the last 20 months.  

While a number of areas stood out as needing additional thought, attention and support (e.g., chronic absenteeism and freshmen on-track rates), alarms should be going off for our children in the earliest grades. Traditionally, we do not have a great deal of visibility into student progress from PreK-2nd grade.  There are limited state level data available, and ISBE has yet to finalize its P-2 indicator for school designations. It’s hard to know how we are doing in a normal year, let alone during this pandemic. This year’s report card, coupled with what we have heard from families and early childhood providers and programs, however, is worrisome and worth attention. Specifically:  

• Enrollment declines in the early, formative years - Spring 2021 Prekindergarten attendance was down 17 percentage points from the previous Spring. In SY20-21, 10,800 fewer children attended Kindergarten than SY19-20 – that’s an eight-percentage point drop. In addition to being concerned about whether these unserved children are in safe and stable environments, we should also be worried about the stimulation and learning these students missed. Research has shown time and time again the importance of the foundational social and academic skills developed in these years. We are facing a generation of kids starting their educational journey behind or with significant developmental and academic gaps. 

• Declines in academic proficiency in core subjects - While still preliminary and incomplete (and requiring cautious interpretation and use), preliminary assessment data show that 3rd grade English Language Arts and Math scores for students from low-income households went down 10.5 percentage points and 12.4 percentage points, respectively, between 2019 and 2021.  This decline echos national research that showed loss of academic learning gains in 3rd and 4th grade compared to SY18-19. This matters because these represent foundational years and skills. And while Illinois schools have traditionally done a pretty good job making progress in closing achievement and opportunity gaps, these data should have us concerned.  

• Lack of data/information about Kindergarten readiness - While we don’t have reliable state level data from SY20-21, KIDS is a researched-based and universal tool that can support and inform stakeholders in understanding where our children are developmentally and academically as they enter Kindergarten. This provides a foundation for the state to build upon when addressing the impact of disrupted learning and care in the early years. 

• Growing awareness of acute social and emotional needs and support - And while no state level data exist, reports from the field suggest educators and schools are struggling with behavior challenges and social emotional development, particularly among the youngest students. 

What to do?  

While there is no quick or easy response, there are some immediate and medium-term actions that districts, stakeholders and the state might consider, including: 

• Immediately ensuring that the PreK-3rd grades are getting a proportionate (or truthfully, maybe even an outsized) amount of federal stimulus resources. Resources are available to help school and district leaders plan and invest these funds. District leaders and stakeholders should re-examine their ARP ESSER plans and amend as necessary to drive resources to serve our PreK-3rd grade students.  

• Supporting efforts to align, improve and stabilize the state’s system of early childhood and care by investing at least an additional 10 percent in all programs in FY23. And all of us should be championing the federal Build Back Better package, which is poised to invest billions into childcare and PreK. 

• Learning more about and joining We, The Village, a coalition which advocates to advance equity and quality for early learning and care in Illinois.  

• In the medium term, we need to invest in data collection and tools to better understand the exposure and impact of trauma and the social-emotional needs of all of our students, particularly our youngest students. This will be critical in addressing unprecedented levels of student (and staff) need that will likely cast a shadow for years to come. Further, efforts to build better understanding of mental health in addition to universal and readily available screening tools can inform stronger and more systemic supports and true trauma-responsive practice into the future.  

• Evaluate and learn from the state’s Jump Start grants, designed to support Kindergartners and 1st graders who received little to no in-person instruction in SY20-21. 

  Advocate and invest in our ECE workforce and educator pipeline so that every child has access to well-prepared, equitability compensated, and diverse educators. This will include high-quality implementation of the new EC Consortium and scholarship opportunities, along with planning now for scaling and sustaining these efforts once federal relief dollars are gone.  

• Double down on our commitment to (1) the Governor’s ECE Commission Recommendations, and (2) fully funding EBF. State and federal investments here are key, but we also must have strong aligned systems that advance equitable funding and resource stability to ensure that our children and communities have access to high-quality programs and classrooms into the future.  

Right now, we know we must respond to the significant immediate threats and issues facing our children, but we must not do so at the expense of longer-term planning to develop and strengthen programs and systems that have the potential to positively impact students and families far beyond this immediate crisis. We must not aspire to get back to normal. Instead, we should work now to ensure we come out of this once-in-a-century crisis better equipped to support all students. Intervening and doubling down now on our youngest children and students is both the powerful and the right thing to do. They cannot wait, and we cannot wait.  

Robin Steans

President

From the Desk of Robin Steans - Prioritizing Learning Renewal

From the Desk: Prioritizing Learning Renewal

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We are now at a vital turning point in our nation’s response and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 28, 2021, over half of the country and 40 percent of Illinoisans have been fully vaccinated; children 12 and over are eligible for vaccines; billions in federal relief funds are flowing to Illinois business, child care programs, schools and agencies; and our state’s economy is seeing a rebound. While this is all exciting news, we must not overlook the work our schools will begin to put in toward learning renewal and addressing the social and emotional needs of our students. To say this past year has been challenging is an understatement. It will take considerable and collective effort to overcome the impact the past year has had on students, families, and educators, and it cannot be done hastily or quickly – it will take a multi-year effort to recover and come back stronger than ever. 

With Illinois’ investment of $350 million in the evidence-based funding formula (thank you, General Assembly!) together with significant federal stimulus dollars the state received this past spring, our schools and educators will have significant funds to resource renewal efforts. With these funds, our K-12 districts and schools are in a position to provide the additional instructional and planning time widely recommended to implement the evidence-based supports we know will help our students thrive. 

For the past 16 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted education in every community, exacerbating systemic racial, ethnic and socio-economic inequities and creating unprecedented challenges for children and families as well as educators. Over the past year, Advance Illinois has shared research, analysis and studies examining this impact and the potential long-term implications of months of disrupted learning environments. As more national and state data become available, we must continue to adjust our thinking and plans and take advantage of every opportunity to better understand how students are doing – academically, socially, emotionally and beyond. 

In response to this once-in-a-century crisis, we are heartened by the tremendous state and local leadership emerging and by efforts to elevate and coordinate research-based practices to inform short and long-term recovery and renewal efforts from early childhood through postsecondary. These efforts include the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development’s enrollment campaign; stabilization and restoration grants for child care providers; ISBE’s ESSER investments in the digital divide, high-impact tutoring, bridge programs, mental health professional development and supports, and interim assessments; encouraging higher education institutions to fund work-study programs in hardest hit communities; proposed investment in the educator workforce; the Illinois P20 Council Learning Renewal Resource Guide; and the recent adoption of the Extended Time Resolution (SR0232), which encourages districts statewide to add additional time to the school day and/or school year to help all students address the unprecedented need brought on by COVID-19 learning disruption. Many educators across the state have already begun to establish and adopt strong foundations for renewal, but we know that these plans are just the beginning of what is needed and there is still work to be done. 

With over $5 billion American Rescue Plan resources available to support K-12 learning renewal in Illinois (the vast majority at the district level), we must continue to ensure these dollars are invested thoughtfully and equitably in an effort to ensure our schools are meeting the full and comprehensive needs of all our students. Here, the state has the opportunity to take a leadership role in: 

• coordinating and building local capacity to investigate, select, and implement evidence-based supports; 

• maintaining a focus on equity in how resources are distributed and monitored;  

• collecting and analyzing data on both the impact of COVID-19 across our education system as well as the success of the planned interventions and supports; and 

• using its bully pulpit and state level investments to drive our ecosystem to build back better.  

Furthermore, in addition to the requirement that at least 20 percent of these resources be used to support evidence-based interventions to support “learning loss,” at a local level, leaders can: 

• Ensure transparency in both the process and implementation of learning renewal efforts. This includes following US Department of Education requirements to meaningfully plan and consult with local stakeholders around how these funds will be used, which includes but is not limited to engaging students, families, civil rights organizations, tribes and schooladministrators and educators. 

• Invest resources in a way that accounts for the historic and growing inequities exacerbated by COVID-19. 

• Collect information and data on implementation and student progress and be willing to adapt plans as we learn more about the depth and breadth of our children’s social, emotional and academic needs. 

• Follow the urging of national education leaders and advocates, as well as the Extended Time Resolution (SR0232) and Dr. Ayala’s guidance and leverage federal and state resources to provide students and teachers with additional in-person instructional and planning time in an equitable, meaningful and aligned manner to enable academic and non-academic recovery. 

While we look forward to “going back to normal,” it is not an option to simply revert to a status quo that was not serving all children well. Instead, we have a once-in-a-century opportunity – and need – to look ahead and redesign our system to support student recovery and renewal, and do so in a way that leads to lasting and stronger academic and social supports. The federal government and the state have responded to this crisis with the financial resources needed to begin our path toward renewal. We must now all roll up our sleeves and do the hard work to help our children and students get on a path to live out their true potential. We look forward to working with partners and leaders across the state to monitor student needs, progress and opportunities for transformative change. 

Sincerely and in partnership,

Robin Steans

President