Our Stories

Our Stories

Do You Know About This?

Feb 17, 2022 0 2 min read
Do You Know About This?
Creating a brighter future for us all includes ensuring our youth court system is just and fair to everyone involved. And ensuring that it’s aimed toward healing, youth development, and reducing recidivism. But did you know that when juveniles enter Illinois’ youth justice system, they can be charged for things like legal representation, room and […]

Increasing Access is Crucial

Feb 14, 2022 0 1 min read
Increasing Access is Crucial
Illinois has made great strides in recent years when it comes to improving the number of students taking Dual Credit courses. Those classes help prepare them for life after high school and can earn them early college credit to boot. As Dual Credit enrollment has risen, community college remediation rates have gone down. Dual Credit […]

Time to Act

Feb 3, 2022 0 2 min read
Time to Act
I’ve heard some folks describe learning to read as a “neurological backflip.” Teaching something like that takes a huge amount of skill and persistence – something I’ve seen first-hand as my young daughter has started reading more and more this school year. But when only 33% of Illinois fourth-grade students are proficient readers, we know […]

Our Schools Need This

Feb 2, 2022 0 1 min read
Our Schools Need This
While much of the state is getting blanketed with snow today, the work of government goes on. Today, Governor JB Pritzker delivered his budget address and proposed to include $350 million in additional funding for the Evidence-Based Funding formula for Illinois schools. Gov. Pritzker’s proposed funding is a strong signal to the importance his administration […]

News Stand: Jan. 2022

Jan 21, 2022 0 3 min read
Cartoon of a small child standing on a stack of books to look at fireworks. the fireworks are embedded in the stars of the American flag.
Download the full News Stand edition as a PDF. See the crossword answers here. — 2022 Priority Legislation ADEQUATE AND EQUITABLE FUNDING SPENT WISELY The Evidence-Based Funding Formula enacted in 2017 established a minimum funding goal of adding $350 million in new funds each year until adequate funding is reached. The State Board of Education has requested this increase […]

They Need to Hear From You

Jan 14, 2022 0 1 min read
Father reading to his son
The New Year brings with it a sense of new things to accomplish and new places to engage. I hope you’ll take this time to engage with an important survey from CPS. The district continues gathering community feedback on how they measure school quality. They need to hear from you today! This survey is voluntary and […]