Our Stories
As a former teacher who recently left the classroom, I know I will never leave behind the education issues I care about. So when I began to explore my role as an advocate outside of the classroom, one program that jumped out at me was Stand’s Policy Fellowship. The detailed policy discussions, the conversations with […]
The Governor signed the budget today (yay!) and we’re all praising the legislature for adding another $350 million towards the evidence-based funding formula enacted last year. Let’s break down that $350 million a bit more. $300 million of that figure will be equitably distributed first to the school districts that are the most under-funded (i.e., furthest away […]
In our office are photos taken over the last couple of years of Stand members holding rally signs with messages like “Our Students Our Future” and “Illinois Kids Need Fair Funding.” Nearby are pictures taken 22 years ago today of Stand for Children Day, the largest rally in support of children’s rights in the history […]
Last month, Stand for Children Policy Fellows Cymone Card, Abby Schultz, Dovie Shelby, and Kayla Valenti joined Stand staff on a visit to the state capital. This was a prime opportunity for the Fellows to meet up and make a difference together at the Capitol and also attend an insightful event that evening. While in […]
Recently, the Governor issued an amendatory veto of the school funding trailer bill, which begs the question: what happens next so schools can finally start getting their new funding? But before we answer that, we’ll walk through a few other questions for background: What was the funding bill? What does “trailer bill” mean? What is […]
One of my favorite desserts is a piece of good chocolate cake. Plenty of ingredients go into making a cake. And plenty of ingredients go into grading schools. As a new parent, it’s important to me that those ingredients make our schools better. But for too long, Illinois schools have basically been graded on a […]
