As the U.S. sheds manufacturing jobs, Illinois is accepting applications for $24 million in grant funding to establish training facilities at community colleges aimed at bolstering the state’s manufacturing labor pool.

Supporters argue that not opting in would leave money on the table that could otherwise go to support students in the state. Those opposed argue the program diverts public dollars to private schools while public schools remain underfunded.

For the first time in five years, certain forms of student loan forgiveness will be taxable following a change in federal tax policy this year.

CPS cited “dangerously frigid temperatures” expected Friday in making its decision, saying the possible wind chills of -35 degrees will make it unsafe for students and staff to travel to school.

“The more children can see folks that look like them, that talk like them, that understand the cultural nuances they have, the easier it becomes to teach them, the easier it becomes to reach them,” longtime South Shore educator Wayne Issa said.

The budget request for the upcoming fiscal year calls for only a minimal increase in K-12 education spending, a reflection of the state’s tightening fiscal condition.

Chicago Public Schools students will return to their classrooms to kick off the 2026-27 academic year on Aug. 24, according to the district’s newly proposed annual calendar.

Students at 32 Illinois Full-Service Community Schools returned from winter break to major changes, after 708 school programs were discontinued and 277 staff were laid off beginning in mid-December.

Those findings were included in an annual report published Wednesday by the school district’s Office of Inspector General, which is tasked with investigating allegations of CPS employee misconduct.

Illinois lawmakers responded to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigrant communities with new legal protections for students and guidelines for schools that will take effect Jan. 1. Lawmakers also focused on the use of AI in education.

University President Rob Manuel called the last several weeks “some of the most difficult our community has ever experienced” as he announced that DePaul had laid off 114 of its 1,493 full-time and part-time staff.

The state’s 2025 report card showed only 38.4% of Illinois students overall scored proficient or better in math, compared to 52.4% in English language arts.

Northwestern University has agreed to pay $75 million to the federal government. The settlement with the Trump administration would restore $790 million in federal research grants that were frozen earlier this year, and end investigations on discrimination.

Chicago’s Board of Education approved a whopping $17.5 million payment to settle a lawsuit brought by a former Little Village student who was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a school official for years.

Northwestern University has agreed to pay $75 million to the U.S. government to end a series of investigations and restore hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding.

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center disclosed late Sunday that it had purchased the barn located in a rural area outside the city of Drew, aided by a $1.5 million donation from television producer and writer Shonda Rhimes.