(WTTW News)

Illinois signed a contract for $640,000 for a report that could help legislators determine the value of the state’s recently defunct private school scholarship program, but a lack of data makes its findings “inconclusive.”

State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders, left, and Illinois State Board of Education Chair Stephen Isoye speak at the board’s regular meeting on Jan. 24, 2023. (Peter Hancock / Capitol News Illinois)

PreK-12 education spending currently makes up about one-fifth of the state’s entire General Revenue Fund budget. The proposed increase, if approved, would bring the state’s total GRF spending on public education to just over $11 billion.

(Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

State law allows districts to switch to e-learning if an emergency like weather prevents students from being in school physically. But if districts want the option, they must have an electronic learning program established in advance.

Illinois Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders listens to public comments during the Illinois State Board of Education’s monthly meeting in Chicago on Nov. 16, 2023. (Andrew Adams / Capitol News Illinois)

Officials at the Illinois State Board of Education say they’re receiving more requests for increased funding for next year than the state could possibly afford, and they’re bracing for the possibility that budgets will start to tighten in the near future.

(WTTW News)

Elementary and secondary students in Illinois showed consistent improvements in their reading and math scores while the state’s high school graduation rate reached a 13-year high for the most recently concluded school year.

A panel of education and policy experts speaks at an event hosted by the City Club of Chicago. Pictured left to right: Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, Illinois State Board of Education Chief of Staff Kimako Patterson, 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year Briana Morales and Advance Illinois board member Shayne Evans. (Andrew Adams / Capitol News Illinois)

The supply of education professionals continues to improve in Illinois despite strains brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but persistent issues remain in certain regions of the state and within some teaching fields.

(WTTW News)

CPS confirmed Friday that Stephanie Jones, the district’s chief of the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services (ODLSS), is stepping down from that role after four years effective immediately.

Students at Chicago Public Schools walk along a hallway in this file photo. (WTTW News)

“Dr. Tony Sanders is an extraordinary choice for State Superintendent of Education,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement.

State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala (WTTW News)

Carmen Ayala is retiring after a career in education spanning nearly 40 years. She's both the first woman and person of color to hold the position as the state's top education official.

Students at Chicago Public Schools walk along a hallway in this file photo. (WTTW News)

State Superintendent of Education Carmen Ayala, appointed in 2019, announced that she’ll retire at the end of January.

(PBS)

Starting this school year, every public elementary school and high school in Illinois must include a unit of instruction on Asian American history. Illinois became the first state to implement the requirement when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History Act into law last summer. 

The state recently announced a $17 million grant to build the first state-funded network of Freedom Schools in the country. (Courtesy Springfield Urban League)

The state recently announced a $17 million grant to build the first state-funded network of Freedom Schools in the country. The schools date back to the 1960s when volunteers traveled to Mississippi to teach Black students how to read and write, along with lessons on constitutional rights and African American history.

Students at Chicago Public Schools walk along a hallway in this file photo. (WTTW News)

The Illinois State Board of Education on Friday released enrollment and other data for the 2021-22 school year in its annual report card, which shows statewide enrollment fell from 1,957,018 students last year down to 1,887,316 students.

(WTTW News)

The Illinois State Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution in support of an upcoming declaration that will make it a requirement that schools reopen their doors in the fall, with only limited options for remote learning.

(WTTW News)

The Illinois State Board of Education is working on a new set of teaching standards for what it calls “culturally sensitive and responsive teaching.” We hear about the possible pros and cons of the new rule.

(FeeLoona / Pixabay)

The number of Illinois kindergarteners hitting readiness requirements has increased statewide, but more than two-thirds of students are still not meeting those goals. Education advocates say there’s more work that must be done to eliminate systemic inequalities.