Chicago Teachers Union oversaw academic, enrollment drops as costs rose

By Hannah Max

06/17/2022

Nearly 80,000 students have left Chicago Public Schools and student proficiency rates have declined nearly 80% in math and 70% in reading since the current leaders took over the Chicago Teachers Union in 2010. All that, and 55% higher costs.

TAGS: Amendment 1, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union

Longer public schools closed for pandemic, more students they lost

By Hannah Max

05/26/2022

New research shows remote learning spurred the enrollment declines plaguing public schools. Schools with more in-person instruction lost fewer students.

TAGS: COVID-19, public schools, teachers union

Illinois schools push district consolidation to fix teacher shortage

By Dylan Sharkey

04/27/2022

School board members in rural Illinois said district consolidation will ease staff shortages made worse by the pandemic. A statewide look at district consolidation could cut administrative overhead and put $732 million more into classrooms.

TAGS: Illinois, school district consolidation, teacher shortage

Bullied students find better education thanks to Illinois’ school choice program

By Ann Miller

03/30/2022

Jerry Valdivia’s children were scarred in a fire that killed their mom. They avoided bullying and found a nurturing private school thanks to Illinois’ school choice scholarship program.

TAGS: Illinois, Invest in Kids, school choice

Illinois COVID-19 school closures hurt math, reading scores

By Hannah Max

03/29/2022

SAT math scores dropped nearly 15%, and reading scores dropped 9% from 2019 to 2021 among Illinois high school juniors. Low-income and minority students saw bigger losses.

TAGS: COVID-19, ISAT: Illinois Standards Achievement Test, public schools, school closures

How school choice helped a Joliet student escape public school bullying

By Ann Miller

03/28/2022

When her son’s public school couldn’t stop the bullying, this Joliet mom took an administrator’s taunt about switching schools to heart. Illinois’ Invest in Kids tax credit scholarships have let them choose a private school despite COVID-19 hurting family finances.

TAGS: Illinois, Invest in Kids, school choice

Chicago Public Schools tells parents mask-optional coming soon

By Dylan Sharkey

03/03/2022

Chicago Public Schools’ top administrator told parents a mask-optional model for students and staff is coming soon. A Chicago Teachers Union dictate has kept students in masks despite the statewide mandate being lifted.

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, mask mandate

After losing scholarship, Chicago family sold car to keep kids in private school

By Ann Miller

03/01/2022

Invest in Kids tax credit scholarships give opportunities to minority families and stability to students when hard times hit. Tough choices await when the scholarships dry up.

TAGS: Illinois, Invest in Kids, school choice

Invest in Kids scholarships help single moms get kids through tough times

By Ann Miller

02/09/2022

Illinois’ tax credit scholarship program for low-income families helped these three single moms and their children. Education during COVID-19 is failing low-income students, but the program can help if state lawmakers back bills to save and expand it.

TAGS: Illinois, Invest in Kids, school choice

Pritzker keeps mask mandates for schools indefinitely

By Amy Korte

02/09/2022

The governor’s maintenance of statewide school mask mandates without benchmarks for their removal makes Illinois an outlier.

TAGS: COVID-19, JB Pritzker, mask mandate, public schools