Illinois students are struggling to meet proficiency standards on state assessments. Instead of working to improve student learning, the state wants to lower standards to hide the crisis.
The Educational Choice for Children Act continues to progress after it was included in the budget reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House on May 22. It is cause for hope for 15,000 low-income Illinois students who lost their private-school scholarships in 2023.
Tens of thousands of homeschool and private school families and other Illinoisans have filed opposition to House Bill 2827 – dubbed the ‘Homeschool Act.’ The bill is stalled on the House floor and poised for defeat.
A federal bill is cause for hope for 15,000 low-income Illinois students who lost their private school scholarships in 2023. That’s when teachers unions got state lawmakers to kill the Invest in Kids program.
Teachers unions have given millions to the state lawmakers targeting homeschoolers in their most recent effort to stifle educational freedom in Illinois.
Illinois students will struggle throughout their educations when 7 in 10 third-graders cannot read at grade level. Illinois Policy supports and submitted testimony in favor of a bill to train Illinois teachers in ‘science of reading’ methods to boost early-grade literacy.
Homeschool co-ops in Illinois would face several new rules meant for larger schools, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. The ‘Homeschool Act’ sponsor says her bill isn’t quite dead yet.
“Our decision to homeschool was really birthed out of necessity. My oldest was struggling in the public school system. He has autism spectrum disorder and in middle school he started to face severe bullying and started to have negative self-talk.” “We knew he needed a change. We thought we’d try homeschooling just for one year,...
The average Chicago Public Schools teacher will see their salary increase to more than $114,000 by the 2027-2028 school year. Just the raises will cost Chicagoans up to $1.25 billion.
House Bill 2827 would extensively regulate both homeschools and private schools in ways that could seriously violate Illinoisans’ rights, including a primary right established a century ago.
The Illinois Federation of Teachers represents educators in 200 districts in Illinois. But just 26% of its spending in 2024 was on “representational activities” – what should be its core focus.
“As a mother, teacher and support for homeschooling families, this overactive government intervention pains my heart.”
Bill sponsors for a second time amended the ‘Homeschool Act’ as they tried to blunt the heavy criticism of the constitutional, parenting and privacy rights it could trample. Illinois Policy expert testimony showed the changes create more problems with the bill.
The “Homeschool Act” adds taxpayer costs and exposes families’ religion and private information – all in the name of curbing child neglect and abuse. Trouble is, a survey showed state lawmakers are targeting the students where they are least at risk.