“I’m a realtor and a real estate appraiser, so I’ve seen how property taxes is a big issue. In 2021, I was appointed to be a school board member, and in 2023 I won an election to stay on the school board, so this is my first full term as an elected official.” “In that...
Illinois schools would be required to share curriculum materials with parents under a pair of bills in Springfield. State Rep. Amy Grant’s House Bill 3806 and state Sen. Andrew Chesney’s Senate Bill 2080 require school materials be made available to parents.
Democratic state lawmakers are making another attack on parents’ rights and educational choice in Illinois. A bill would require homeschooling parents to file annual reports to avoid truancy charges, be credentialed and have their curriculum reviewed.
Not a single 11th-grade student was proficient in reading or math in 2023-2024 at Douglass Academy High School. The near-empty school has the highest per-student spending in Chicago Public Schools.
The nation’s report card was just released and shows Illinois students continue to struggle to meet proficiency standards in reading and math. State leaders are spinning 8th-grade results as a win, but in reality, they lag. Ignored are the struggles of younger students.
Some Illinois school boards allow all resident children – including private and homeschooled kids – to participate in district activities. That should be the case for all taxpaying families in all districts.
Chicago’s first elected school board was just sworn into office. Here’s what members should know about what the Chicago Teachers Union has done to damage Chicago Public Schools and the city’s children, plus eight steps to undo the damage.
The first three years of elementary school are critical in building reading skills so a student succeeds in school and life. Illinois lawmakers can push five proven literacy reforms to give the state’s students a better start.
Colorado lawmakers passed an act in 2012 to focus on early literacy development and the science of reading. Its fourth graders are now in the Top 5 states for reading proficiency. Illinois can benefit from adopting five of their tactics.
The Chicago Teachers Union played a long game with Acero charter schools: unionizing them, undermining them and then taking them over. Now students and parents are left without the charter schools they chose.
A report outlining public education reform in Illinois doesn’t address a core issue facing students: reading proficiency. It also lowers standards for students and threatens to muddle the understanding of students’ progress.
Florida state lawmakers began mandating science-based literacy education in the early 2000s. It improved reading proficiency among early grades and cemented Florida as a leader in early literacy education. Illinois should do the same.
Voters have chosen the first 10 members of their elected Chicago Public Schools board. Amid a chaotic fall, here are answers to some common questions about what’s next for public education in Chicago.
Chicago Teachers Union allies were losing most Chicago School Board elections. CTU spent more than $1 million on its candidates, but voters made it clear they are tired of paying more to get less from city schools.