Illinois’ comeback story starts here.

Medicare and the Mayo Clinic

Medicare and the Mayo Clinic

The Boston Globe's Jeff Jacoby explores the problems with Medicare--and why we should imitate Mayo instead.

Over $3,000 on Glue Sticks

Over $3,000 on Glue Sticks

The Department of Employment Security has spent more then $3,000 on glue sticks over the past 2 years.

Capital Bill = More Empty Buildings?

Capital Bill = More Empty Buildings?

Could the mixture of Illinois's new capital building program and a lack of operating funds leave us with new -- but empty -- state facilities?

Contracting for Success: An Introduction to School Service Privatization

Contracting for Success: An Introduction to School Service Privatization

The Problem During these trying fiscal times, many school districts are attempting to find ways to become more efficient. Private firms are able to assist in this goal, while often improving the quality of certain services. For example, support service providers can offer more efficient busing or cafeteria services, and instructional service providers can offer...

By Collin Hitt

Getting Less For More: A Report Card on Illinois State Higher Education

Getting Less For More: A Report Card on Illinois State Higher Education

The Problem Tuition at Illinois’s state universities is becoming less affordable for Illinois families. From 2002 to 2007, in-state tuition and fees jumped by an average of 56 percent, with no campus increasing rates by less than 42 percent and two campuses increasing rates by more than 70 percent [in inflation-adjusted dollars]. In just five...

By Collin Hitt

Charter Schools and Changing Neighborhoods: Hispanics and English Learners in Chicago

Charter Schools and Changing Neighborhoods: Hispanics and English Learners in Chicago

The Problem Illinois’s Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Hispanic students will play a major role in determining the state’s economic future. Unfortunately, these two critical groups of students have remained among the lowest-performing in our schools. This is especially the case in Chicago Public Schools, where the problem is exacerbated by the fact that thousands...

By Collin Hitt