Chicago parents spend $886 per child on school supplies

By Dylan Sharkey

08/09/2022

Chicago parents spend one-third more than the national average on school supplies. A 5% state sales tax holiday does little to help those struggling with back-to-school costs.

TAGS: Chicago, education spending, parenting, public schools, school, teachers

Amendment 1 would give teachers unions more power over students’ health

08/01/2022

The number of students enrolling in Chicago Public Schools continues to fall as teachers’ unions impose COVID-19 policies and infringe on parents’ choices about their childrens’ health and safety. A ballot proposal would make that worse.

TAGS: Amendment 1, Chicago, COVID-19, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, government unions, mask mandate, parenting, public schools, teachers union

House unanimously passes bill to let Illinois parents leave teens home alone

By Dylan Sharkey

03/03/2022

The Illinois House unanimously passed a bill to eliminate the nation’s strictest standard for how old children must be to be left home alone, now set at age 14. The bill lets parents decide when children are responsible enough to briefly be on their own.

TAGS: child abandonment, criminal justice reform, parenting

Beyond degrees: Empowering Illinoisans through career-first education

Published June 3, 2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The best path to empowerment and success, especially for poor people, is work. Work allows us to prosper while providing dignity, upward mobility, the means to support ourselves and create value for others. It’s how we become thriving members of our community. Central to this process is our education...

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Beyond degrees: Empowering Illinoisans through career-first education

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Allan Luzbetak

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students