Chicago

New study shows there’s no such thing as a lost cause when it comes to education

01/28/2014
It’s never too late to help a struggling student. An amazing new study conducted by the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Lab shows that intense tutoring combined with group behavioral counseling can help high school students with weak math skills, chronic truancy and disciplinary problems improve their performance. The study showed impressive gains. In fact,...

TAGS: charter schools, school choice, vouchers

Top 10 facts about Illinois pensions

By illinoispolicy
01/27/2014
Illinois has the worst pension crisis in the nation. If real reforms aren’t enacted, retirees will see their pensions slashed, taxpayers will be forced into a massive bailout and younger state workers might not receive a pension at all. The recent pension reform bill that passed is actually a step backward for the state. Only...

10 Illinois education facts you should know

By illinoispolicy
01/25/2014
Despite increased funding over the past10n years, most Illinois elementary schools and high schools still struggle to teach students the basics of reading and math. Some of this is due to laws that allow poor-performing teachers to stay in classrooms, but most is due to the structure of Illinois’ education system itself. Here are 10...

Illinoisans flee the state for neighboring Indiana, Missouri and Wisconsin

By Michael Lucci
01/24/2014
The story of Illinois’ steady out-migration problem is well known, but just where are Illinoisans moving to? Is the outflow driven entirely by retirees and beach-goers moving to Florida? Not according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which just released its 2012 American Community Survey of state-to-state migration flow data. These data use census surveys to...

TAGS: population

10 Illinois education facts you should know

01/22/2014
Despite increased funding over the past 10 years, most Illinois elementary schools and high schools still struggle to teach students the basics of reading and math. Some of this is due to laws that allow poor-performing teachers to stay in classrooms, but most is due to the structure of Illinois’ education system itself. Here are...

Illinois’ record film revenue: What’s the cost?

By Michael Lucci
01/22/2014
Chicago is a great place to make a movie. Tom Cruise got his big break in the North Shore-based drama “Risky Business,” and comedy star Vince Vaughn claims the Windy City as his home. Film favorites ranging from “Ferris Buehler’s Day Off” to “The Untouchables” and the annual Christmas viewing requirement that is “Home Alone”...

TAGS: Chicago, film subsidies

Chicago Tribune calls for school choice in Illinois

01/21/2014
It’s time to bring school choice to Illinois – so says the Chicago Tribune, in a convincing editorial published this weekend. Not only did the Tribune discuss the poor performance of Chicago’s persistently low-performing schools, it also talked about successful school choice programs in Wisconsin and Indiana – Illinois’ neighbors to the north and east....

Illinois legislators take a stand against a progressive income tax hike

By Jane McEnaney
01/16/2014
The Tax Foundation—a nonpartisan, D.C.-based think tank—hosted a press conference in Chicago this afternoon on the effects of a proposed tax increase in Illinois. The Tax Foundation’s analysis of the proposed progressive tax legislation found that: Illinois’ “State Business Tax Climate Index” ranking could fall to 44th from its current 31st ranking if the proposed progressive income...

TAGS: fair tax, graduated income tax, income tax, progressive income tax

Chicago bans e-cigarettes from indoor public places

By Bryant Jackson-Green
01/15/2014
Chicago City Council passed new e-cigarette regulations on Wednesday, 45–4. E-cigarettes will now be banned from indoor public places, including bars and restaurants, as well as within 15 feet of building entrances. Last month it looked like the Chicago City Council would do the right thing for once and back off plans to regulate e-cigarettes...

TAGS: Chicago, e-cigarettes, nanny state, smoking ban

Illinois metro areas still suffering from joblessness

By John Klingner
01/14/2014
In a repeat of last month’s disappointing employment news, eight of Illinois’ 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, saw their unemployment rates rise compared to November 2012, according to November’s metropolitan area unemployment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Decatur and Danville regions are still suffering the highest unemployment in the state,...
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4 ways to break out of Illinois’ pension trap

Causes, costs, how to set the state free

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Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014

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

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016