Mayor Brandon Johnson celebrated Dyett High School where only 2% of tested students can read at grade level – and none can do math at grade level – as a “great example” of a schooling model the Chicago Teachers Union’s tentative contract plans to boost.

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.

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.

For the second year in a row, student enrollment has slightly increased in Chicago Public Schools. But the effects of a decade-long annual loss of enrollment remain, with 71,378 fewer students than in 2014.

Preliminary enrollment data for the 2024-2025 school year show a less than 1% uptick in enrollment. The biggest increase is in English Learners.

Mississippi state lawmakers enacted science-based literacy legislation in 2013, laying the groundwork for improved reading proficiency among early grades, and additional legislation in 2016 to solidify improvement in literacy trends.

More than a dozen candidates filled out an Illinois Policy questionnaire to give voters a better idea of who is running for office. Read their answers below.