The Illinoisans who vote for Madigan

By Austin Berg

10/07/2016

Just as Illinoisans elect state representatives, state representatives elect the speaker of the House every two years. To become the speaker, Madigan just needs a majority vote.

TAGS: ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, Mike Madigan

Illinois school district consolidation provides path to efficiency, lower tax burdens

By Ted Dabrowski, John Klingner

04/22/2016

Nearly 25 percent of Illinois school districts serve just one school, and over one-third of all school districts have fewer than 600 students.

Chicago ordinance with good intentions makes job-seeking harder for applicants who are young or black

By Mark Adams

03/30/2016

The unintended consequences of a Chicago credit-check ordinance have harmed young and black workers, and show why lawmakers should focus on repealing the laws preventing employment for Illinoisans, rather than creating new ones.

TAGS: employment

Illinois Corruption Watch: December 2014

By Brian Costin

01/16/2015

The residential-center horror stories demonstrate that corruption in government often hurts the most vulnerable among us. It also shows that exposing those injustices can lead to change.

TAGS: bribery, Chicago, good government

Harvard study ranks Illinois among most corrupt states

By Brian Costin

12/13/2014

The state’s entrenched culture of cronyism is blindingly clear, especially to those who report on it for a living.

Harvard study: Trust in government plummets amongst America’s youth

By Justin Hegy

05/01/2014

According to newly released Harvard study, Americans ages 18-29 are losing trust in government. Since just 2010, trust in major government institutions declined by 8 percent among Americans ages 18-29. Not one major government institution in the poll achieved a level of trust of 50 percent or above. The poll revealed more than just a...

Trapped in Illinois’ worst schools: Education outcomes in Illinois’ lowest-performing public schools

03/19/2014

Most people assume that Chicago is home to Illinois’ lowest-performing schools. And that’s not a far-fetched belief – Chicago’s lowest-performing schools are doing a dismal job of teaching students the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the future. But Chicago is home to only 45 percent of the state’s lowest-performing elementary schools and...

Morris is ideal corruption fighting location for Illinois capital

By Brian Costin

06/03/2013

If your goal is to fight public corruption, where should Illinois’ capital be? That’s essentially the question asked in a recent Huffington Post article, which examined the results of two studies on the correlation between the remoteness of state capitals and public corruption. The surprising answer is Morris, a city of 13,636. Morris is also...

Teachers should not be evaluated by principals

03/31/2013

Making sure we identify poor teachers and have them exit the teaching profession should be of the utmost importance. This is because teachers, by far, have the single biggest impact on student success.

TAGS: education

Fixed Race To The Top?

08/27/2010

by Collin Hitt Illinois lost a very-high-stakes federal grant competition. The “Race To The Top” program has gathered headlines across the country for the better part of a year. It wrapped up earlier this week, with 12 states and the District of Columbia splitting $4B in stimulus largesse to fund public education. Ostensibly, the grant...

Harvard University

The Illinoisans who vote for Madigan

Illinois school district consolidation provides path to efficiency, lower tax burdens

Chicago ordinance with good intentions makes job-seeking harder for applicants who are young or black

Illinois Corruption Watch: December 2014

Harvard study ranks Illinois among most corrupt states

Harvard study: Trust in government plummets amongst America’s youth

Trapped in Illinois’ worst schools: Education outcomes in Illinois’ lowest-performing public schools

Morris is ideal corruption fighting location for Illinois capital

Teachers should not be evaluated by principals

Fixed Race To The Top?

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Report Archive

Diana Graham

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

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