FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

03/17/2026

Illinois students could soon benefit from scholarship money to help them find a tutor, attend ACT or SAT prep sessions, pay tuition, get special education services or assist with other academic needs. That will happen in Illinois only if Gov. J.B. Pritzker lets the state’s schoolchildren benefit from the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, established...

Bill could benefit millions of Illinois students

By Lilly Rossi

03/06/2026

Illinois students would be eligible for money from donors to access support under the Educational Choice for Children Act.

Donors can help Illinois students, but will Pritzker let them?

By Lilly Rossi

01/20/2026

A new federal program would provide donor funds to school children in Illinois. But the governor must allow it.

TAGS: JB Pritzker

Illinois lowers standards making more students seem “proficient”

By Hannah Schmid

08/22/2025

Illinois students are struggling to meet proficiency standards on state assessments. Instead of working to improve student learning, the state is lowering standards to hide the crisis.

7 reasons Illinois should let students accept school choice scholarships

By Hannah Schmid

08/13/2025

The national Educational Choice for Children Act creates a federal tax-credit scholarship program for both public and private school students to help boost them academically. Here are seven reasons why Illinois should opt into the program.

TAGS: school choice

Beyond degrees: Empowering Illinoisans through career-first education

By Josh Bandoch, Lauren Zuar

06/03/2025

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...

Literacy epidemic hits Illinois as fewer than 1 in 3 students read well

By Hannah Schmid

03/28/2025

Student literacy is in trouble nationally. Illinois is one of 41 states where just 1 in 3 or fewer of its fourth-graders met reading standards in 2024.

TAGS: public schools

Illinois students show continued struggles in reading, math on national exam

By Hannah Schmid

01/30/2025

The nation’s report card was just released and shows Illinois students continue to struggle to meet proficiency standards in reading and math. State leaders are spinning 8th-grade results as a win, but in reality, they lag. Ignored are the struggles of younger students.

TAGS: public schools

Illinois’ low social mobility: causes and cures

01/28/2025

Published Jan. 28, 2025 Illinois Policy Institute Center for Poverty Solutions, in partnership with the Archbridge Institute By Joshua Bandoch, Ph.D., head of policy, Illinois Policy Institute and Justin Callais, Ph.D., chief economist, Archbridge Institute EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A low-income person’s ability to move up in society is worse in Illinois than in any other Midwestern...

Illinois part of national epidemic, with only 1 in 3 students reading well

By Hannah Schmid

09/19/2024

Student literacy is in trouble nationally, which is why Illinois is one of 35 states where just 1 in 3 – or fewer – of its fourth graders met reading standards in 2022.

National Center for Education Statistics

FAQ: How the federal scholarship program would help Illinois students

Bill could benefit millions of Illinois students

Donors can help Illinois students, but will Pritzker let them?

Illinois lowers standards making more students seem “proficient”

7 reasons Illinois should let students accept school choice scholarships

Beyond degrees: Empowering Illinoisans through career-first education

Literacy epidemic hits Illinois as fewer than 1 in 3 students read well

Illinois students show continued struggles in reading, math on national exam

Illinois’ low social mobility: causes and cures

Illinois part of national epidemic, with only 1 in 3 students reading well

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