Peoria

“Education As We Know It Is Finished”

07/15/2010
by Collin Hitt That’s the title of a new Forbes piece by Clayton Christiansen and Michael Horn. School is out, and for most students enjoying their midsummer pleasures, class time is a distant memory. Changes are underway that make it likely to stay that way. Christiansen and Horn have written a book on the topic of “disruptive innovation” in...

Billions in the Hole? Time for Pay Raises!

07/01/2010
by Kristina Rasmussen Even though the state budget is billions of dollars out of whack, many state government employees are set to receive a pay raise today. From the Pantagraph: SPRINGFIELD — Despite a state budget that is billions of dollars out of whack, more than 46,000 state workers will see bigger paychecks on Thursday. Judges, prison...

School Lotteries in Film and in Real Life

06/29/2010
Charter school lotteries are appearing in more movies lately. The scenes are  made for the medium, parents hoping that blind luck will give them a chance at a better school. Movies such as The Lottery, Waiting for Superman, and The Cartel will be spreading to screens across Illinois.  So, coincidentally, are charter school lotteries themselves....

Strong and Growing: A Performance Review of Charter Schools

By Collin Hitt
05/20/2010
Throughout Illinois, a unique kind of public school is emerging: charter schools. Begun by non-profit groups, teams of teachers, or even universities, these new schools are trying innovative approaches to public education. Most importantly, they are creating additional choices for families, often in communities where public education has failed to meet the needs of parents...

Contracting for Success: An Introduction to School Service Privatization

By Collin Hitt
12/17/2009
The Problem During these trying fiscal times, many school districts are attempting to find ways to become more efficient. Private firms are able to assist in this goal, while often improving the quality of certain services. For example, support service providers can offer more efficient busing or cafeteria services, and instructional service providers can offer...

Pathway to a Profession: How Apprenticeships Could Reshape Illinois’ Beauty Service Industry

Occupational licensing requirements present one of the steepest barriers to low-income Illinoisans starting careers in beauty services. Illinois requires anyone seeking to become a barber, cosmetologist, nail technician or hair braider to obtain a state license, essentially a permission slip to work. Unlike 45 other states, Illinois offers only one pathway to licensure for each...

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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