State Government

The new accountability system used to measure school quality and improvement would include five labels: Exemplary, Commendable, Approaching, Developing, and Comprehensive.

Last fall, State Superintendent Tony Sanders flagged the disconnect between steady standardized test declines at high school level and the rise in graduation rates as a concern . But this week, he said he's not worried.

Union members who spoke outside the capitol Wednesday advocated for taxing the ultra-wealthy to dedicate more funding to K-12 schools through the evidence-based formula and support a more equitable system for funding public universities in the state.

The new Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors 28 schools across the state and locally revives a long-standing national honor that was abruptly canceled by the Trump administration in August.

The rise from 47th in the nation 15 years ago is “unprecedented” according to the advocacy organization Advance Illinois, which pushed for changes to the formula for years before it happened in 2017.

The Illinois State Board of Education is holding public hearings to get input on the budget for the 2026-27 school year.

Illinois students’ math scores have remained lower than pre-pandemic scores. To fix that, the State Board of Education is putting together a numeracy plan to change how math is taught in schools.

The Trump administration has threatened to boost immigration enforcement in Chicago and deploy the National Guard to the city.

The new law, signed Wednesday by Gov. JB Pritzker, also requires school districts to collect data on how many students have been referred to local law enforcement.

The new law, called Safe Schools for All, creates protections upheld in a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case, which said all students are afforded access to a free and public education, regardless of immigration status.

The Illinois State Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to approve new cut scores for the ACT, the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, and the Illinois Science Assessment. The changes will boost the percentage of students considered proficient — but will make comparisons to past years nearly impossible.

The cut scores for English language arts and math will be lowered, resulting in more students labeled as proficient, while science cut scores will go up, resulting in fewer students being considered proficient.

Due to a drop in local tax revenue and a bump in English learner enrollment, Chicago Public Schools will receive an additional $76 million from the state. Earlier this year, district officials anticipated a $25 million increase from the state.

State lawmakers said they’re ready to collaborate with the Chicago school board to find funding solutions, but did not commit to a special session or additional education funding.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon signed by 16 other governors calling the freeze of federal funds “a failure to fulfill the Department’s most basic responsibility.”

A new report looks at Illinois students who graduated high school between 2008 and 2012 and their education, career, and earning outcomes. Students who obtained a college degree made more money, but disparities in education and career outcomes persist.

Illinois lawmakers proposed a bill that would have required parents to notify school districts if they were going to homeschool their children. But opponents called it “draconian” and vowed to keep fighting it.

Congress approved the support for English learners and afterschool programs. But the dollars expected on July 1 are now on hold, creating ‘unnecessary uncertainty,’ Sanders says.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois lawmakers were hoping to pass a bill requiring school districts to create a policy limiting the use of the devices in class this spring. But it stalled in the House.

Illinois lawmakers finalized the fiscal year 2026 budget hours before the end of the spring legislative session. Here is what they agreed to allocate to education.