State Government

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.

The bill requires the Illinois State Board of Education to create guidance around establishing and expanding dual language programs across the state.

Illinois lawmakers passed a bill on Tuesday that will allow school districts to decide whether they want to use students’ test scores in teacher, principal, and assistant principal evaluations. This would end a requirement that schools must tie teachers’ performance to students’ success.

State education officials are considering changing the state’s testing system at a time when students’ scores still lag behind pre-pandemic results.

The Illinois legislative session is scheduled to end on May 31. Lawmakers are considering several education bills and negotiating the fiscal year 2024 budget. Here is what Chalkbeat is following.

A presentation used to brief school board members and obtained by Chalkbeat outlined potential cuts, many of which include staff and programs supported by federal COVID relief money. District officials and school board members look to lobby City Hall and Illinois lawmakers for funding.

U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, a lawmaker from Illinois, along with other Democratic lawmakers, want the U.S. Department of Education to reverse track on firings in office that serve English learners.

Illinois' switch back to the ACT has been a bumpy ride. On April 8, a technical glitch prevented 11,000 students from finishing the exam on the same day.

The U.S. Department of Education demanded states certify that they are not promoting “illegal DEI” programs. The Illinois schools chief challenged the department to define which programs are illegal.

Illinois says the federal government’s plan to rescind $77 million in COVID relief funds will impact programs in 27 school districts statewide.

The Afterschool for Children and Teens Now coalition went to Springfield on Wednesday to request funding for after-school programs and to advocate for bills that would create an advisory group.

The complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights against the Illinois State Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools alleges the state and district are violating Title IX rules by extending discrimination to include gender identity.

Artificial intelligence is becoming more a part of our daily lives. Educators and lawmakers want the state to come up with guidance to ensure that AI-powered tools are safe for students.

The funding cancellation for the Illinois program is part of nationwide cuts to USDA programs that help schools feed children.

Two surveys from the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendent of Schools found that schools around the state are starting to see more teachers entering the classroom.

Testifying before the Illinois House Education Policy Committee, Illinois high school students said a state law about when classes begin would help them in several ways.

‘Black history is American history,’ Illinois State Superintendent Tony Sanders wrote in response to guidance about diversity from the U.S. Department of Education.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker delivered his annual budget and state of the state address on Wednesday. Here is what his proposal includes for education.

During his State of the State address on Wednesday, Pritzker said that educators have told him that cellphones are a distraction.

Education budget and protections for immigrant students will be on the legislative agenda, as the Trump administration’s policy changes create new uncertainty.