From the Desk of Robin Steans - Making 2022 A Better, Stronger Year for Our Students

7 min read

From the Desk: Making 2022 A Better, Stronger Year for Our Students

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

While 2021 had its share of ups and downs, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge or celebrate the advances made last year. Though COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on our communities, new vaccines for students 5 years old and older mean they are now better protected from some of the toughest physical effects of the virus. In addition, Springfield took some helpful steps. The General Assembly did the right thing and appropriated $350 million to the Evidence-Based Funding formula for FY22, invested federal funds to strengthen and expand the early childhood workforce, and in November, the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding launched, with the charge of helping Illinois make equitable investments in Higher Education.    

This year, Advance Illinois will focus on supporting more adequate and equitable funding from cradle to career, helping strengthen and diversify the educator pipeline, focusing on mental health for students and educators, gathering and putting to work more relevant data, and addressing the impact and implications of two years of disrupted learning and care. 

ADEQUATE & EQUITABLE FUNDING ACROSS THE BIRTH-POSTSECONDARY (B-20) CONTINUUM 

It is vital we take a birth-postsecondary (B-20) funding approach to ensure that every part of the education and care continuum is adequately and equitably funded. Every step of our education system relies on the health and success of the previous steps. K-12 students thrive when they have had access to high-quality early childhood experiences. Post-secondary students persist at higher rates when they have had a strong K-12 education. And, all students perform better when they have access to quality educators and caregivers. While funding is not the only answer to what ails public education in Illinois, years of under-investment and inequitable investment – from early childhood through higher education – take their toll on student achievement and progress.   

This year, we will advocate for: 

Increasing state early childhood investments by at least 10 percent. 

While Illinois has begun new efforts to improve access and quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) over the last year, there is still much work to be done. The governor’s own Commission reports that we are underfunding ECEC by roughly $12 billion. Accordingly, the state needs a long-term plan to put it on a path towards adequacy. In the meantime, the alarm has been sounded, and we urge the state to increase state funding for the ECEC system and individual early childhood programs by at least 10 percent in the FY23 state budget. Such an increase would put Illinois on a path to closing the demonstrable resource gap in early childhood as we develop a longer-term plan. 

Fully-funding the Evidence-Based Formula (EBF). 

Since EBF passed in 2017, the data show that the formula is working as intended. Nonetheless, over 300 districts in Illinois still fall at or below 70 percent of adequacy. The state has committed to putting at least an additional $350 million into the formula every year for ten years. After failing to do so in FY21, the state got back on track by fully funding EBF in FY22. In FY23, Illinois must maintain its commitment to Illinois’ students by continuing to fund the formula. Federal relief funds have been a lifeline to our schools and communities, helping address the immediate impacts of the pandemic. These one-time funds, however, cannot and should not replace EBF dollars that enable schools to build the foundation for long-term, stable instruction, and programming for students.  We ask legislators to recommit to reaching 90% funding by 2030 by putting at least $350 million into EBF in FY23 and reviewing findings from the Professional Review Panel detailing possible avenues for making the formula even more equitable.  

Restoring enrollment, investment, and equity in the state’s higher education system. 

Currently, the state awards Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants to fewer than half of those who apply, and the award covers just a fraction of the costs of attending college. This reality is pricing too many students out of our higher education system, especially students from low-income households and students of color. Undergraduate enrollment in community colleges and public four-year institutions has dropped significantly over the past 5 years, with community college enrollment dropping precipitously since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. After years of disinvestment, Illinois must evaluate what level of investment is required and how to equitably distribute funds to ensure our higher education system and students get the support they need. We will continue to champion a $50 million increase in MAP as well as much-needed additional institutional funding and its equitable distribution. And while we push for funding in the short term, we fight for long-term solutions by being active participants on (1) the Commission as recommendations are developed and (2) in the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding, where we will raise awareness of the need for equity-oriented reform.   

A STRONGER, MORE DIVERSE TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL PIPELINE 

Many parts of Illinois are facing acute teacher shortages, particularly in special education and bilingual education. Years of underinvestment, program cuts, and piecemeal policy responses are making themselves felt. Now is the time to intensify state support for a comprehensive, coordinated, ambitious plan to build a stronger, more diverse educator pipeline – one that recruits and retains talented, diverse educators and closes gaps in high-need subjects and regions. 

We will continue to develop and advocate for a set of evidence-based strategies that address the entire educator pipeline from recruitment to preparation to placement and retention. This includes: 

• Supporting a $2.35 million increase (for a total of $4.25 million) for Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) scholarships in order to support more teaching candidates of color, including Black male and bilingual candidates (a modest increase for an outsized impact);  

• Funding for High School Education Pathways and loan forgiveness to recruit candidates to areas and subjects of need;  

• Expanding proven alternative pathways; 

• Developing and investing in a state infrastructure (such as a unified portal) to simplify access to financial aid and licensure information; and 

• Supporting an investment of $6.5 million in educator induction, mentoring and development for new teachers 

We will also continue to support regular and substantive feedback for teachers and principals together with thoughtful licensure, even as we consider and respond to changing and challenging circumstances. Ten years in, it is clear that the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA), which calls for more substantive feedback for teachers and principals, has led to more robust conversations about classroom instruction and practice, as intended. If there are also adjustments to consider, let’s do so collectively, and in a way that builds on important progress. Additionally, as we continue to build and strengthen the pipeline, let’s review current teacher training requirements to make sure we are maximizing valuable professional development time.  

The single most important thing we can do for students is provide well-prepared, capable educators and give them the support and development they need as the world continues to throw them new and challenging curve balls. Headed into the pandemic, we started to see improvements in the diversity of and enrollment in teacher and principal preparation programs. Let’s deepen and expand our efforts. 

COVID-19 LEARNING RECOVERY 

We are still very much in the midst of a pandemic that continues to severely disrupt our system of education and care, and the situation is far from over. Illinois must not only continue to address ongoing, immediate needs, but also attend to recovery and rebuilding. The research continues to show the impact the past two years is having on children and students, academically and emotionally. Reports from the field also show challenging instructional conditions, especially among students from low-income households, of color, English-language learners, and diverse learners. Illinois has received billions in federal education relief funds to support recovery. We must collect information and data that accurately captures the depth and breadth of need, as well as how these federal resources are being invested and the ongoing impact of these supports. We have a powerful opportunity to learn from and strengthen interventions and practice, to not only better meet student needs, but to truly “build back better.” We encourage a strong research and reporting plan, and urge policymakers and practitioners to take advantage of the P-20 Council plan for learning recovery and student/educator well-being. Finally, we look forward to reviewing findings and recommendations from the Whole Child Task Force for ideas on how we can use this moment to fundamentally re-imagine and strengthen student (and educator) supports. 

As we all can probably agree, the past 22 months have been extremely difficult, and there are only inadequate words for the teachers and leaders who have supported children and students through once-in-a-century challenges. We are committed to fighting for the resources and supports needed for the work ahead this year and beyond. 

Robin Steans

President