Advance Illinois Statement on the Appointment for Secretary of the Illinois Department of Early Childhood

We applaud Governor JB Pritzker’s decision to appoint Dr. Teresa Ramos, First Assistant Deputy Governor for Education, as the new Secretary for the Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC). Secretary Ramos brings many years of experience working on behalf of Illinois children across the educational continuum. Committed to equitable opportunities and outcomes, and dedicated to community empowerment, Dr. Ramos promises to be a strong founding leader for this important new agency. We look forward to working together to continue the state’s efforts to transform Illinois’ early childhood education and care system so the state’s youngest learners and families can thrive. 

Advance Illinois Statement on HR0942/SR1303 Affirming Illinois’ Commitment to Teacher Diversity and the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship

For 32 years, the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) scholarship has been helping Illinois improve student access to the support and educators they need to succeed. We were therefore deeply disappointed to see that a lawsuit has been filed in an attempt to halt MTI and its work to diversify Illinois’ teaching force – a strategy, which, research tells us, has a beneficial effect on student learning. We urge state leaders to stand firm in their commitment to the state’s vision for equitable student outcomes, and to continue to support and defend MTI as a proven and valuable state program. 

Illinois school districts have long produced inequitable outcomes for students of color. Data shows that as recently as last year, fewer than half as many Black students were proficient in Math and English Language Arts as White or Asian students. Our state continues to make commendable efforts to understand what is driving the gaps and deploy evidence-based strategies to close them. Teachers of color are a key resource and asset in this effort. Decades of research show that when teachers share racial and ethnic identities with their students, student outcomes ranging from academic proficiency to disciplinary incidents to overall educational attainment improve. However, in Illinois, there is a steep mismatch between student and teacher diversity where more than half of all students in Illinois are students of color, but less than 18% of our teaching workforce are teachers who share their racial and ethnic backgrounds. 

The causes of this disparity are numerous, including systemic barriers to accessing the profession that begin early in students’ educational journeys (for example, unequal high school graduation rates) and compound over time. Among the points in the teacher pipeline where the disparity is most evident is at the postsecondary level where Illinois’ teacher preparation programs prove to be much less diverse than the colleges that house them. 

In Illinois, it costs an average of $22,500 per year to become a teacher, unfairly screening out individuals who cannot access and persist along this pathway into the profession based only on affordability. The impact of this is devastating for students, particularly students who come from less generational wealth. But these barriers can be addressed. 

Since 1992, MTI has been helping to attract talented students interested in teaching who might otherwise be unable to afford the cost of educator preparation, having provided more than 8,500 scholarships to aspiring teachers in our state. Its role in increasing the number of teachers who look like the students they instruct makes it an accelerant for helping close the equity gap and a winning strategy for helping every Illinois student succeed. Further, MTI is an impactful strategy for our schools and state generally. By requiring scholarship recipients to teach in schools with at least 30% students of color, or for bilingual recipients, at least 20 English Learners, MTI is helping address our state’s most pressing educator pipeline needs in a targeted way.  

We have been pleased to support Illinois’ strategic efforts to increase teacher diversity, and they are paying off. Educator preparation programs have gone from 20% candidates of color to 36% in the last decade. The recently filed lawsuit that questions the constitutionality of MTI, wholly overlooks the program’s research basis and its targeted K-12 student-centered mission and parameters. This misguided effort threatens further progress and is antithetical to the vision the state itself possesses to be the best in the nation to raise a child.  

For that reason, we applaud the General Assembly for filing joint resolutions (HR0942/SR1303), affirming Illinois’ commitment to teacher diversity and the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship. We call on both chambers to pass them and to continue appropriating and supporting this important program. Being the best and doing right by every child in our state requires doing everything in our power to foster their success. This includes heeding relevant data and research and investing in strategies we have every reason to believe will help all students reach their full potential. 

Advance Illinois Statement on the 2024 Illinois Report Card

There is good news and bad news in the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)’s 2024 Illinois Report Card. It is encouraging to see improvements in student learning, growth, and achievement, with some measures exceeding pre-pandemic levels. However, recovery from the pandemic and disparities among underrepresented student groups across the K-12 continuum persist and will require ongoing attention and effort. 

“The progress we’re seeing for Illinois’ students is encouraging, but this new data reminds us that we still have real work to do to fully recover from COVID and close stubborn and unacceptable gaps,” said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois. 

Points of Good News 

Following setbacks in reading and math proficiency during the pandemic, student proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA) has made noticeable gains. Students in grades 3-8 achieved a proficiency rate of 41.2%, the highest since 2019. Indeed, the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) ELA proficiency rates now exceed pre-pandemic levels for all race/ethnicity groups, which is wonderful to see. 

However, not all grade levels experienced this progress. The Report Card reveals that ELA proficiency on the IAR has not yet surpassed pre-pandemic levels for grades 3 and 7. Meanwhile, Math proficiency rates improved slightly from last year, but remain down – in some cases significantly – from pre-pandemic levels across groups and grade levels. Indeed, grade 3 dropped from 33% in 2023 to 27.8% in 2024, representing a significant drop from the pre-pandemic 2019 proficiency of 40.1%. These 3rd-grade students faced learning disruptions during the pandemic, impacting language, literacy, and math, and there is still work ahead to support ongoing recovery. We commend the statewide focus on improving literacy with the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan and look forward to ISBE’s forthcoming statewide math and numeracy plan. 

This year’s Report Card includes data from the 2023-2024 Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS), and we are pleased to have this important window into where children were developmentally as they entered kindergarten last school year. According to a report from the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC), KIDS scores help predict 3rd-grade proficiency in Math and English Language Arts (ELA). So it is good news that the percentage of students demonstrating readiness in all three developmental areas—social and emotional development, language and literacy development, and math—has increased statewide over the past few years, including from 29.9% in 2022 to 31.6% in 2023. That said, gaps in readiness persist across lines of race, income, language, and learning style. It is encouraging that student participation in this key critical survey is growing (from 86.7% in 2022 to 90.9% in 2023) and that readiness is gradually increasing overall; however, persistent gaps require further work and study. 

It is also wonderful to see the highest graduation rate for Illinois’ high school students 14 years at 87.7%, and to note that all groups improved here and gaps across groups narrowed slightly. Additionally, 9th-grade On Track rates, strong predictors of high school graduation, continue to improve. This key indicator increased slightly from 87.4% in SY23 to 88.2% in SY24 and remains higher than pre-pandemic, with all groups seeing improvements. That said, while they did not worsen, significant gaps between student groups persist, most notably between Black students (79.7%), English Learners (79.7%), and white students (92.7%). More work is needed to ensure all students have the supports and resources to succeed. 

The Report Card provides reasons to be hopeful about students’ academic recovery, a testament to the hard work of our educators, the important aid provided by federal stimulus dollars, and targeted initiatives ISBE and districts have put in place to accelerate learning renewal. However, we have not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in every area or grade level (high school also continues to be an area of concern), and racial, ethnic, and income disparities across these and other measures require ongoing attention and investment. 

What We’re Zeroing in On 

Equity gaps continue to exist across many areas. While gaps between Black students, Latinx students, low-income students, English Learners, and students with an IEP have decreased since 2019, they persist. While Illinois’ overall high school graduation rate is historically high and has improved across the board, rates were 7% lower for Black students (80.7%), 15.2% lower for students with an IEP (72.5%), and 2.6% lower for Latinx students (85.1%). As we applaud ISBE’s efforts to accelerate student recovery, with the expiration of ESSER funds, investments in the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula remain key in directing resources to school districts and students that need them most. 

Finally, but critically, while all groups saw a slight improvement, chronic absenteeism remains a concern, where rates of missing 10 percent or more of school remain stubbornly and disproportionately high for some student groups. Overall rates decreased slightly to 26.3% in 2024 (still well above pre-pandemic/SY19 levels (17.5%), but Black students continue to have the highest chronic absenteeism rates (40.4%), followed by Latinx students (32.9%). Students from low-income households (36.3%), English Learners (32.1%), and students with IEPs (33.6%) also continue to have high chronic absenteeism rates. While rates are slowly improving, students are missing critical instruction time, impacting their academic success in both the short and long term. 

Supporting Our Teachers to Support Our Students 

Research underscores the importance of teacher attendance and diversity on student outcomes. Regrettably, this latest Report Card indicates no significant improvement in teacher attendance (the percent of teachers missing 10 days or less of school), which remains at a worrisome 66%. However, we are pleased to see that the total number of teachers increased by about 2,100 in 2024—hiring that reflects the longstanding understaffing most schools have endured due to chronic underfunding. But as we know, a shortage exists, especially in bilingual and special education, and in rural and urban areas. Therefore, we must continue to invest in our educator pipeline and we commend ISBE for programs like CTE Education Career Pathways Grants, which prepare high school students for teaching careers, and the state’s new teacher recruitment marketing campaign, ‘The Answer Is Teaching,’ which has garnered high interest and activity. While teacher diversity continues to increase slowly, with growing Black (6.4%), Asian (2%), and Latinx (8.9%) representation, supporting a diverse teacher workforce is crucial. Programs like CTE Education Career Pathway Grants, Illinois Virtual Coach and Building Mentor Program, affinity groups, and the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship are in place to recruit and retain excellent teachers that represent student diversity. [NOTE: The MTI Scholarship program, which helps support candidates of color, is now the subject of a lawsuit. This is disheartening, as research makes clear that students of color do better—academically and otherwise—when they are taught by educators of color. MTI has helped the state increase the diversity of its pipeline, rounding out a wide array of state programs designed to strengthen the overall pipeline.] 

New Additions for the Report 

Recognizing the unique experiences and identities of individuals of Middle Eastern or North African descent, ISBE is beginning to incorporate a new race/ethnicity category to capture these students and educators, abbreviated MENA. 

Also new is the Support Personnel Full-Time Equivalence (FTE), defined as employees with one or more active employment records, working during the regular school year (not summer school), and holding one of the approved Support Personnel position codes (School Counselor, School Nurse, School Psychologist, and School Social Worker). For this year, the state is reporting 494 students per counselor; 1,520 students per nurse; 885 students per psychologist; and 432 students per social worker. While these are higher than recommended ratios, they indicate marked improvement. In 2018, the state had 667 students per counselor, 1,201 students per psychologist, and 697 students per social worker. Advance Illinois has been reporting on these ratios for many years in our biennial “State We’re In” report on public education. We are elated to see this important data now included in the state report card, as we believe it will and should help spur conversation and action at both the local and state levels to ensure all schools have an adequate support personnel workforce to meet student needs. 

In Closing 

While there are encouraging signs and areas of improvement, it is going to take more support and investment to achieve academic outcomes that exceed pre-pandemic levels. We recognize the tough budget climate and appreciate past increases in funding (which have helped drive student recovery), but we must keep working to ensure that all Illinois students have what they need to thrive. 

Advance Illinois Applauds Filing of SB3965 as Next Key Step in a More Student-Centered Higher Education System

Advance Illinois is delighted to celebrate the filing of SB3965, creating a funding formula for the state’s public universities. This groundbreaking bill puts Illinois’ public universities on a path to adequacy, equity, and sustainability.  

Grounded in the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding’s recommendations, released this March, the bill sets forth a blueprint to improve how the state funds its public universities, marking an important next step as Illinois works to build a stronger, healthier postsecondary landscape for students across the state who seek a college degree. 

“For too long, earning a college degree at our state schools has been inaccessible for too many Illinois students,” said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois.  

The recommendations released by the 33-member Commission outline a funding formula that would set Illinois apart from other states. By centering student-need, taking institutional mission and size into account, and considering what students can and should pay in tuition and fees, the formula puts earning a college degree within reach of all Illinois students. 

“The research is clear, a college degree continues to be the surest path toward greater economic mobility, and importantly, to intergenerational wealth,” Steans said. “To ensure every Illinois student can access that path, every public university must have the resources they need to serve the students they enroll. If we do this right, not only will students thrive, but the state will benefit as well.”   

Advance Illinois applauds bill co-sponsors, Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford and Representative Carol Ammons, for their continued leadership in holding our state accountable for how well and how justly it supports its public universities and in turn, their students. Advance Illinois joins college access and success organizations, civil rights groups and other advocates in the field in celebrating this critical step, and looks forward to the work ahead to see this through. 

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Advance Illinois is an independent, bipartisan policy and advocacy organization working toward a healthy public education system that enables all students to achieve success in college, career, and civic life.

Advance Illinois Applauds State’s Establishment of a Unified Agency for Early Childhood

Today, Advance Illinois applauds Governor Pritzker for signing the historic SB1 into law, creating the state’s first Department of Early Childhood. This new agency will unify early childhood programs and services, establishing a system that is easier for families and providers to navigate and enhancing the state’s ability to identify and address gaps and challenges.  

“This is truly an historic moment for the state and its children! The new agency will enable the state to focus more efficiently, effectively, and strategically on how best to serve Illinois's youngest learners and families,” said Robin Steans, President of Advance Illinois. “This will help give every child from birth through age 5 a strong start to thrive well into the future.” 

Last fall, the field celebrated the Governor’s vision for a single unified agency as overdue and deeply needed. In the Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care's 2021 report, the group described the burdensome nature of delivering early childhood programs and services out of three separate agencies— the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). As outlined by Early Childhood Transition Director Ann Whalen, bringing early childhood’s governance into one structure will reduce burdens and complexity for providers and parents; create greater access to quality providers in all regions of the state; and expand access to support more children in achieving kindergarten readiness.  

Early childhood programs and services will continue to be administered through their respective legacy agencies until July 1, 2026. In the interim, the newly-formed department will use its Transition Advisory Committee to engage parents and providers in understanding what changes the new agency can and should consider to reduce burdens and improve services and outcomes. 

Advance Illinois celebrates the administration and members of the General Assembly, including Senate Leader Kimberly A. Lightford, Representative Mary Beth Canty, and Representative Joyce Mason for their leadership in stewarding this important step forward for Illinois families with young children. By addressing the structural issues related to program and service delivery in early childhood, Illinois is centering the needs of families and providers with a larger vision in mind: to provide equitable and coherent access to high-quality early childhood education and care for all Illinois children from birth to age five. Advance Illinois looks forward to supporting the administration in the agency’s launch and continued collaboration with partners to ensure its success in transforming the early childhood education and care ecosystem in Illinois. 

Put simply, said Steans, “Governor Pritzker pledged to make Illinois the best state in the nation to raise a family. The creation of a new Department of Early Childhood is another important step in making good on that promise.”