Illinois

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Illinois
Jacqueline Chaney ask her 2nd graders a question during class at New Town Elementary School in Owings Mills, Md., on Oct. 25, 2023.
Jacqueline Chaney ask her 2nd graders a question during class at New Town Elementary School in Owings Mills, Md., on Oct. 25, 2023.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Teaching Profession The State of Teaching The 'Difficult, Beautiful' Work of Teaching
From sunup to sundown, America's teachers grapple with countless decisions, interruptions, joys, and frustrations.
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Camilla Sucre for Education Week
Social Studies Opinion What the Country's First Mandatory Black History Course Can Teach Us Today
Decades before AP African American Studies came along, Black women were the driving force behind an unprecedented education reform.
Ashley D. Dennis, January 30, 2024
5 min read
Photo illustration of a blue mortarboard hologram floating over robotic hands.
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Classroom Technology Q&A ‘I’m More Scared of the People’: What Two High Schoolers Make of AI
The students discuss how they’ve used AI, their concerns about it, and how they see it affecting their career plans.
Lauraine Langreo, January 16, 2024
5 min read
First grade students listen as their teacher Megan Gose helps them craft alternate endings for stories they wrote together at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023.
First grade students work with teacher Megan Gose to craft alternate endings for stories they wrote together at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023.
Emily Elconin for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Reading Comprehension Hinges on Building Knowledge. New Curricula Aim to Help
Students need to know a lot of content to become good readers. Enter new curriculum series, which prioritized shared texts exploring history, science, and literature.
Sarah Schwartz, January 15, 2024
13 min read
Illustration: Hand with pencil aiming for target
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School & District Management What Superintendents Are Doing This Winter Break—and Planning for 2024
District leaders say they plan to rest and then refocus for the new year.
Caitlynn Peetz, December 19, 2023
3 min read
Young student working on math worksheet with basic mathematic concepts.
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Mathematics Why Does Fact Fluency Matter in Math? 4 Educators Offer Answers
Teachers and district leaders talk about why math fact fluency is required and how they provide support for students who struggle.
Sarah Schwartz, December 7, 2023
5 min read
Teacher Honi Allen, right, supervises as children test how far they can jump at the St. John's Preschool in American Falls, Idaho, on Sept. 28, 2023.
Teacher Honi Allen, right, supervises as children test how far they can jump at the St. John's Preschool in American Falls, Idaho, on Sept. 28, 2023.
Kyle Green/AP
Early Childhood What the Research Says A New Study Shows How Schools Can Maximize Full-Day Pre-K's Benefits
Researchers said principals played a key role in students' academic success through 3rd grade.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 28, 2023
6 min read
Karl, age 5, stands with his dad, Patrick Bittorf, on Nov. 10, 2023, as they join faculty members, students, parents and supporters at a news conference at Chicago Hope Academy to try to save the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program.
Karl, age 5, stands with his dad, Patrick Bittorf, on Nov. 10, 2023, as they join faculty members, students, parents, and supporters at a news conference at Chicago Hope Academy to try to save the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via TNS
School Choice & Charters Families Lament, Public School Advocates Celebrate End of Controversial Scholarship Tax Credit
The Illinois program prompted fierce debate over the merits of what some equate to a politically volatile school choice voucher program.
Jeremy Gorner, Dan Petrella, and Alysa Guffey, Chicago Tribune, November 14, 2023
8 min read
Image of a dollar sign being pushed up by a red arrow.
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School & District Management Should School Board Members Be Paid? More Districts Are Trying It Out
Some school boards are trying to attract more diverse candidate slates. But it's still unknown whether paying members helps.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 14, 2023
6 min read
People linger after a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, on Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine.
People linger after a vigil for the victims of the Oct. 25 mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. The vigil took place on Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston.
Matt Rourke/AP
School Climate & Safety 'We Really Didn’t Know What to Do': How a District Regrouped After a Mass Shooting
The superintendent of a community rocked by a 2022 mass shooting discusses what the district did after the violence.
Caitlynn Peetz, October 30, 2023
9 min read
Illustration of happy school children running on a bridge handshake.
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Families & the Community New Research Finds a Crucial Factor in Reducing Chronic Absenteeism
Just as strong connections with parents can boost students' academic achievement, new research shows the same is true in fighting absences.
Caitlynn Peetz, October 23, 2023
5 min read
Danny Perez, a 7th grader at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, Calif., faces a court of his peers for getting involved in a fight. Kristy Treewater, the school’s assistant principal, sits by his side to monitor the student-run session.
Danny Perez, a 7th grader at Davidson Middle School in San Rafael, Calif., faces a court of his peers in 2012 for getting involved in a fight. Kristy Treewater, the school’s assistant principal, sits next to him. Interventions like these, called "restorative justice," have gained popularity as an alternative to suspensions.
Sarah Rice for Education Week
School Climate & Safety What the Research Says Restrictions on Suspending Students From School Show Evidence of Being Effective
New research suggests restrictions on exclusionary discipline can work with support.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 28, 2023
5 min read
Photo illustration of cell phone with red circle and slash.
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Families & the Community District Leaders Are Walking a Fine Line on Cellphone Policies. What That Looks Like
Administrators point to strategic ways to design student cellphone policies that parents won't oppose.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 25, 2023
5 min read
Adult female teacher spends one-on-one time helping a Black female teenage student with her classwork.
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Student Achievement How These Districts Are Using $10,000 to Boost Student Learning
The pilot projects, begun with grants from the National Education Association, aim to curb absenteeism, supply food, and offer tutoring.
Madeline Will, September 25, 2023
7 min read