By signing into law a series of education reform bills, Gov. Quinn positions Illinois to be more competitive for the $4.35 billion in U.S. Department of Education’s “Race to the Top” funds.  The signings come just days after Secretary Arne Duncan announced the proposed criteria for evaluating state applications for the Race to the Top grants.  The bills –lifting the charter school cap, establishing a longitudinal data system, and forming a task force to develop recommendations around struggling schools – address two of the four areas of reform outlined in Sec. Duncan’s speech. Read More →

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On Friday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan unveiled the criteria for the competitive “Race to the Top” funding for states.  The Secretary pushed states to take bold action in four areas: Standards and Assessments, Data Systems to Support Instruction, Great Teachers and Leaders, and Turning Around Struggling Schools.  Gov. Quinn is expected to sign key pieces of education legislation that may help position Illinois for some of those federal dollars.  Still, much more work is necessary if Illinois is to establish itself as a leader in this Race to the Top.  More details from the Department of Education here and here.  Washington Post editoral by Secretary Duncan here and EdWeek has coverage here (article access compliments of EdWeek)

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photo credit: Ansy Dupiton

Advance Illinois hosted Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and more than 300 civic  leaders and educators at a breakfast Friday, June 19th, following the release of their policy recommendations. The event brought together those who will now help us see through the fundamental changes offered in the report We Can Do Better.   Please see our video highlights.  Also, check out media coverage of the event, in which the Secretary said Illinois has made strong progress toward reform, just a few weeks after saying Illinois had fallen behind other states, and needed to “think differently.”

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