22 June, 2009

Advance Illinois hosts Secretary Duncan

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photo credit: Ansy Dupiton

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.”


18 June, 2009

Advance Illinois Releases Policy Report

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UPDATE:  See the Tribune editorial from Sunday, June 28, in our Press Room.

Download our report

Advance Illinois, the education reform group co-chaired by former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar and former Secretary of Commerce William Daley, today issues recommendations for radical reform of the state’s education system to dramatically raise the bar for Illinois schools and reverse an alarming decline in student performance.

Advance Illinois release of report "We Can Do Better"

Advance Illinois release of report "We Can Do Better"

“The need has never been more acute, as our student achievement is slipping dangerously,” said Robin Steans, Advance Illinois executive director. “The opportunities have never been greater, as the federal stimulus is pointing us toward aggressive reform. And never before has such a bipartisan group of people come together around comprehensive, student-focused reform.”

At a press conference Thursday, Advance Illinois today published a report, We Can Do Better: Advancing Public Education in Illinois. The report calls for setting world-class standards, holding school districts and teacher training programs accountable for results, linking teacher and principal evaluations to academic outcomes, and empowering local schools and districts to stimulate innovation.

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19 May, 2009

The La Salle-Peru Town Hall

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Our latest Town Hall is in the La Salle, Putnam and Bureau County area was another great success.  Use this link to see the media coverage, videos (coming soon) and to sign up for our next newsletter.  Thanks to everyone who attended, and to the North Central Regional Betterment Coalition for co-hosting the event.

Our Mission

Advance Illinois is an independent, objective voice to promote a public education system in Illinois that prepares all students to be ready for work, college, & democratic citizenship.

What We Do

NEWS ROUND-UP

Illinois is named a Race to the Top Round 2 Finalist
Congratulations to Illinois for being named one of the 19 Race to the Top Round 2 finalists.  State leaders and lawmakers should be proud of their hard work and smart leadership over the past year. Good luck to the team going to do the finalist interview in Washington.  Read more...

Advance Illinois Releases "Race to the Top" Report

A new report recommends Illinois state leaders take bold action to reform the state’s school system, in order to win a chance to bring Illinois as much as $400 million being made available by the U.S. Department of Education. The report was released today by Advance Illinois, the statewide education advocacy organization, chaired by former Gov. Jim Edgar and former Secretary of Commerce Bill Daley. “We can’t miss the moment,” said Edgar. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Roundup
Get the latest media coverage of the U.S. Department of Education's $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" competition, including how other states are working to position themselves here in our Education News section. Read more...


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RESEARCH ARTICLES


How Bold is Bold
The New Teacher Project (TNTP) provides a unifying framework and practical strategies that will enable states to respond to Race to the Top with a bold and coherent teacher effectiveness agenda.  TNTP believes top applications will differentiate themselves by placing a strong emphasis on teacher effectiveness in two of the four key assurance areas:  great teachers and leaders and turning around struggling schools.  Many of the strategies are in line with Advance Illinois’ belief and stance on improved data systems, teacher evaluations, and increasing human capital pipelines to Illinois most struggling schools.


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