The State We’re In: 2010

Executive Summary

(Click here to download a PDF copy of the Executive Summary.)

This Report Card is the first full assessment of our educational performance as a state, from birth through higher education. We expect this report to evolve over time, as new data is gathered and more research is done. Our goal is for this report to serve as a platform for a more informed discussion about how well we are educating the next generation. There is a lot riding on the decisions we make as parents, educators, and policy- makers; we can ill-afford to make them in the dark.

Accordingly, this Report Card covers a broad range of measures from student test scores to dropout rates, from the availability of preschool to the quality of learning environments in our schools.

Why Have a State Report Card?

In education, as in business, what gets measured gets done. If we want to improve outcomes for our children, we need to know what success looks like, and how close we are to achieving it. But we also need to know whether we have put in place the conditions that lead to success, and whether we are making progress or wandering off track.

That’s why this report has three simple aims: (1) to outline what it means to be ready at each transition, (2) to identify the conditions in our schools that lead to success, and (3) to clearly understand the results we are getting. If we have done our job well, the information set out in this report will empower families, educators, and policymakers. And, in these fiscally challenging times, it will help target our limited resources.

How Are We Doing?

The results are mixed. Preschool enrollment has been expanded, especially for three year olds, and the state is now a national leader in the field. It is an example of what can be accomplished when we set clear goals and focus our energy; and but for a critical information gap, the state would have earned a B+ for its early childhood efforts. Unfortunately, the state has yet to find a way to measure whether our children are prepared for kindergarten, and we have virtually no aggregated data on how well at-risk populations are being served by local, state, and federally funded programs. Absent data on how well prepared our children are at this critical early juncture, the state’s grade in Early Education is “Incomplete.”

At the K-12 level, the news is less positive. At 4th and 8th grades, our test results lag in the bottom half of the nation. While we are in the middle of the pack in high school graduation rates, this is simply not good enough. Learning conditions which have proven to be leading indicators of student success are generally not measured in Illinois; and in the few places that we do have measures, the results are not encouraging. Though we know teacher and principal effectiveness are key to student success, we have no way of knowing the caliber of our workforce. While state education leaders have begun to tackle these challenges, there is still much work to do. The bottom line is that too few of our students leave the K-12 system ready for college or career.

Finally, when it comes to college readiness and attainment, our performance is middling. With many of our students ill- prepared and higher education becoming less affordable, our graduation rates are mediocre. The result is too few Illinois adults with some post-secondary education.

By the Numbers

To provide a quick snapshot of our performance, we have assigned a letter grade for each of the report’s three main sections. Grades have been determined by looking at how Illinois ranks on each indicator relative to other states, and then taking an average score across those measurements. Below is a sample of data that highlights our performance:

Closing Thoughts

While the primary purpose of this report is to make information available to families, educators, and decision-makers, a number of conclusions warrant highlighting.

Illinois needs more and better ways to assess student “readiness.” If we want students to attain at high levels, we need to set clear expectations. Illinois needs agreed-upon ways to understand whether students are starting school ready to learn and finishing college- and career-ready.

Illinois must evaluate key drivers of student success, including learning conditions and teacher and principal effectiveness. Conducting annual, statewide school climate surveys is an affordable way to gather critical data to help administrators and families make informed decisions. And if teachers and principals are the key determinants in student growth, we must develop ways to assess the caliber of our workforce.

Illinois is lacking critical data it needs to set goals, target resources, and evaluate progress. Better and more targeted information helps families, educators, and state leaders make informed decisions about how to use limited resources. We hope the creation of a state longitudinal data system will help fill in the gaps we identify in this report.

Given our success in expanding preschool, if we make it a priority together we can prepare Illinois students for college and career.