Advance
Illinois holds education town hall meeting in Decatur
Data
on local school performance shows progress; state continues to lag
CHICAGO, April 22, 2009 – Advance Illinois, the statewide
education advocacy group co-chaired by former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar and
former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Bill Daley, held a town hall meeting at
Millikin University in Decatur to discuss critical issues regarding education
improvement and community solutions.
The town
hall meeting is part of ongoing statewide consultations that will inform school
reform recommendations to be issued by Advance Illinois this summer ahead of
the 2009-10 school year. Advance Illinois is also studying key data and best
practices from Illinois, the rest of the nation and the world.
“We’re
failing our students because even if you make the grade on standardized tests
in Illinois, you may still not be able to cut it in college or in an ever more
demanding workplace,” said Bill Daley, co-chair of Advance Illinois. “That’s because our standards here in
Illinois are so low.”
Test scores
show Illinois is rapidly losing ground against other states, at a time when the
U.S. increasingly lags other industrialized nations. Less than 30 percent of
Illinois students demonstrate proficiency on the National
Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests, and just 2 in 10 Illinois high school
seniors are college-ready across the four ACT testing areas.
“We are making strides at the local level in the face of a lot of
adversity,” said Gloria Davis, Superintendent of the Decatur School District.
“There are broader structural problems with our education system that we must
address together as a state for us to really turn the corner.”
Decatur has
shown progress the last three years in almost every test category from Grades 3
to 8, and has shown gains in closing the achievement gap between poor and
non-poor students. Macon County school
districts generally perform well against the state average on state tests,
though most districts in the county score below state averages on the ACT. While Decatur’s dropout rate has decreased
and remains lower than state average, the community is making a concerted
effort to tackle the problem head-on.
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“The solution is to put students first, but we
haven’t always done that as a state,” said Daley. “Everything
should be on the table. That includes higher standards, stronger support, the
best teachers and leaders and a commitment to results. Schools can do a lot on their own but the
Illinois legislature will have to get behind the effort.”
Problems
tend to be more severe in Illinois in part because the State under-invests in
education. Despite the fact that Illinois is the 5th largest economy
in the United States, it shoulders a smaller share of public school funding
than almost any other state in the union.
“Funding is
a necessary ingredient but funding alone isn’t the answer,” said Daley.
“Governor Edgar and I feel strongly that some of the toughest reforms don’t require
money.”
Other
states have had success by boosting standards and rewarding performance. Massachusetts,
which passed a strong reform package in the early 1990s, raised its standards
significantly and saw increases in student achievement across the board. Massachusetts is now a national leader on
many key measures of student achievement.
“Across
Illinois and around the country – and right here in Decatur – there are many
bold ideas and a strong commitment to try new things and really focus on the
students,” said Robin Steans, executive director of Advance Illinois. “Even
though the numbers can be bleak, this consultation process has made us more
optimistic because the energy and the ideas are there to bring about real
change.”
Speakers
stressed that education problems are a statewide issue affecting all sorts of
communities, and many issues can be addressed by shifting the focus of the
system.
“Advance
Illinois is appropriately focusing their energies to influencing our state
legislature to provide adequate funding and accountability for education. The Decatur Area Education Coalition welcomes
this important initiative as we carry out our local mission of making Macon County
one of the most educated communities in the state through community engagement,”
said Dr. Irma Brooks, executive director of the Decatur Area Education
Coalition. “We have accomplished a great deal in a few short years, from
enhancing kindergarten readiness to helping students stay at or above grade
level through tutoring assistance and collaboration. We realize we’re in this
together and are willing to roll up our sleeves to build on areas of success
and change what’s not working.”
About Advance Illinois
Advance Illinois aims to make every
student world ready by advocating for facts- and best-practice based reform
that puts students first. It serves as an independent, objective voice to
promote a public education system in Illinois that prepares all students to be
ready for work, college and democratic citizenship. For more information visit www.advanceillinois.org.
