An NEIU Alumni Story—Desirae Rodriguez

The current work to transform how Illinois funds its public universities and their ability to effectively support and graduate the students they enroll underscores a clear vision for our state: one where its prosperity is predicated on a healthy postsecondary landscape anchored by well-funded four-year institutions as critical engines of opportunity. In pursuing a college degree, students access a world of more opportunity for themselves and their families and their communities.

This spring, alumni of the state’s public universities including student success professional Desirae Rodriguez discuss how their college experience not only clarified their career aspirations but shaped their personal mission, highlighting the indispensable role higher education plays in the lives of generating opportunity that is made possible by adequate funding.

From First-Gen Student to Higher Ed Professional: How NEIU Shaped My Journey

As a first-generation college student, my path through higher education has been shaped by both challenge and discovery. When I began my graduate studies at Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), I entered with a clearer sense of purpose than I had as an undergraduate, but I was still searching for a space where I truly felt seen, supported, and aligned with the work I hoped to do long term.

I pursued my Master’s in Higher Education through the Engaging Latinx Communities for Education (ENLACE) program, an opportunity that immediately stood out to me. What drew me in was its intentional focus on centering the voices and experiences of first-generation students and emphasis on cultural competency. As someone who had navigated higher education without a roadmap, I knew this was the work I wanted to dedicate my career to. Being part of a program that not only acknowledged those experiences but uplifted them was deeply meaningful.

My experience at NEIU was transformative in ways that extended far beyond the classroom. One of the most impactful aspects was the opportunity to build genuine relationships with professors who were not only educators, but mentors. They created space for thoughtful dialogue, encouraged critical reflection, and challenged us to connect theory to real-world practice. Through meaningful class discussions and projects, I was able to explore the complexities of higher education systems and better understand how they impact students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

Completing my practicum was another pivotal moment in my journey. It allowed me to apply what I was learning in a hands-on environment, deepening my understanding of student support work while strengthening my confidence as an emerging professional. That experience helped solidify my career direction and affirmed that I was exactly where I needed to be.

What made my time at NEIU especially significant was the strong sense of representation and belonging I felt throughout my program. In contrast to my undergraduate experience at a small private liberal arts college, where I often felt like I had to navigate spaces that were not designed with students like me in mind, NEIU offered something different. It provided an environment where my identity, experiences, and aspirations were reflected and valued.

That sense of belonging had a direct impact on my engagement as a student. I felt more confident participating in discussions, more connected to my peers, and more invested in my learning. It reminded me how critical it is for institutions to create inclusive spaces where students do not just have access but also feel affirmed and empowered.

Today, I work in education at a nonprofit organization that supports low-income, first-generation students with college access and persistence. Every day, I have the privilege of leading a team that supports students as they navigate systems that can often feel overwhelming, just as they once did for me. Through this work, I strive to foster the kind of support system that I once benefited from by guiding and empowering my team to provide encouragement, advocacy, and meaningful resources that help students reach their goals.

I carry with me the lessons, relationships, and sense of purpose that were cultivated during my time at NEIU. My experience there did not just prepare me for a career. It shaped my commitment to educational equity and strengthened my belief in the power of representation and community.

Reflecting on my journey, NEIU played an integral role in shaping not just my career path, but the person I have become. It reinforced my belief that when students are supported, seen, and given the space to grow, they do not just succeed; they thrive.

An NEIU Alumni Story— Bob Chikos

The current work to transform how Illinois funds its public universities and their ability to effectively support and graduate the students they enroll underscores a clear vision for our state: one where its prosperity is predicated on a healthy postsecondary landscape anchored by well-funded four-year institutions as critical engines of opportunity. In pursuing a college degree, students access a world of more opportunity for themselves and their families and their communities.

This spring, alumni of the state’s public universities including Crystal Lake high school special education teacher Bob Chikos, discuss how their college experience not only clarified their career aspirations but shaped their personal mission, highlighting the indispensable role higher education plays in generating opportunity that is made possible by adequate funding.

Clearing Hurdles to Serve, Lead, and Teach

Hurdles are constructive; they help those who are committed to succeed.

Barriers are destructive; they keep committed people out.

Like many people, I had a degree in a liberal arts, but I didn’t know what to do with it. I envied people who knew what they wanted to do and then pursued it. My hope of “figuring it out in college” didn’t materialize, and I found myself without a path to a promising career.

I found employment at a facility for adults with disabilities, teaching sports and recreation to the clients. I loved working with the population, but I could not support my family on the salary. I felt like my choice was to either become a certified teacher or go into a field where I would likely not be serving people with special needs.

I looked for a program that would fit. As the father of a young child with a mortgage and living expenses, I could not quit my job to enroll as a full-time student. As someone with a low income, I could not afford an expensive program.

My prayers were answered when I learned of a cohort program by Northeastern Illinois University at the University Center in Grayslake. The Center was close to my work, was affordable, and most importantly, held classes after my work hours. In two years, I would be certified as a special education teacher.

My time in the cohort was transformative. I went in just wanting the piece of paper that would allow me to teach. What I got instead were valuable tools that allowed me to become a great teacher. 

First and foremost, my professors were wise and caring. They had many years of experience working both as teachers and as professors training teachers. What struck me most about them was their flexibility. As someone without access to a school in the early stages of my program, they were able to observe my lessons at my then-workplace. 

Second, my classmates were just like me - folks who hadn’t been sure of what to do with their careers but were looking for an opportunity to serve. Among them were paraprofessionals, current teachers looking to serve in special education, and even a retired man who was looking to give back to his community. 

The end of my program was quite emotional for me. My parents, wife, and then-five-year-old son saw me walk at graduation. In the crowd around me, I saw others with their children and I heard many languages. The graduate who sang the national anthem was an immigrant from Mexico and I thought, “this is what America should be about - the promise of opportunity.” 

People come from many backgrounds go to Northeastern Illinois University. The NEIU community doesn’t put up barriers to keep people out; it trains people to clear hurdles. I am proud to call myself an alumnus for Northeastern Illinois University and I look forward to many years of it serving our state.

An SIU Alumni Story—Dr. Tyler Chance

The current work to transform how Illinois funds its public universities and their ability to effectively support and graduate the students they enroll underscores a clear vision for our state: one where its prosperity is predicated on a healthy postsecondary landscape anchored by well-funded four-year institutions as critical engines of opportunity. In pursuing a college degree, students access a world of more opportunity for themselves and their families and their communities. 

This spring, alumni of the state’s public universities including Carbondale high school assistant principal Dr. Tyler Chance, discuss how their college experience not only clarified their career aspirations but shaped their personal mission, highlighting the indispensable role higher education plays in the lives of generating opportunity that is made possible by adequate funding. 

Community, Opportunity, and Coming Full Circle at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Growing up in Southern Illinois, SIU was everywhere. For grade school field trips, we went to McLeod Auditorium to see productions of “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The Ransom of Red Chief.” In high school, we went to SIU for Foreign Language day, academic competitions, and even on a trip to tour the Mortuary Science department. Everyone I knew had at least one maroon t-shirt featuring a saluki, the Egyptian hunting dog that acts as SIU’s mascot. We wore them with pride, cheering on the men’s basketball team through several memorable NCAA Tournament runs in the 2000s. The university was, and continues to be, the cultural center for the whole region.  

When it came time to apply to college, there was no question of where I would be going. I didn’t apply anywhere else. I was meant to be a saluki.  

I grew up just a half-hour drive from campus, but SIU felt like a new world to me. Coming from a former sundown town that lacked racial and cultural diversity, it was transformative to build friendships with students from around the world and from all walks of life. While I learned a great deal in the classroom, I learned even more through the relationships I formed.   

Those relationships included not only my peers, but also the faculty and staff who supported me along the way. That included everyone from Jonathan the friendly greeter at the cafeteria who wrote short stories and had eventually had his own online fan-group, to the professors in the political science department who encouraged me to pursue advocacy, activism, and academia. Others opened doors for me as well, the University Honors Program (UHP) provided me chances to explore my interests, learn in more hands-on settings, and the UHP even sent me to Beijing, China on an exchange program with the University of International Business and Economics. My favorite honors courses at SIU explored topics such as the history of Imperial Rome, the impact of comics as an artistic and literary medium, and the intersection of religion in politics in the United States and South Africa.  

I also had the opportunity to work at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank on campus, acting as a receptionist, assisting on research projects, and helping to organize “Pizza and Politics” events, where students could engage with public officials in small informal settings while enjoying Quatro’s Pizza. The people behind these programs invested a lot into me. They truly made a mark on my life, not just by preparing me for my career, but by forming my character.  

While I was able to pursue so much as an undergraduate, college was not without its challenges. I benefited greatly from counselling services at the University Health Center, where I found support and strategies for managing anxiety and depression. I also found community through Living Learning Communities in the dorm where I lived and student organizations such as InterVarsity, Movie Camera Movement (MCM), and Greek Life. These spaces became my support system. Additionally, I was able to take care of my body through the student Recreation Center and the beautiful walking paths around Campus Lake and through Thompson Woods.  

Today, my life as a saluki has come full circle. I am proud to be an assistant principal at Carbondale Community High School, which sends more graduates to SIU than any other high school. Where I once helped pack and send research mailers at the Paul Simon Institute, I have now had my own work published there. I have earned one of my Master’s degrees at SIU and continue to pursue my superintendent endorsement through the university. I also have had the privilege of teaching in the School of Education at SIU. Some of the students I have taught at SIU are now making an impact in their own classrooms throughout Southern Illinois.  

There are few places that have had as significant an impact on my life as Southern Illinois University. SIU continues to impact the lives of its students and of Southern Illinoisans today.  

Getting a Clearer View into Student Progress on the 2025 IAR

The latest Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) results come at an important moment for how we understand student performance in Illinois. This year, the state updated its proficiency benchmarks, known as “cut scores,” which determine whether a student is considered to be meeting grade-level expectations. These changes were designed to better align Illinois’ assessments with college and career readiness and to bring greater consistency across subjects and grade levels.  

Because those benchmarks changed, reported proficiency rates cannot be directly compared to prior years. As a result, looking only at the share of students meeting proficiency can give an incomplete picture of student performance over time. In this context, underlying scale scores – which reflect student performance on the assessment itself and are not affected by changes in “cut scores” – provide an especially important view of how students are performing in English language arts and mathematics. 

To better understand student progress, we looked at both underlying scale scores and proficiency trends using a consistent benchmark across years. Scale scores offer a stable measure of performance regardless of where proficiency thresholds are set, and we applied the 2025 cut scores retroactively to prior years of data to enable accurate comparisons of proficiency over time.¹ Together, these approaches allow for a clearer and more accurate understanding of student learning trends over time.

Signs of Continued Academic Recovery

Looking at the underlying scale scores, Illinois students are showing steady improvement across grade levels in both ELA and math. 

In ELA, average scores increased across all tested grades between 2023 and 2025. To illustrate how this trend appears across the grade band, we can look at both the lower and upper ends: Grade 3 scores rose from 723.9 in 2023 to 731.2 in 2025, while Grade 8 scores increased from 738.8 to 748.8 over the same period. Similar upward trends are also seen across the intermediate grades, and the figure below shows that this broader pattern is visible when results are viewed in the aggregate across grades 3 through 8, as overall scale scores increased from 733.8 in 2023 to 741.1 in 2025

In math, growth has been more modest. Although math scale scores increased overall from 728.4 in 2023 to 731.1 in 2025, growth by grade has been more uneven. For example, grade 3 average scores remained largely flat, increasing only slightly from 732.2 in 2023 to 732.6 in 2025, while Grade 8 scores rose from 724.2 to 729.1. Overall, math gains are present but smaller and less consistent than those observed in ELA, with somewhat stronger improvement at the higher grade levels.

Proficiency trends, when applying the updated 2025 cut scores retroactively, reinforce this pattern of recovery. In ELA, the share of students meeting proficiency increased from 45.3 percent in 2023 to 53.2 percent in 2025 across grades 3 through 8. In math, proficiency rose from 35.8 percent to 38.6 percent over the same period. These trends indicate continued academic recovery following the disruptions of the pandemic, with stronger and more consistent gains in ELA than in math. 

Persistent Gaps, but Consistent Progress Across Student Groups 

While significant disparities in outcomes remain, it is important to recognize that progress is being made across all student groups.

Across both ELA and math, nearly every student demographic group saw improvement between 2023 and 2025. As shown in the figures below, these gains are evident across racial and ethnic groups, as well as key student populations, including students with disabilities, English Learners, and students from low-income backgrounds.  

While the magnitude of the improvement varies, the overall pattern is clear: progress is occurring broadly across the state rather than being concentrated among a single group. In ELA, gains have been particularly notable across historically underserved student populations, though performance levels remain substantially lower than statewide averages. Math outcomes follow a similar pattern, with modest improvements across groups but lower overall levels of proficiency. 

At the same time, these gains are occurring alongside persistent and substantial gaps. In 2025, students from historically underserved groups continue to have proficiency rates well below those of their peers across both subjects. While Asian and White students meet proficiency at much higher levels, Black and Latinx students, as well as students with IEPs, English Learners, and students from low-income backgrounds, remain significantly below statewide averages. These disparities are also reflected in scale scores, where, despite overall improvement, these groups remain consistently below statewide averages.

Taken together, the data tell a clear story: Illinois is seeing broad-based academic improvement, but is not yet achieving equitable outcomes. While it is encouraging that all student groups are improving, the persistence of sizable gaps underscores the need to ensure that continued progress translates into more equitable outcomes. 

Important Context on Interpreting Results 

As noted above, Illinois updated its proficiency cut scores in 2025, lowering the threshold for ELA and math for the IAR, while raising the threshold for science. Because of these changes, this year’s reported proficiency rates cannot be directly compared to those published in prior years. For that reason, this analysis relies on both underlying scale scores and retroactively adjusted proficiency trends to assess student progress over time. When looking at the trends holistically, they point to continued academic recovery while also showing that recovery remains incomplete across the state. 

In Conclusion 

At a moment when school districts, communities, educators, families, and students continue to navigate ongoing challenges and begin planning for the next school year, we want to recognize the real academic progress reflected in this year’s IAR results. Students across the state are showing signs of recovery, and importantly, gains are occurring across every student group. 

At the same time, the data make clear that significant work remains. Persistent gaps in outcomes across race, income, and student subgroups continue to define the state’s education landscape. These results underscore just how far Illinois has come but also how much further we still need to go to ensure every student has access to the support and opportunities they need to succeed. 

Jeffery Jen is a Senior Policy Associate for Advance Illinois.

¹ While the release of this year’s scores came later than usual, we now have access to these results, which are critical for understanding where students are making progress and where challenges remain.

Here’s What ICE Operations Have Meant for Students, Families, and Learning in Elgin

The most significant impact of ICE operations on U-46 has been fear; immediate, palpable, and destabilizing. We have seen students abruptly withdrawn from school, families stop accessing services they are legally entitled to including education, health services, food programs, health care, and attendance fluctuating as parents weigh education against perceived safety. In some cases, students arrive at school after witnessing the detention of a family member or neighbor and in others, they simply stop coming, leaving educators to wonder and worry.

More subtle, but just as damaging, are the insidious effects on learning. Chronic anxiety shows up as difficulty concentrating, withdrawal from discussions, and reluctance to ask for help.

Families who once collaborated with schools may become hesitant to complete forms, attend events, or seek support, even when assurances are given. This erosion of trust doesn’t happen overnight, once it takes hold, it changes how school is experienced, not as a place of safety, but as a place of risk.

Schools depend on relationships. When fear disrupts those relationships, the consequences affect academic progress, mental health, and long-term well-being. The financial impact of loss of jobs or wages also has a long-term impact on student health.

How Teachers and Schools Are Responding

From our schools, we observe a mix of exhaustion, resolve, and deep compassion. Teachers are carrying far more than academic expectations; they are supporting students who are often grieving or anxious. Educators are charged with trying to create calm, predictable classrooms when students’ lives outside of school are anything but predictable.

Schools are responding in the ways they know best: by connecting. Schools have coordination with social workers, counselors, and community partners. Staff are utilizing their trauma informed care training. And, principals are working to ensure families have access to resources and know that schools are safe spaces, regardless of immigration status.

Importantly, schools are focused on consistency including: routines, relationships, and reassurance. That steady presence is important. While schools cannot fix what students are facing, they can provide a sense of care and belonging that helps students feel safe and keep learning

Restoring Normalcy and Supporting the Long-Term Recovery

Restoring a sense of normalcy will take time and intentionality. Trauma does not disappear immediately. For students and families affected by ICE, they are impacted by ongoing fear, disrupted family structures, and lingering distrust of systems.

At the state level, coordination is essential. Schools will need sustained access to extended human services. Guidance from ISBE on student protections, data privacy, and family engagement is critical to rebuilding trust. Partnerships with community organizations and health services must be supported and expanded.

Most of all, school communities need stability including: consistent messaging, trusted resources, and the affirmation that educating children also prioritizes their safety. Students must feel safe, seen, and supported for learning to occur.

Dr. Suzanne Johnson is superintendent of School District U-46.

Post Halt of Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) Grants, Vienna Students Return to Altered School Landscape

The cut of federal grants for full-service community schools meant that students at Vienna Grade School returned to school in January to uncertainty surrounding the programming and support they’ve been receiving. Instead of consistency and access to resources, our students returned to a ‘do more with less’ environment where essential resources have been scaled back or frozen. This especially impacted our preschool and special education students who often have the highest needs and the fewest resources allocated. Ultimately, it means that our students have lost some of the support that helps them feel safe, engaged, and ready to learn.  

The administration’s grant cuts significantly altered the landscape for students returning this January to Vienna High School. While existing after-school programs continued, the loss of funds halted many of our strategically planned initiatives. For a rural district with high low-income and McKinney-Vento populations, the impact is particularly devastating as food and hygiene closets now have to be drastically reduced. These vital services now rely on community donations, which have already proven insufficient for the various student needs. Beyond the loss of planned initiatives, the funding cuts have strained community partnerships and broken trust with long-term collaborators. Ultimately, these cuts have stripped away essential safety nets and educational opportunities, creating a void that will be felt deeply across Vienna and the broader Southern Illinois community.

The Outlook if FSCS Grant Funding isn’t Reinstated 

If future grant funding is not restored, school communities, specifically Vienna Grade School, will likely see the loss of the community schooling model. What is at stake is not just a few programs or dollars, but the foundational stability that comes with those things. We risk losing the “safety hub” that currently exists as schools will likely be forced to eliminate some of the medical, nutritional, and mental health services that make the school a community hub. We risk seeing the resource gap that exists in the school system, especially in rural schools, becoming a chasm. We risk increased levels of teacher burnout as they are asked to do more with less. And finally, we risk academic and social-emotional needs going unmet in the formative years which could result in lower graduation rates and reduced levels of career readiness. Full-Service Community Schooling funding is designed to eliminate these systemic issues, and the loss of the funding will ultimately only exacerbate them.

Without these funds, our most vulnerable students lose some of their resources. In rural areas like ours, schools are the hub of the community, as well as the providers for food, hygiene, and mental health. Losing these grants means stripping away some of those resources and shattering community trust. We aren't just cutting programs; we’re cutting the bridge to a stable future for our most at-risk and targeted students. Without this funding, we aren’t just losing a budget line—we’re losing community trust and a future where our most at-risk kids remain trapped in a cycle of poverty and absenteeism.

Here’s the Type of Work that FSCS Has Made Possible  

One of the most impactful things that has been halted as a result of the stoppage of support has halted is the expansion of the on-site food, hygiene, and clothing closet at Vienna Grade School. This initiative was designed to be a safety net for families, ensuring no student’s education is hindered by a lack of basic necessities. By providing reliable access to free food items, hygiene products, and clothing such as winter coats, this project aimed to provide immediate, tangible stability to our most vulnerable families. Because a substantial portion of VGS’s FSCS funding was dedicated to the high and recurring procurement costs of these essential items, the stoppage has placed the entire project in limbo. What was meant to be a consistent resource for the community is now halted, leaving families to navigate these hardships without the planned support system in place. 

The most beautiful aspect of this funding was its ability to transform basic survival into a source of genuine dignity. We were on the verge of expanding our "Blessings in a Backpack" program, moving beyond the standard weekend kits of oatmeal, raisins, and ramen noodles. Our vision was to provide hearty, home-cooked meals prepared specifically by our own students in the Culinary Arts CTE program. This initiative was the purest expression of "community helping community"—local students using their vocational skills to directly nourish their peers in need. It wasn’t just about the food; it was about the pride of the student-chefs and the comfort of the recipients knowing their school truly cared for them. With the funding halted, this visionary partnership is now in limbo. We are forced back to the bare minimum, losing a profound cycle of care that proved our students deserve more than just the basics to get through a weekend.

Dr. Joshua Stafford is the superintendent for Vienna High School District.

WIU alumna: State funding would expand student opportunities

As Illinois public universities confront mounting fiscal pressures due to decades of state disinvestment amid a broader landscape of financial challenge for Illinois, they have been navigating an added issue. Just last year, the Illinois General Assembly allocated a 3% increase in appropriations to universities, yet institutions received only 1%, with the remaining 2% being held by the Governor’s office in contingency. This winter, students from Eastern Illinois University to Chicago State University and Western Illinois University have been speaking out, including before the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), about the impact of state underfunding on their academic and campus experiences.

JayLhien Colbert, a recent graduate of Western Illinois University and currently graduate student there, shared her thoughts.

As a student and alumna of Western Illinois University, I have experienced firsthand how programs, offices, and services create opportunities for students to learn, grow, and thrive. From academic advising to student organizations, these resources provide guidance, community, and pathways to explore our potential. Every event, mentorship opportunity, and program reinforces the university’s commitment to supporting students on their individual journeys.

Over the past year, I have seen the dedication of faculty and staff as they continue to provide meaningful experiences for students. Even with challenges, their creativity, resilience, and investment in student success shine through. The programs I’ve participated in, whether through leadership initiatives, community-building efforts, or campus events have helped me develop skills, connect with others, and envision new possibilities for my future.

Additional state funding would allow these offices and programs to expand and enhance the experiences already available. It could provide students with more opportunities to explore their passions, build leadership skills, and engage in experiences that prepare them for life after graduation. From my perspective, investing in these programs is an investment in students’ growth, creativity, and potential.

Campus life continues to be enriched by student-led organizations and initiatives. Students innovate, collaborate, and create community in ways that reflect the values of our university. Additional support would allow these leaders to focus on impact and engagement while expanding the reach of their programs, creating even more spaces where students can connect, learn, and grow.

Even as enrollment trends fluctuate, the university community demonstrates resilience, pride, and dedication to student success. With strategic investment, we can strengthen recruitment, retention, and the opportunities available to students, building upon the university’s existing strengths.

I am grateful for the experiences I have had at WIU and the guidance and mentorship of faculty, staff, and peers. State funding is not only a tool to support programs—it is a way to expand possibilities, empower students, and enhance the community that makes WIU feel like home. By investing in these opportunities, we ensure that future generations of students can explore, learn, and thrive in an environment that nurtures their potential.

JayLhien Colbert earned her bachelors degree from Western Illinois University in May 2025 and is currently pursuing a graduate degree from the institution.

‘It is time our state becomes a leader on this issue, too’

As Illinois public universities confront mounting fiscal pressures due to decades of state disinvestment amid a broader landscape of financial challenge for Illinois, they have been navigating an added issue. Just last year, the Illinois General Assembly allocated a 3% increase in appropriations to universities, yet institutions received only 1%, with the remaining 2% being held by the Governor’s office in contingency. This winter, students from Eastern Illinois University to Chicago State University and Western Illinois University have been speaking out, including before the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), about the impact of state underfunding on their academic and campus experiences.

Megan Fox, a senior at Eastern Illinois University, recently shared her thoughts.

As the daughter of a public school teacher, the value of education has been instilled in me from a very young age. I knew that I wanted to pursue higher education, and I now find myself entering my senior year at Eastern Illinois University. The experience has been nothing short of wonderful, and what I consider the “college experience”. The joy of learning new things in engaging classes, the excitement of seeing friends at club meetings, and the dread of opening up the financial aid tab every semester. While EIU prides itself on being an affordable university, with a myriad of issues like federal funding uncertainty and enrollment fluctuations, this title is hard to maintain. As we moved through the semester, the financial situation became clearer, and more dire. The budget for the 2026 fiscal year has a $1.9 million deficit (Daily Eastern News, 2025), meaning that something had to give. Unfortunately, the savings were found in the elimination of 44 staff positions. Cherished faculty and staff were laid off because of the crisis in higher education funding. But it does not have to be this way. 

Eastern Illinois University is only 61% adequately funded per the formula funding model (IBHE, 2025). To make EIU fully funded, $62,500,000 would need to be additionally allocated. That number may seem large and almost unattainable, but it is not only achievable, but beneficial for the state. Higher education is an investment not only for students but for the state. Just a 1% increase in people with a bachelor’s degree would lead to a 0.8% reduction in the unemployment rate, and at Eastern Illinois University alone there is a $396.3 million economic output (ILEPI, 2025). By keeping students in Illinois for college, our economy grows and results in more long-term residency in the state. But with out of state schools being able to provide tuition at a competitive or significantly lower rate than state universities, this is a real concern. The passing of an equitable formula funding bill would mean that the burden is taken off of students to pursue their education, and make the choice of staying in state an easy one. 

This would not be the first time the state legislature acted on equitable funding for education. In 2017, the Evidence Based Funding Formula was put in place to address discrepancies in K-12 education around the state. Since these schools rely primarily on property taxes, students are disadvantaged based on where they live. EBF addresses this directly and has been for the last 8 years. Equitable Formula Funding would do the exact same thing. The only state university that is close to being 100% adequately funded is the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. While UIUC is certainly a successful educational institution, and one that services many of Illinois’s students, it should not be the only one receiving its fair share of funding. Within the University of Illinois System alone there are adequacy gaps, with University of Illinois at Springfield being 72% adequately funded and the University of Illinois at Chicago being 62% adequate funded. The vast majority of state schools would benefit from the passage of this legislation. 

As a student at one of these underfunded universities, I see the impacts of this financial crisis everyday. Many times I have had to talk to friends who are quietly wondering “will I be returning next semester?” With uncertainty at the federal level regarding loans and grants, my classmates wonder if their funding will still be there to aid them in their education. The problem that many are unaware of, is the difference between a friend returning next semester or an empty seat in a classroom. It is the difference between the world of opportunity that is opened when one can apply for a job and show their commitment to furthering their education. Illinois has prided itself on being a national leader, especially in the face of the seismic federal shifts this past year: it is time our state becomes a leader on this issue, too. 

Comment: ‘The difference between between equity on paper and equity that students actually experience’

As Illinois public universities confront mounting fiscal pressures due to decades of state disinvestment amid a broader landscape of financial challenge for Illinois, they have been navigating an added issue. Just last year, the Illinois General Assembly allocated a 3% increase in appropriations to universities, yet institutions received only 1%, with the remaining 2% being held by the Governor’s office in contingency. This winter, students from Eastern Illinois University to Chicago State University and Western Illinois University have been speaking out, including before the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), about the impact of state underfunding on their academic and campus experiences.

Gabriel Pellebon, a psychology and sociology double major at Chicago State University, delivered the following remarks at the Jan. 21, IBHE regular business meeting.

"Good afternoon, and thank you to the Illinois Board of Higher Education and to Kennedy-King College for hosting this meeting and giving students the opportunity to be heard.

My name is Gabriel Pellebon, and I’m a Psychology and Sociology double major at Chicago State University. CSU has been a place where I’ve grown academically and personally, but my path here hasn’t been easy. Like many of my peers, I’ve had to balance full-time coursework, campus involvement, and the realities of limited institutional resources.

That’s why the passage of an adequate, equitable funding formula and the release of the remaining 2% allocation isn’t just a budget figure—it’s the difference between access and delay, between equity on paper and equity that students actually experience. As a neurodivergent and dyslexic student, I’ve seen how funding gaps directly affect our ability to succeed. This very board has found that our institution has been severely underfunding for decades. Causing many who work at CSU to take on additional roles, lessening their bandwidth and impacting student supports. For some time now, issues complying with my accommodations have led to weeks of uncertainty, stress, and out-of-pocket costs just to stay on track. That constant worry feeds into the anxiety and academic paralysis that make learning harder than it should be.

The funding formula and remaining 2% will go to making sure every student has access to their resources on time. CSU can finally invest at scale in their students through staffing and operations. I can only imagine how many others are struggling in silence without the access or stability they need to thrive.

Your support of the remaining 2% to CSU would mean a real, measurable difference in how students start and sustain their semesters. And broader than that, I urge you to support the Adequate and Equitable Funding Formula so that institutions serving students like us are resourced fairly and fully, with accountability measures and oversight codified. 

Thank you for the opportunity to speak and for your continued attention to the needs of Chicago State University and its students. Go Cougars!"

Comment: ‘This is not an isolated issue—it is systemic’

As Illinois public universities confront mounting fiscal pressures due to decades of state disinvestment amid a broader landscape of financial challenge for Illinois, they have been navigating an added issue. Just last year, the Illinois General Assembly allocated a 3% increase in appropriations to universities, yet institutions received only 1%, with the remaining 2% being held by the Governor’s office in contingency. This winter, students from Eastern Illinois University to Chicago State University and Western Illinois University have been speaking out, including before the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), about the impact of state underfunding on their academic and campus experiences.

Nmari Ward, a senior physics major at Chicago State University delivered the following remarks at the Jan. 21, IBHE regular business meeting.

“Hi my name is Nmari Ward and I am a Senior Physics major with a concentration in engineering. I currently reign as the 2025-2026 Miss CSU and I am happy to be here representing CSU and Cougar Nation. Even though I have been successful at CSU, there are some issues that the institution faces as a result of decades of disinvestment.

First, faculty are routinely placed in classrooms that are unfit for meaningful instruction. Unfit classes reduce the quality of engagement, limit feedback, and ultimately undermine learning outcomes. This is not an isolated issue—it is systemic, and it places an unreasonable burden on instructors who are expected to maintain the same standards with significantly fewer resources.

Second, we are a Division I institution, and we recently launched Chicago's only Division I Football Program, yet we lack adequate training, housing, and hosting facilities for our students. As a result, students are required to find off-campus training options, often at other schools or public facilities, and they must pay for transportation themselves. This creates financial strain, inequity, and logistical barriers that disproportionately affect students who already face limited resources. It is unacceptable for a D1 school to rely on external facilities while students absorb the cost and inconvenience.

I urge you to support the state's release of the 2% to Chicago State University. I also urge you to boldly support the passage of the equitable funding formula because CSU is uniquely positioned to create impact that reaches far beyond campus. Investing in CSU is an investment in Chicago itself.

Chicago State plays a critical role in developing teacher pipelines that serve both the university community and the city at large. By strengthening these pipelines, CSU prepares future educators who understand the realities of Chicago’s classrooms and are committed to serving them. This support not only addresses workforce needs in education, but also helps stabilize and strengthen schools across the city.

At a time when Chicago needs well-prepared, community-centered teachers, directing the released 2% and equitably funding CSU, ensures resources are going where they can do the most good—supporting students, educators, and neighborhoods simultaneously.

This decision would affirm IBHE’s commitment to equity, access, and long-term educational impact. I strongly encourage you to proudly support the state's investment in Chicago State University and all public institutions. 

Thank you."

Welcome to the 2025–2027 Educator Advisory Council Cohort

At Advance Illinois, we believe that the most powerful education policy comes from those who live it every day. We learn more about the impacts of our work from the educators in classrooms, care centers, and campuses living the work across our state. The Educator Advisory Council (EAC) supports our work by ensuring that those shaping policy understand firsthand the needs, strengths, and realities of Illinois students and schools.

It’s with great excitement and deep gratitude, then, that we welcome the 2025–2027 Educator Advisory Council cohort. This new group brings together educators from early childhood through postsecondary, from rural to urban regions, and from a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines, and lived experiences. Every single individual joining us through this cohort brings a shared commitment to equity, a belief in the power of public education, and a readiness to lead.

Over the next two years, these educators will serve as thought partners, advisors, and advocates. They will sharpen their policy knowledge, explore the root causes of the disparities we see in education, and take action together through advocacy efforts including legislative testimony, writing op-eds, or organizing their peers.

We know this work isn’t easy. It requires vulnerability, reflection, and courage to ask hard questions and build trust across differences. But it also offers joy, connection, and the chance to make a real, lasting impact.

Educational change and equity work doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in coalition. It happens when we honor expertise that acknowledges personal, cultural, and community knowledge.

That’s the spirit this new cohort brings.

To our incoming EAC members: thank you for stepping into this space. Thank you for showing up for your students, your communities, and one another. We’re so glad you’re here, and we can’t wait to learn, build, and grow alongside you. In the coming months, we will begin to introduce the cohort so that you can learn more about them.

Learn more about the Educator Advisory Council here.

Maty Ortega Cruz is a Senior Community Engagement Associate for Advance Illinois. 

On-the-Ground—More Than a Classroom: Where Students Feel Seen

Back-to-school 2025 felt like 2011 for Brandon Thornton, a high school special education English Language Arts and math teacher for Bloomington Public Schools. The district where he teaches is ahead of the state in implementing a phone ban – or rather something that restricts use of them during the school day. One would imagine how anxiety-inducing  that could be for a generation of digital natives, but not so, as far as Thornton is seeing.

Some may say it is no surprise that student learning in Illinois and elsewhere has been stagnating. They weren’t listening to – you know – the lessons.

“I put up a good face on social media,” Thornton said. “But at the heart of it, I wasn't reaching kids. I wasn't forming relationships because that phone was, like, just a big barrier between us.

“It's almost like, I've made this comparison before about being on a plane and the flight attendants going through the motions. I felt like the flight attendant.”

With their phones stowed away, students are cranking out a paragraph a day in his English class. In math, where last year it took about a week to learn how to use a compass, students were now constructing circles in a day.

The students are locked in because they have no other choice.

“Our homeroom surprised me the most,” Thornton said. “We’ve been together for years and they’re yapping with each other. They're saying things like school is really fun this year. Like it is clicking for them too, that there’s more social engagement.”

More social engagement, less fighting, less discipline prompted by fighting, and importantly, he hopes, more learning.

He’d been contemplating leaving the profession. The work of reaching and connecting with distracted students and then working even harder to catch them up on the content because they had been distracted had taken a toll on Thornton and other teachers he knew, he said.

But this past September was feeling like Thornton’s first year of teaching.

“You know, everything is fresh and fun, and you’re staying up late and you're going there (school) early. I felt like that again.”

Brandon Thornton, Ed.D., is a high school special education English Language Arts and math teacher for Bloomington Public Schools District 87.

Thornton says he probably didn’t become aware of his own aspirations to be an educator until he was in high school. There were teachers in 3rd grade and 6th grade – Black women who made him feel seen, valued, and respected the same way his mother did. But it was in later years when math and English teachers in junior high showed their belief in him by putting him in positions of leadership – asking him to help other students in the subject during lunch or after school. He didn’t consider himself the best person in the subject, but his teachers saw otherwise, and he liked that feeling: “Just useful, you know.”

He considers his mother, now retired, who began a career in early childhood education in the 90’s with an in-home daycare that over time she built out to a formalized preschool with a certified teacher: “Yeah, she was tired at the end of the day, but she was a figure in the community. Everyone knew Mrs. T.”

-

Thornton’s students and those he interacts with across any given week call him ‘T’, actually. “Mr. T” would confuse him with about three other teachers with t-names in the building, and explaining “Doctor T” - Thornton holds a Doctor of Education in Special Education and Teaching from Illinois State University where he also earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees – was a journey itself. So, simply ‘T’ will do.

He holds many roles, though fewer now as the wisdom that comes with experience has helped him appreciate but shed some added responsibilities. Among other things, Thornton’s been a speech and debate coach, a cross-country coach, and anime club sponsor. In recent years, the Teach Plus Fellow and Golden Apple alum is exploring leadership roles in the teacher's union, and at school, helping kids become interested in the teaching profession. Above all, he is focusing on what has become central to his teaching over the years: cultivating safe and productive spaces and relationships where true learning can happen.

In 2011, Thornton’s objective was to make sure kids knew that they could learn math, he recalled. “And now it's like I want to make sure kids know that they can learn and that they have an adult who's going to be their champion.”

Bloomington Public Schools District 87 is the second most diverse district in the state, but in a school of 1,282 students, Thornton is just one of five Black teachers at Bloomington High School. It’s a story not unfamiliar to Thornton that also plays out in similar fashion across Illinois and the country where despite the increasing diversity of students, teacher diversity isn’t keeping pace. As reported in Advance Illinois’ report  The State We’re in 2025, only 18% of Illinois teachers are of color compared with an overall student population composed of 54% students of color. The percentage is smaller for Black teachers and even lower for Black men.

“It's overwhelming almost to be the only in the room, or what, maybe one of five,” he said. “And you're looking for them, and especially because there's been a big push for DEI, we, at least are in a good way in our district.”

Thornton acknowledges that the state has been taking steps to increase both its recruitment and retention of teachers of color. Initiatives including the diverse pipeline pilot, the Illinois Educator Preparation Profiles system, and the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship program have in different ways worked to target the disparity that decades of research have shown impact student achievement: students who have teachers who look like them score better on standardized tests, have better attendance, and are more likely to graduate from high school. Still, a lawsuit filed last fall challenged the constitutionality of MTI, putting into limbo the 30+ year program that helped make educator prep more affordable for thousands of Asian, Latinx, and Black students including Thornton. [Read the latest: Illinois quietly changes scholarship for teachers of color amid lawsuit, threats from federal government]

Thornton remembers his family driving down to Normal for a special ceremony for the newest MTI scholarship recipients where the students received a laptop and $5,000.

“It was so cool, and coming after Golden Apple, I was like I know for sure I want to teach,” he said.

 -

Thornton’s value for authenticity is apparent with just one step into his classroom.

Students walk by, even those who aren’t his, to peek inside. Funko pops are everywhere. There’s an entire wall of anime. There are references to K-pop.

“When I meet kids for the first time in the first week, they're right at that wall and they're like, ‘have you seen this anime?!’ ‘Have you seen this?’ And so I think it just sets the tone,” Thornton said. “This is the space where you can nerd out, which math is nerdy to kids, reading is nerdy to them, unfortunately.”

He’s seen some of the tougher kids resist this quirkiness at first, but by the end of the year, they’re talking about anime, too. Disney? That’s no sweat either. Thornton wears his spirit jerseys all the time – all of this to say to students that it is okay to have interests outside of the mainstream, it is okay to melt into yourself – you will be accepted here.

“In this space, we're going to be nerds together,” he said.

Safe relationships are critical for vulnerability, and vulnerability essential for learning and flourishing, a truth that made the last few years so difficult for Thornton.

One day this fall, a typically reserved student in Thornton’s homeroom unexpectedly opened up. Thornton was doing his customary, back-to-school check-ins with each student – ‘How was your summer? ‘– when this particular student told him about his breakup. It was bad, and he was heartbroken. If anything, the student was actually relieved to be detached from his device (and the messages and social media and old photos that could reel him back in).

“And I'm just like, oh man, this is why I got into teaching, because you could tell that he's never had a conversation with another man like that.”

Yes, relationships are crucial to Thornton’s teaching practice today and inherently the joy that comes in being able to build and sustain them with students. He wants his students to know that when they graduate, he will still know who they are.

"Already I feel like I've formed lifelong bonds with some of my students because I've seen them,” Thornton said this fall. “I've seen them when I was working concessions on Friday (at a school football game): 'Hey, Mr. T!’”

A type of greeting he hasn’t heard in years.

“So I'm like, man, I'm here to stay now. I can teach till 67*.”

*Thornton’s age of eligibility to retire.

Bravetta Hassell is the Director of Communications for Advance Illinois.

The Importance of Statewide Kindergarten Readiness Data in Supporting Early Childhood in Illinois

Overview  

To make informed policy decisions and direct resources where young children and their families need them most, Illinois needs comprehensive and robust statewide data. A key piece of that data is understanding kindergarten readiness as children enter formal schooling. Having a developmentally appropriate way to understand where our youngest learners are across important domains helps provide a window into how ready new students are to learn and grow as they begin their school journey. In turn, this allows the state to plan and allocate investments and resources.  

The Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) recently released the 2025 Illinois Report Card, including the 2024-2025 Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS) data. While districts may have other information and data to assess kindergarten readiness, KIDS is currently the only comparable statewide data we have available to help us understand kindergarten readiness across Illinois.  

2024-2025 KIDS Data 

KIDS assesses students on 14 measures across three domains: language and literacy, math, and social emotional development.  

 In SY24-25, 31.5% of kindergartners demonstrated readiness in all three developmental areas, holding fairly steady to the prior year and contributing to an arc of steady growth over the 7-year stretch (with the exception of SY21, that was impacted by the pandemic). More youngsters demonstrated readiness for kindergarten in social & emotional development, while just under half were ready in language and literacy development, and just over one-third were on track for math development.  

Although there were no major shifts this past year, the data continues to reveal disparities in kindergarten readiness across demographic groups.  

More specifically, KIDS data reveals that gaps across lines of race, income, and learning style begin before children begin formal schooling, emphasizing the need for investments in high-quality early childhood care, services, and education that prioritizes children most in need.  

While kindergarten readiness rates dropped across English Learners, children with IEPs, children receiving free or reduced lunch, and children who are homeless in SY24-25, kindergartners from low-income households (FRPL) experienced the most significant drop, declining by 1 full percentage point.*  

That being said, although kindergarten readiness rates declined modestly across various student groups last year, the overall level of readiness has improved by more than 8 percentage points since the state first began observing incoming students in 2017. And it is good news that overall readiness for students receiving FRPL has grown by 6 percentage points. 

Concerns about the Drop-Off in Response Rate 

One area of concern about this year’s KIDS data is the drop-off in the number of children being observed. The percentage of kindergartners observed and assessed decreased statewide for the first time since the pandemic, dropping from 90.9% in SY2023-2024 to 87.1% in SY2024-2025. Among other things, this makes direct comparisons between years more difficult, particularly for the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), where the percentage of kindergartners observed dropped more dramatically from 88% to 73.3% in a single year.  

For statewide data to be valid and useful, participation rates need to be high. Importantly, training and coaching help teachers successfully implement this observational tool and so we hope and trust the state will continue to invest in these strategies. In addition to ensuring more accurate information, training and coaching strengthen skills with broader classroom value. 

Conclusion

While it is good news that the number of students demonstrating kindergarten readiness has been steadily increasing, the sad fact is that overall rates of readiness across the state remain lower than anyone would like, with just a third of kindergarteners demonstrating readiness in all three assessed developmental areas. This speaks powerfully to the need for significant investment in high-quality early learning and care. As importantly, the persistent gaps that emerge even before children reach kindergarten highlight the need to make equitable investments across the early childhood service spectrum, including in early intervention for very young children with developmental delays and disabilities.  

Having statewide data on kindergarten readiness that is comparable across districts is essential for ensuring we understand the overall and more targeted needs facing families and communities. From there, it is up to us to make sure we put that knowledge to work.  

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*(The data on English Learner kindergarten readiness should be cautiously interpreted given that alternative language assessments are not systematically used across districts. IWERC, Trends and Disparities in Readiness Using KIDS, 2024.)

Kate Buchanan is the Senior Policy Advisor, Early Childhood for Advance Illinois. 

On-the-Ground—From High School to College Success: How Dual Credit is Driving Change at JJC

Dr. Clyne G. H. Namuo is the 10th president of Joliet Junior College.

In Illinois, a quiet but significant shift has been taking place. Community college students are completing their programs at higher rates than in previous years, and the trend is impossible to miss. Associate’s degree graduation rates within 150% of normal time climbed from 17 percent for the 2003 cohort to 31 percent for the 2017 cohort, placing Illinois 13th nationally. Completions are up 6.7 percent since 2020. These system-level numbers reflect deliberate choices made by the state’s community colleges. Joliet Junior College (JJC) is one of them. 

When speaking with JJC President Dr. Clyne Namuo, one theme came through repeatedly: intentionality. Focusing on completion does not sit in a single program or office. It is embedded in the school’s culture. At JJC, that culture is strikingly tangible in how the college reimagined its relationship with local high schools through dual credit programming. A decade ago, JJC was not known as a strong dual credit partner. That is no longer the case. With the appointment of Dr. Namuo as president in 2022, the college made dual credit a centerpiece of its mission and also designed systems of support around it. These efforts have dramatically changed students’ trajectories before they even set foot on campus. 

Dual Credit in Illinois  
Across Illinois, first-time full-time students who took at least one dual credit course in high school graduate at substantially higher rates than their peers who did not. According to ICCB’s Dual Credit in the Illinois Community College System FY 2023 Report, for each of the last five cohorts, the dual credit subgroup’s graduation rate was roughly 20 percentage points higher. For the most recent cohort analyzed, 51.25% of dual credit students graduated compared with 33.13% of those without dual credit. This is not a marginal effect; dual credit provides an on-ramp for students to postsecondary opportunity1. 

JJC leaned into this on-ramp with a clear and memorable initiative: 12x12x12. The idea is not a mandate but an aspirational framework: a goal for every student in the district to complete 12 college credits by 12th grade at a cost of 12 dollars per credit. Acting as both a promise and a challenge, the college meets students where they are: in their high school journeys, in their schedules, and in their budgets. Since adopting this approach in 2023, JJC’s dual credit headcount has reached 8,341 students (as of FY25), a 65 percent increase from FY23, moving the college to second place in the state for dual credit participation. As a result, students are arriving at college with more credits in hand, shrinking time and cost to degree. Arriving with credits also gives them a sense of belonging and momentum; they see themselves as college students because, in fact, they already are. 

The college backed this initiative with resources. JJC and the JJC Foundation created a straightforward incentive: if a student at a partner high school completes 12 dual credits and then enrolls at JJC, they receive a $500 award. Further, advising capacity was expanded, and dedicated dual credit liaisons and tutors were added. Student Success Coaches proactively help students bridge the transition to college and connect to services like the student wellness center and tutoring. These moves are not flashy, but together they form the scaffolding that helps a high school senior become a college graduate. 

The supports are part of a deliberate design. JJC’s Strategic Enrollment Management 4.0 plan puts the student experience at the center, from onboarding through graduation. That includes a redesigned new-student orientation, “Next Step Days” held at local high schools to guide seniors through final enrollment steps like admissions, testing, and scholarships, and centralized placement using multiple measures to keep students from getting stuck before they start. Advising access has grown sharply. Appointments rose 49 percent from 2023 to 2024, with additional gains in early 2025 as the college hired and trained more advisors and launched a hybrid advising training program to ensure consistent, high-quality advising 

JJC is also explicit in its goal toward equity. As noted in our report, while graduation rates have improved for all groups statewide, gaps remain for Black and Latinx students. JJC tracks persistence and retention for these groups and aims to actively move the needle. Latinx fall-to-fall retention rose from 41 percent in FY22 to 47 percent in FY24. Black fall-to-fall retention rose from 36 percent to 41 percent over the same period. While equity gaps remain, these gains represent meaningful progress. The Tutoring and Learning Center on campus has been pivotal: among students flagged for academic intervention who used tutoring, persistence rates were far higher than for similar students who did not, and the gains were especially important for Black and Latinx learners. 

The through-line is that JJC treats completion as a cross-campus responsibility. JJC utilizes federal TRIO programs to support first-generation and low-income students. The Center for Multicultural Access and Success serves as a dedicated resource center for English Learners and international students. Career Services helps students connect coursework to career pathways through internships, job exploration, and employment opportunities aligned with their interests and growing skills.  

Taken together, these choices help explain why more Illinois students reach the finish line and why JJC’s own outcomes are moving in a strong direction. The lesson is not that one program fixes everything; it is that progress is built on many different investments that make a difference when they are aligned. At the core, however, is JJC’s conviction that dual credit is one of the most powerful tools to drive student success, with other supports layered around it to help students persist and complete. 

There is more work to do. The pressures that students face are real, and research shows that equity gaps do not close without intentional action; states that fail to adopt direct interventions tend to see gaps persist or widen. But Illinois has a clear path ahead. By continuing to expand dual credit with an equity lens and investing in advising, tutoring, and student wellness, community colleges across the state can build on recent graduation rate gains. JJC offers a compelling blueprint for how Illinois can sustain and accelerate this momentum. 

Jeffery Jen is a Senior Policy Associate for Advance Illinois. 

On-the-Ground—The Hidden Crisis: Why Rural Districts Face Unique Teacher Workforce Challenges

Advance Illinois’ The State We’re In 2025 report finds that across Illinois, districts are struggling to recruit and retain qualified teachers — but rural schools face a unique set of barriers. Like their urban counterparts, they report higher vacancy rates, more novice teachers, and greater reliance on provisional licenses compared to suburban peers. However, the key difference is that rural schools have the highest rates of teachers working out of field or teachers teaching in a grade or content area for which they do not hold the proper credential. This affects students’ access to high-quality instruction, especially in specialized areas such as career and technical education (CTE). 

As districts grapple with recruiting, training and retaining teaching talent across the state, some rural districts are innovating out of necessity. Still, their efforts’ long-term sustainability will depend on whether state-level policy and resources align with the ingenuity happening at the local level. 

The Numbers Behind the Challenge 

Dr. Joshua Stafford is superintendent of Vienna School District.

Data from the recent State We’re In 2025 show how deeply shortages affect small districts. When positions go unfilled, the consequences are immediate with fewer courses offered, staff stretched thin, and higher turnover costs.   

“When you lose even a single staff member in a rural district, it has a ripple effect across everything — programs, student opportunities, and the community as a whole,” explained Dr. Joshua Stafford, superintendent of Vienna School District. 

The Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools (AIRSS) whitepaper, The Chronic Rural Educator Shortage and Hopeful Actions to Address It, notes that since 2022, reliance on substitutes and retirees has grown sharply. More than half of rural vacancies are now covered by under-certified or out-of-field staff. Geography makes things worse: the farther a district is from major highways or population centers, the harder it is to attract and keep teachers. Limited resources also mean rural schools often can’t match the salaries and benefits offered by larger districts. 

Why Career Technical Education is Hit Hardest 

Staffing courses that provide students with academic and technical skills for high-skill, high-demand careers like Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs illustrate the problem most clearly according to John Glasgow, director of the Rural Illinois Career Tech Ed Project with AIRSS. 

“It’s hard enough to get anybody to go into the education field right now… That’s especially true for CTE. There are very few programs out there specifically for those who want to be, for instance, like a shop teacher or an ag [agriculture] teacher,” he said. 

As researched by a 2023 National Rural Education Association report, Why Rural Matters 2023: Centering Equity and Opportunity, school funding formulas tied to enrollment deepen the challenge. With smaller student populations, rural schools are often expected to operate in the same ways that larger districts function with less funds. Even if funding was adequate, Glasgow acknowledges that distance and size mean it may not make sense for every rural school to run every CTE field. That reality encourages schools into regional collaborations that can be difficult to sustain. 

Creative Solutions Born from Necessity 

Rural districts are adapting in creative ways. For example, in Vienna, Illinois the school district is making opportunities for high performing middle school teachers to move into high school classrooms while they earn new endorsements. Others tap professionals with years of industry experience to enter classrooms through alternative licensing pathways.  

Stafford offered one example: “Our nursing program… the person who ran that program for 30 years here never had a PEL [Professional Educator License]. She was an RN with hospital experience and masterfully led the program. Graduates from that program now staff hospitals across the region.” 

These solutions don’t solve the shortage, but they demonstrate the value of flexibility and the deep expertise already present in rural communities. 

John Glasgow is director of the Rural Illinois Career Tech Ed Project with AIRSS. 

The Collaboration Imperative 

Unlike large suburban and urban systems, rural schools must overcome geographical distance to collaborate with neighboring districts, local business and regional organizations. This reliance on partnerships adds a layer of complexity to rural leadership, requiring skills in coordination and resource-sharing that go well beyond traditional school administration, which Glasgow acknowledges can be hard to sustain over the long haul if entities are not unified or coordinated. 

 But rural schools are finding other innovative ways forward. The Southern Illinois Future Teachers Coalition began around 2017 with a modest $14,000 grant to address the teacher shortage that is being experienced with targeted programming at the local level in Southern Illinois. Today it has grown into a network of 25 schools working with universities, community colleges, and regional education offices to cultivate local teaching talent that’s delivering impact. =

Stafford recalled a recent round of teacher interviews where all three candidates — from different high schools in the region — had participated in the coalition as students.  

“It was just this full circle moment,” Stafford said. 

Looking Ahead 

The Advance Illinois the State We’re In (2025) report finds that rural districts in Illinois have higher vacancy rates in addition to educators teaching out of field. However, the findings also show that educators in rural districts tend to have higher attendance rates.  

Glasgow at AIRSS emphasizes that addressing rural educator workforce challenges requires policies that account for both adequacy and access. It calls for rethinking educator preparation, supporting under-certified staff in becoming fully credentialed, ensuring rural equity in funding and curriculum, and creating stronger collaborative efforts between schools, higher education, and state agencies—strategies that Glasgow and Stafford reinforced. 

And there’s no time to waste or wait on outside solutions, said Stafford. “No one’s going to ride in and save us from teacher shortage… locally and regionally, we have to act and do something.”  

Additional Resources: 

• Southern Illinois Future Teachers Coalition 

• How Illinois Gets Students Ready for College and Careers 

• The Geography of the New Teacher Pipeline 

• AIRSS Whitepaper: The Chronic Rural Educator Shortage and Hopeful Actions to Address It 

Maty Ortega Cruz is a Senior Community Engagement Associate for Advance Illinois. 

On-the-Ground—Advocating for Student Mental Health: The Power of Data and Programs

Mental health challenges continue to plague Illinois’ students, permeating the fabric of our school communities in both the K-12 and postsecondary spaces. While student mental health impacts every type of student, two professionals discuss why Illinois cannot ignore how students from marginalized communities are uniquely affected by these issues. 

Making the Case for Data

One such community is the LGBTQ+ student population. Daniel Wilson, a PhD candidate in the Policy Studies in Urban Education program in the College of Education at the University of Illinois Chicago argues for increased, quality assessment of these populations in the postsecondary sector. 

Pulling from national datasets, Wilson recently submitted a paper examining the impacts of financial hardship and housing instability on mental health and academic performance in LGBTQ+ Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) student communities. He found that a lack of access to these basic needs led to diminished mental health, prompting a negative perception of their sense of belonging in the larger campus community. When compounded, these factors hurt academic success. These impacts were even greater for transgender and non-binary BIPOC students. At the Illinois state level, this also rings true. According to Advance Illinois’ The State We’re In 2025: A Report on Public Education in Illinois, 63.2% of LGBTQ+ students and 75.9% of transgender college students felt that their emotional or mental challenges have more recurring ramifications on their academics. In 2024, 46.5% of postsecondary students in Illinois reported their mental health has impacted their academic performance in the last month, an increase from 24.6% in 2007. While sobering, this data should compel Illinois to make strides toward more intentional assessment of their LGBTQ+ student communities, specifically at the institutional level.

Wilson highlights that data on LGBTQ+ students is often not institutionalized across educational systems and assessment methods are often incomplete and inadequate. For example, gender identity is often collected on a binary system and sexual orientation is often not collected at all. Without data that accurately measures how mental health concerns distinctly affect LGBTQ+ students, institutions cannot provide resources and services designed to mitigate the impact of these challenges. Put plainly- LGBTQ+ students’ experiences become invisible. Wilson reflects “It is important that policy makers think of ways to accurately and meaningfully collect data on LGBTQ+ people so that they are able to be visible within data systems.” 

Wilson reflects that while it is not misleading to say that Illinois is supportive of LGBTQ+ communities, LGBTQ+ students in Illinois do face barriers to basic needs that are detrimental to their mental health. As an advocate for improved assessment of LGBTQ+ students, he contends that data can forge meaningful partnerships in service to these communities. “LGBTQ+ data needs to be institutionalized...it could be used to inform [the exact] number of LGBTQ + students that are experiencing food insecurity, housing insecurity, so how can we then ensure that we are building partnerships and cultivating a community of care to support LGBTQ+ communities.” But before those partnerships and programs are built, good data must be collected. 

It's clear that the role of data is significant. When collected and assessed correctly, it can be a powerful impetus for programmatic development uniquely designed to meet student mental health needs. Ngozi Harris, Director of Program and Staff Development for the Working on Womanhood (WOW) program at Youth Guidance, speaks to the realm of possibilities when data is put into action. 

Data in Action: Strong Student Programming

Founded in 2011 by a group of female social workers led by former Youth Guidance Director Gail Day, WOW is a school-based counseling program that supports young girls in grades 6-12 who have been exposed to trauma in the development of their social-emotional competencies. The program is informed by Cognitive-Behavioral, Acceptance Commitment, and Narrative Therapy and is specifically structured as a group counseling program to address the social isolation commonly felt among young girls.  One of WOW’s core values is providing opportunity for students to be in community with their peers and to learn emotional intelligence. When schools reported the impact of the Becoming a Man (BAM) program’s group counseling for its male students, the potential of what would become WOW became even more apparent. 

WOW continues to be critical given that mental health challenges among K-12 students in Illinois have persisted, as highlighted by The State We’re In 2025 report. Increasing percentages (29.6% in 2009 to 40.4% in 2023) of students in Illinois have reported feeling sadness and hopelessness. More specifically, female high school students are more likely to experience these feelings, with 51.6% of female students reporting feelings of sadness and hopelessness compared to 25% of male students in 2023.

Echoing Wilson’s arguments regarding the postsecondary sector, Harris further underscores how powerful a student’s sense of belonging can be in determining their academic performance. Primarily serving young, Black and Latina girls in under resourced Chicago communities, Harris notes that WOW removes the burden on students to find a sense of belonging, which in turns cultivates space for them redirect their energy into learning: “We know that trauma will impact how you are able to engage in education, how you will be able to engage in relationships...when you experience trauma, it starts to rewire your brain to see the world as a threat. If you’re walking around seeing the world as a threat, everything becomes a threat. That means all your energy, all your resources are focused in on ‘I'm here, I’m locked in on surviving. I’m doing whatever it takes to survive, mentally, physically, emotionally.’ It is unreasonable to expect students carrying such immense burdens to engage fully in a math or English course.”

Prior to the pandemic, WOW conducted mental health assessments to screen for anxiety, trauma, depression, and PTSD exposure. A core part of the WOW model, these assessments informed how to grow the program. During the shift back to in-person programming, WOW refined its curriculum to better incorporate best practices that can support students’ feelings of social isolation and ongoing anxieties caused by adversities faced during pandemic. For example, WOW has refined its curriculum to include sessions dedicated to unpacking the complex role of social media in young women’s lives. Participants can explore how social media can be incorporated into their lives healthily, with the understanding that social media can serve as both as an escape as well as a trigger. 

Harris notes that due to broader community issues related to resource availability, schools are the ideal space for reaching students. Students facing trauma exposure often carry familial and work responsibilities that limit the time available to join counseling programs after the school day.

Looking Ahead

It is imperative to acknowledge that there are community-led efforts in Illinois to address mental health related concerns for LGBTQ+ and students of color, as demonstrated in the protest against UI health system’s pause on gender affirming care for patients under 19 years old. As the new findings on student mental health and well-being in Illinois suggest, it is equally important to recognize that there is substantial opportunity for both the state of Illinois and education institutions to expand how they mitigate these challenges. Building a healthy foundation means creating assessment methods that capture evolving nuances related to identity, institutionalizing that data, and funding programs like WOW that reflect what the data shows. Strong data and programming are core pillars to building resilient student communities, which ultimately supports their holistic success. 

Isabel Enad is a Senior Community Engagement Associate for Advance Illinois.

On-the-Ground—Inside Illinois’ Rising Cost of Child Care

This summer, as part of a special “On-The-Ground" storytelling project for our latest report, The State We’re In 2025, Advance Illinois’ Early Childhood Policy Associate Kathleen Kimmey had the opportunity to interview two early childhood educators who discussed their unique perspectives on the stubbornly high cost of child care in Illinois.

During their interviews, Michelle Zurita-Sharpe, a special education teacher at Chicago Public Schools’ Blair Early Childhood Center and Cara Craig, a home visitor with Childcare Network of Evanston, highlighted the difficulties families face in navigating the complex system of early childhood education and care services and finding affordable childcare that fully meets their needs. These challenges can cause children to experience disruptions in their continuity of care or prevent them from receiving the full scope of services they need, which can be particularly detrimental for children with disabilities and children who come from immigrant families. At the same time, their stories highlighted the creativity and dedication of educators who work tirelessly to fill these gaps and support the children and families they serve however they can. While shifting federal policies and unpredictable funding continue to create instability for children, families, and providers, both underscored the need for stronger investments and policies to make childcare more affordable and accessible for families across Illinois. 

Kathleen Kimmey is the Early Childhood Policy Associate for Advance Illinois.

Federal Impact—Funding and Programs that Support Student Learning and Needs

Dawn Bates, a long-time second-grade teacher and Teach Plus Illinois fellow, brings insights from both the classroom and her fellowship. With several years of teaching experience, Dawn is thinking about how shifts in federal support and funding may affect student learning, basic needs, and opportunities beyond the classroom. 

Through her Teach Plus fellowship, which focused on grades K–5, she worked on a project aimed at building teacher confidence in teaching science. While the findings are complete, the team is still finalizing how they will present them to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), especially as science education (STEM) often lacks professional development and funding compared to subjects like math and reading. She has also helped bring coding to the early grades, making it accessible to students younger than third grade, and recently wrote a piece about the importance of coding. She hopes funding will continue to support these programs. 

Dawn’s school community has benefited from programs made possible by funding, but she worries these could disappear as there are students that rely on programs for free breakfast and lunch, eye care, and access to technology. She is glad her second-grade students have take-home computers and access to educational websites and apps that extend their learning beyond the school day but worries that cuts could jeopardize these supports. 

In addition, Dawn thinks initiatives like Grow Your Own and Golden Apple are important and believes continued investment is essential in supporting aspiring educators along with stipends for student teachers during their student teaching experience. Especially amid federal funding cuts that could impact the pipeline of future educators. In her own district, she is encouraged by the opportunity for teachers to pursue and maintain National Board Certification and hopes that funding to support this certification continues.  

Dawn’s story is a reminder that educators are not only teaching but constantly working to ensure students receive the tools and resources they need to thrive. 

Eucarol Juarez is the Senior Communications Associate for Advance Illinois.

Federal Impact—Resilient in the Face of Cuts

When Jennifer Smith was a third grader, she had a clear view of the priorities that would drive her as a future teacher. 

She would hold English everyday – less so the language, she explains, but for the skills language arts cultivate and exercise in critical thinking, grammar, in analysis, in effectively communicating. 

She’d give homework, “because it builds intelligence and makes (students) smarter,” she said in a short essay she had written as an elementary school student. 

And she’d make sure her class tries new things, “so they can learn more. They can also get a variety.” 

Jennifer Smith knew in the third grade she wanted to be an educator. The values she wrote about in this essay hold true through today.

Decades later, Smith still holds onto these concerns (and has accumulated others), today working as a middle school science teacher who believes education should be immersive, relevant, and empowering. And her prescient essay has come along, too, often found in her classrooms over time. 

In recent months, however, federal funding cuts have made it increasingly difficult for her to maintain the high standards she sets for herself and her students. She persists, nevertheless. Three professional development (PD) programs she was scheduled to attend this summer—focused on social-emotional learning (SEL), bioengineering, and science instruction—were canceled due to revoked grant funding from the National Institutes for Health and the National Science Foundation. One research project in particular would have explored literacy in the science classroom. These PDs weren’t just enrichment; for someone who pours hours into preparing for lessons, they are essential to Smith’s teaching practice of making science real and relevant for her students. 

“When those opportunities disappear, it’s not just me who loses, it’s them,” she said.

Her approach to teaching is deeply hands-on and inquiry-based. She teaches 6th and 7th grade science from a portable classroom with no running water, yet she still manages to conduct full lab experiences including dissections and hydrology experiments by coordinating with colleagues to borrow lab space during their prep periods. Where another teacher might throw their hands up in such a predicament and stop doing labs, Smith is determined that her students have the full experience. 

Smith also regularly collaborates with university researchers at the University of Illinois, inviting them into her classroom to expose students to real-world science and career pathways. “I don’t know what tech will look like in five years,” she said, “but if I can connect my students with people and places, those relationships will be stronger than even the academic experiences I could give them.” 

As a virtual mentor for new teachers across Illinois, Smith along with nearly 300 other educators were shocked when the federal government announced it was rescinding its extensions for ESSER dollars, which funded the initiative. This meant the state could no longer pay its mentors despite the agreement they had signed. Smith and her colleagues worked from March through May without compensation.

Only in recent weeks were they notified that they were going to get funding after all, receiving pay for the time they had worked. Smith, a single mother of two teenagers who is constantly juggling multiple hats and jobs, was fortunate to have not relied on the mentoring income for survival but knows that was not the case for everyone. 

Despite the pressures, Smith remains committed to education. She holds three master’s degrees, is National Board Certified in science, and is currently pursuing her doctorate. She spends her summers writing curriculum, mentoring future educators, and attending PDs, when they’re not canceled. “Everything I do, even my side hustles, is about education,” she said. “Because my kids need to eat, but also because I believe in this work.” 

Still, the emotional toll of the federal changes and their impact cannot be avoided. “It’s demoralizing,” Smith said. “Every week I open my email and brace myself for more bad news. I’m doing everything I can to keep the same opportunities for my students, but at what cost?” 

It is the belief that small actions can make a difference that keeps her going. “I try to find one thing each day that can have a positive impact—so my students know I care, and my community knows someone is listening.” 

Bravetta Hassell is Director of Communications for Advance Illinois.

Guest Post From We, the Village (WTV) - Day in the Life: The Impact of ECACE

The We, the Village (WTV) coalition asked early childhood providers who have received the Early Childhood Access Consortium for Equity (ECACE) scholarship what a day in their lives looked like while continuing their education, and how ECACE has helped make their career goals a reality.

Read the story of Alexis Smith, Early Childhood Educator and ECACE recipient.

What did a typical day look like for you, and how did you manage balancing your responsibilities as an early childhood educator alongside your college coursework? 

I balanced my days by making my appointments, putting them in my telephone, and setting my alarms. I had children sometimes and sometimes I didn't. I set my alarm for half an hour before it was time for my appointments with my tutors during the week. When doing housework, I would set my alarm for the time I felt it would take me to an area or a room. I would also set my alarm for whatever time I was going to study so that I would get my homework done and turn it in on time.

What inspired you to go back to school or pursue your degree in early childhood education? 

What inspired me to go back to school and pursue my bachelor's degree in early childhood education was my grandmother. I came home one night, and my grandmother was sitting at the table, and I asked her what she was doing. She told me she was doing her mail order interior decorating homework. I made a statement about her age, and she told me you never get too old to learn. She had me promise her that I would go back to school and finish my education, no matter how long it took.

How has receiving the ECACE scholarship impacted your educational experience, and what does it mean to you personally? 

Receiving the ECACE scholarship has impacted me by giving me the opportunity to go back to school to earn my bachelor's degree in early childhood education. It also made it possible for me to fulfill my promise that I made to my grandmother. I never thought I would be able to go back to school and obtain my bachelor's, and graduate with honors at my age.

What impact do you hope to make in your community or classroom as a result of earning your degree? 

The impact that I hope to have on children's lives is the importance of going to school to get an education so they can make a good life for themselves. In my community, I have already started. I volunteer in the food pantry when I can and I am a Sunday school teacher working with toddlers to three-year-olds.

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