From the Desk—In the Face of Uncertainty, Working Together for Illinois Students and Children

I struggled with how to begin this end-of-year reflection. Like most of you, I am looking forward to taking time with my family as we celebrate the holidays and look ahead to a New Year.  But it is hard to know quite what to say about a year that contained such unprecedented change and uncertainty, let alone one that included so much hardship and that is closing with such tragic headlines. 

Months of federal actions are changing the landscape of public education. While certainly there was (and remains) room to improve the way in which we operate sprawling and significant federal programs, most changes go far beyond reform. Instead, many undermine decades of hard-won work to safeguard, improve, and expand access to opportunities for millions of children and students in this country who rely on our public schools, as well as programs that ensure families have food and medical care. And while a new administration inevitably brings with it changes in funding priorities, there are forward-looking processes for that change – ones that allow programs and their participants to plan and adjust without causing disruption and harm. In a departure from all norms and legalities, that is not what happened this year.  

2025 has brought with it: 

• Vigorous executive branch efforts to dismantle the Department of Education, notably by dramatic reductions in staff that are causing delays in critical payments and programs, and with an outsized impact on data collection, civil rights enforcement, special education and federal student financial aid programs.  

• Cancellation or pausing of nearly $900M in research contracts that weaken stakeholder ability to make informed decisions to strengthen practice and policy and, by extension, student achievement.  

• Punitive demands on institutions of higher education, with critical federal funding threatened or withheld to ensure compliance with demands that exceed (and in some cases pervert) civil rights laws.  

• Funding that was by turn frozen (then released), rescinded, or delayed – often with little or no notice or process, and outside the normal budgeting process. 

• A government shutdown that put SNAP and Headstart in jeopardy (among other programs and services). 

• Deployment of immigration enforcement officials (and those hastily deputized) to conduct aggressive operations in Illinois and elsewhere that produced little success, by the agency’s own objectives, but sowed fear and loss in communities that spread far beyond the immigrant communities it targeted.  

I could go on. 

Instead, I will turn to the positive. Despite the issues generated by federal upheaval, Illinois accomplished some important work for children and students:    

• Protecting Public Spaces of Learning and Care 

In the face of aggressive immigration and law enforcement efforts led by the federal administration in states across the country, including our own, the General Assembly passed, and Gov. Pritzker signed, a series of state laws aimed at protecting immigrant and newcomer children, students, and families in public education settings from unlawful immigration enforcement activities. The Safe Schools for All Act (HB3247) codified constitutional law and protects the rights of all students to access public k-12 education regardless of their immigration status. Among other things, the law prohibits schools and districts from disclosing or threatening to disclose the actual or perceived immigration status of students or their caregivers. Further, HB1312, passed in veto session, places similar restrictions on child care staff as well as public colleges and universities, both of which will be prohibited from disclosing citizenship information about students or employees. Children cannot be expected to learn– let alone attend school - if they do not feel safe. Districts including Chicago Public Schools have in fact reported concerning drops in attendance amid ICE raids in the Chicago area, so we applaud lead bill sponsor State Senator Karina Villa and the Latino Policy Forum, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights  (ICIRR), Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, Legal Action Chicago, the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, Start Early, Illinois Action for Children, and many other advocates for championing this important legislation that enshrines Illinois’ protection for every child and student and their family to learn without fear.
 

• Supporting Student Well-being and Mental Health 

As our own State We’re In: 2025 reveals, mental health issues continue to impact student achievement. Chronic absenteeism here and nationally remains at worrisome and high levels, and students continue to report elevated levels of depression and suicidal thoughts. Appropriately, the state advanced efforts to understand and support child well-being and mental health, which are fundamental to learning and growth. Among other things, ISBE released the Children’s Adversity Index in June, which identifies where and to what degree community level trauma is present across the state, putting powerful data into the hands of advocates and lawmakers alike to expand and target resources to foster safer, healthier school communities. In addition, during this past legislative session, state lawmakers passed SB1560 requiring all schools to offer voluntary mental health screenings to students enrolled in grades 3 through 12, at least once a year, beginning with 2027-2028 school year. And to address ongoing attendance issues (which remain one of the most powerful indicators of academic success), the General Assembly created a Chronic Absence Task Force to develop recommendations and report on progress.  Finally, at the collegiate level, HB3385 requires all institutions to provide licensed clinical counselors, social workers, or other mental health professionals on campus. With more tools capturing greater insight into student mental health and community conditions, and more mental health personnel being deployed on college campuses, Illinois is setting the stage for healthier schools and more data-driven decision making to sustain them.  
 

• Establishing Key Systems for Transparency and Accountability 

This year, the state was successful in paving a path for more data-driven decision- making, and greater equity and access at both the early childhood and postsecondary levels. SB0406 creates a new Early Childhood Integrated Data System (ECIDS) to collect, integrate, store and report on early childhood data across programs and agencies. While it will take time for ECIDS to be up and running, it is badly overdue and will help anchor critical work going forward allowing the agency to develop tools for parents and communities to access aggregated data  On the other end of the education spectrum, SB2039 calls for a new public-facing and centralized higher education dashboard to report on everything from institutional affordability to student enrollment, persistence, and completion, starting in 2027. These developments strengthen the state’s education data infrastructure and transparency, and they could not come at a more urgent time, as federal actions have slashed data and research support and infrastructure.   

Making sure that all children have what they need to live up to their full potential remains one of the most important responsibilities we all have. It is both the right thing to do, and it is the surest way to strengthen the future for all of us. The United States was among the first in the world to recognize the importance of educating every young person and to invest (however imperfectly) in public education for all. Leaders of every political stripe have understood and championed the value of strong public schools, not just to ensure economic and political vitality, but to forge civic and community relationships. And Americans from every corner of the country have consistently reaffirmed the value of meeting children where they are. 

As we head into 2026, I hope that these strong and common values will ensure that we continue to not only invest in the next generation, but that we do so with the understanding that we all benefit when everyone has the chance to learn and grow.  

So let us recommit ourselves to focusing on the next generation; on what they need to succeed. And let us take time this holiday season to appreciate those who support our young people in classrooms and childcare centers and college campuses. Let us rest and rejuvenate with family and friends…then come back together to make a positive difference in the New Year. 

Warmly,
Robin