From the Desk of Robin Steans, Sustaining and Improving Learning Renewal Efforts in Illinois

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

More than two years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education in Illinois in ways we never could have imagined. Since then, caregivers, educators, and state and local leaders have had to respond to this crisis with limited information about what impact the pandemic has had on the resources and supports students need. While we are still collectively building this understanding, the state is gaining useful data that can and should inform learning renewal priorities moving forward. 

In our latest report, The State We’re In 2022: A Look at the Impact of COVID-19 on Education in Illinois, Advance Illinois began to unpack the pandemic’s impact on students’ access to opportunities and resources during this unprecedented time. 

What Emerging Data is Telling Us 

The results were sobering, if not surprising. Nearly every facet of education—enrollment, academic instruction, social-emotional learning, and student well-being—was profoundly impacted by the pandemic. And while the data are limited, they highlight that these disruptions were not evenly felt. Further, it is clear that things are not ‘back to normal,’ and likely will not be for a long time: 

• High Quality early childhood programs help children prepare for and succeed in K-12 grades and beyond. The significant shifts we saw in early childhood enrollment (with some programs seeing decreases of up to 20%) will likely have an impact on academic and developmental readiness as children enter kindergarten in coming years. 

• Statewide, we lost tens of thousands of students from public and private K-12 schools, and we saw an unprecedented 14 percent decrease in community college enrollment in fall 2020. And while we hope to see numbers increase this fall, in fall 2021, community college enrollment and K-12 enrollment continued to decline rather than bounce back. 

• Declining attendance and assessment scores, though incomplete, reveal significant impacts on academic progress. In 2020-2021, chronic absenteeism – a predictor of later academic achievement and graduation – increased by 3 and 5 percentage points respectively in our elementary and middle schools, driven in large part by students from low-income households, Black and Latinx students, and English Learners. If left unaddressed, these academic gaps may persist or grow over time, worsening disparities educators have worked hard to reduce. 

• Coming out of the 2020-2021 school year, and on top of disrupted academic progress, lagging social-emotional skills have made teaching and learning significantly more challenging. Despite being back in-person, educators in Illinois described the 2021-2022 school year as perhaps the most difficult they have faced so far. 

• Finally, 9th Grade On-Track rates – a powerful predictor of high school graduation - dropped from 87% to 82% in 2021, warning that without intervention, we may soon see a drop in high school graduation rates.  

Illinois' Ongoing Response 

Families, teachers, districts, and agencies across the state launched a strong response to the COVID-19 pandemic from day one. From rapidly moving curriculum online, to mobilizing to distribute digital devices, to keeping early childhood providers afloat through emergency shutdowns and restricted enrollment, and much, much more, state and local leaders and educators led a robust response early in the pandemic.  As importantly, the state provided guidance to districts and educators across the continuum on research-based strategies to address COVID impacts. In the past year, Illinois continued the effort, launching an Early Childhood enrollment campaign, investing in the expansion of the REACH pilot to support trauma-responsive schools, and launching programs like One Goal and high impact tutoring opportunities across the state.  

Moving Forward 

We cannot lose momentum now. The data makes clear that we must continue to rise to this once-in-a-century moment and maintain a long-term perspective. Moving into our third school year since the start of the pandemic, we urge the state to: 

• Develop and implement a statewide research agenda.  With federal relief funds in hand, state and local education leaders have been implementing a wide array of initiatives to meet students’ academic, social-emotional, and mental health needs. It is vital that we learn from efforts to date – not only to inform ongoing learning renewal work, but to learn and grow so that we can support the next generation to reach its full potential more effectively. The state should have a clear learning agenda, and use data to inform priorities. This involves continuing to develop our understanding of what students need as new data becomes available and maintaining investment in our state’s longitudinal data system.  

• Sustain effective learning renewal programs after federal funding lapses. All signs indicate that the impacts of the pandemic will continue to be felt far beyond the expiration of federal relief funding in 2024. Building on research and evaluation of existing learning renewal efforts, the state should be ready to identify areas that require continued investment and allocate funds to sustain programs that are making a difference for students. 

• Fully fund our B-20 education systems. Even before the pandemic hit, adequately and equitably funding education systems has proven to make a difference for kids. Illinois has made meaningful progress towards adequate funding with increases to the Early Childhood Block Grant, K-12 Evidence-Based Funding Formula, MAP grant, and institutional funding in higher education. The pandemic has only heightened the urgency of this work. While federal stimulus funds have helped state agencies and LEAs address immediate pandemic challenges, these funds are intended to be a targeted supplement to ongoing sustained investment in our programs and institutions. This year, we urge the state to increase funding for early childhood programs by 20% and invest no less than $550 million in new funds in the Evidence-Based Funding formula to support K-12 schools. In addition, we urge leaders to support a new, more equitable and sufficient funding approach to higher education.  These investments are critical to support long-term student growth and recovery. 

• Address lagging enrollment. The state has already launched a re-enrollment campaign to address dwindling numbers in Early Childhood programs. We urge the state to monitor and evaluate this program, and apply lessons learned to address re-enrollment of elementary and middle school students. A particular challenge in addressing K-12 enrollment is our inability to identify students who are being homeschooled. Creating statewide reporting requirements for families who homeschool would allow the Illinois State Board of Education to understand how many students who are not in our public and private schools are being homeschooled—and where students may be missing formal education entirely.  

• Continue to explore opportunities to use time and modality more flexibly. Students have missed crucial learning time, and providing staff and students with opportunities to make up for that time is a challenge. Districts across the state have been piloting new ways to use classroom and extended learning time. Let us learn from these efforts, not only to inform learning renewal, but also to improve our understanding of how to effectively accelerate learning for students. Similarly, we urge institutions across the B-20 continuum to identify and share areas where virtual options have made a difference and work to maintain or develop these efforts. 

• Implement recommendations coming out of the Whole Child Task Force. Student needs outside of the academic realm have only increased during the pandemic. The Whole Child Task Force has identified clear ways in which the state can better support the whole child, including adopting statewide definitions of trauma-responsive schools and districts, providing high quality training to district staff and community-based service providers, developing a community trauma index to better understand need and including student-to-support staff ratios in the Illinois State Report Card. Let us use this crisis to dramatically strengthen how we support our students. 

• Strengthen and diversify our educator pipeline. It is good news that over the past few years, districts have been able to add instructional and support positions – roles that were desperately needed pre-COVID, and even more so now. The challenge now is to continue to grow the pipeline to expand and fill these positions across the state, increasing students’ access to high quality teachers, counselors, social workers, and psychologists. Districts must continue to invest in recruitment and retention, but the state has a key role to play to grow and diversify our educator workforce by expanding high school pathways, creating real articulation between 2-year and 4-year programs, and deepening support for scholarships, innovative grow-your-own and program efforts, and ongoing induction and mentoring. 

We are on the road to recovery—but not ready to take our foot off the gas. Educators, communities, state, and local leaders have supported students in countless ways, but COVID disruptions have been far-reaching, and have exacerbated already deep inequities. It will take a long-term statewide effort to provide students, children, and families with equitable access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. Having come this far, Illinois is – and must remain – ready for the challenge. 

Robin Steans

President

From the Desk of Robin Steans, Five-Years Into EBF, There is Much to Celebrate

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Five years ago today, after focused years of fierce advocacy, the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula was signed into law. This landmark legislation overhauled Illinois’ K-12 education funding system, replacing an outdated and inequitable structure with a formula that prioritizes the state’s least well-funded districts, distributes funds based on a research-based estimate of what schools need to fully serve students, and takes into account differences in student needs across districts. Importantly, the law includes a “Minimum Funding Level” clause that requires that the state appropriate at least $350 million in additional funds for the formula each year, a commitment that has driven roughly $1.5B in new funding since the law passed. As we mark the five-year milestone of this legislation, I would like to pause and reflect on how it has transformed resource equity in Illinois, benefiting students, educators, and school communities and serving as a national model. 

Before EBF... 

In order to appreciate the full impact of the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula, we need to revisit what the state’s education funding was like before its passage. Prior to 2017, Illinois had one of the least equitable school funding formulas in the country, and one of the lowest levels of state financial support. Across the state, and as a result of our outsized reliance on local property taxes to fund schools, on average, students from low-income households were funded significantly less than their peers from wealthier districts. In fact, before EBF, over 160 Illinois school districts, serving hundreds of thousands of students, had less than 60% of the funding required to meet their needs.  And over half of the state’s districts, serving over 1.2 million students, had less than 70% of what they needed to provide sound instruction.  To put a human face on it, this meant that on a per-pupil basis, these districts had thousands of dollars less than they needed to hire teachers, counselors, reading specialists, and support personnel.  Thousands of dollars less per pupil than they needed to provide extracurriculars, fine arts, world language, and summer programming.  Thousands of dollars less per pupil than they needed to upgrade curriculum, textbooks, and buildings.  And as if that wasn’t problematic enough, decisions to prorate state funding in the years prior to EBF wound up hurting neediest districts the most.  

Put together, heading into the historic vote on whether or not the state should adopt EBF, the regressive impact of our school funding formula was clear: 

• Students from low-income households were in districts funded, on average, at 68% of adequacy. 

• Black and Latinx students were in districts funded, on average, at 68% and 69% of adequacy, while their white peers were in districts funded at 81% of adequacy. 

Leadership & Advocacy Matters 

The passage of the evidence-based formula did not happen overnight. It took years of technical analysis, significant district, educator, and community input and advocacy, and leadership from key elected officials, the Illinois School Board of Education (ISBE) and the General Assembly to pass.  Critically, school districts, civil right organizations, legislators, advocacy groups, and groups representing teachers and administrators formed a powerful coalition – Funding Illinois’ Future – and made themselves heard in countless town hall meetings around the state, and in Springfield.  Indeed, the possibility of (finally!) reimagining the school funding formula to truly prioritize equity brought together arguably the most diverse – and effective – coalition of families, residents and leaders the state has ever seen.   

Since EBF... 

Data from the first five years of EBF show that the formula is working exactly as planned. As seen below, EBF is effectively driving new dollars to districts that disproportionately serve students from low-income households, students of color, and English Learners.  Because EBF calculates education costs based on student need and distributes new state dollars to school districts furthest from full funding, EBF has driven 70%-80% of new state resources in any given year to the state’s most property poor districts and those that serve the most students from low-income households.  

Since the passage of EBF through Fiscal Year (FY) 23, new tier funding through the formula has totaled $1.57 Billion. And because the formula is dynamic, EBF can and does respond to changes at the local level.  Every year, ISBE calculates a unique “Adequacy Target” for each of the more than 850 school districts. These targets reflect the cost of providing research-based components of a high-quality education, based on each district’s student characteristics. Five years in, the progress is striking –  

• There are now only 2 districts funded below 60% of adequacy. 

• As of FY23, the average percent of adequacy for students from low-income households was 77%, up from 68% in FY18. 

• Black and Latinx students average percent of adequacy was 76% and 78%, compared to 86% among their white peers – meaning that all groups have benefitted over the past five years, and the gap across groups has decreased.

For further discussion of EBF’s positive impact, the Professional Review Panel recently released a 5-year evaluative study detailing the impact of new funding, and it is worth a read.  

The road ahead... 

While significant progress has been made, this progress is only possible when the state invests adequate new funds through the formula each year. Illinois has done an impressive job getting more districts (and students) closer to adequate funding.  That said, roughly 200 districts serving over 460,000 students are still at or below 70% of adequacy. Over half of Illinois students are still in districts at or below 75% of adequacy. And nearly eight in 10 students attend districts below 90% of adequacy.  As we begin this new school year, the gap between current funding levels and full and adequate funding is $6.7 billion.  If the state continues to invest $350M in EBF each year,2 it will take another 20 years – until 2042 (!) -- to get all districts to at least 90% adequacy. If Illinois is going to realize the full benefit of EBF and keep its commitment to provide children across the state an adequate and equitable education, we will need to raise our sights and invest more new dollars each year – more than the minimum of $350M.   

Passing EBF in 2017 was not only a huge step forward for Illinois students, it was a reminder of what we can accomplish when we come together around powerful ideas.  As we reflect on the first five years of EBF and the significant progress we have made in that time, let us also commit to the next five years, knowing that we can and must continue to take bold action.  

Robin Steans

President

We encourage you to read these two other perspectives highlighting the significance EBF has had on IL students and our state.

From the Desk of Robin Steans - A Reflection on the 102nd Session – Celebrating and Appreciating Putting Students’ Needs First

9 min read

From the Desk: A Reflection on the 102nd Session – Celebrating and Appreciating Putting Students’ Needs First

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is said that budgets reflect priorities, and Illinois’ FY23 budget reflects an ongoing commitment to supporting Illinois schools and institutions, as well as the significant educational recovery and renewal needs brought on by the pandemic. It is hard to imagine, but this was the third legislative session impacted by COVID-19, and in January, it was far from clear how it would proceed. Early fiscal forecasts seemed promising, but with the omicron surge, conflict in Ukraine, rising inflation, and more, things were anything but certain. With tremendous leadership from both chambers and the governor's office, Illinois passed a balanced budget – early, and with clear wins for children, students and educators. In addition to the budget, we also saw thoughtful and targeted efforts to address short- and long-term needs related to the pandemic, the educator pipeline, and efforts to double down on supporting students to complete high school college and career ready. 

FY23 BUDGET

As we shared in our initial statement, there are many things to celebrate in this budget. Increases in funding for the state’s higher education system (public 4-year institutions, community colleges, and a stunning increase to MAP scholarships), Evidence-Based Funding, educator pipeline (including Educators Rising and Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarships), and some early childhood and care programs (Early Childhood Block Grant, Early Intervention, and home visiting) represent a clear commitment to increasing access and equity across the birth through postsecondary (B-20) education continuum.  

The budget also reflects the collective voices of parents, educators, students, and Illinoisans from communities throughout the state. Coalition members of We, The Village sent more than 4,300 letters to state legislators calling for increased investment in early childhood and care. The Funding Illinois’ Future coalition brought together district leaders, parents, caregivers, educators, and civil rights organizations from rural, suburban and urban communities to speak with a united voice to increase funding for EBF. Members of the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Advocacy Team, which included civil rights and faith-based organizations, universities, educator leadership, and advocacy groups, actively engaged decision-makers to ensure aspiring educators of color have increased access to funding. And members of the recently created Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding mobilized their communities and advocated for increased MAP funding. People made noise and were heard!

That said, there were some disappointments. I would be remiss not to note the lack of additional investment in certain early childhood and care programs. The governor's Early Childhood Funding Commission outlined the need for an additional $10 billion to be invested in our early childhood and care system. That’s a big hill to climb, and together with partners, we pushed for a 10 percent across-the-board increase to begin this important journey. The increases that occurred are important and appreciated. But some critical programs, including childcare, received just a fraction of the ask or were flat-funded. We now know what it costs to truly meet the needs of Illinois’ children and families, close equity and opportunity gaps, and pay our early childhood workforce at a rate commensurate with the value of their work and sufficient to attract and keep staff. We need to do even more to make up valuable ground.

LEGISLATION HIGHLIGHTS

Though the budget stole the show, a number of bills passed that will impact education. The vast majority reflect a healthy balance of addressing immediate needs, planning for the future, and codifying policies that support access. Here are a few highlights:

Early childhood education and care awareness and services

Early childhood education and care-related bills that passed this session include efforts to extend child care (CCAP) and Early Intervention (EI) services to some of our most vulnerable children in the child welfare system; ensure families receive EI services in a timely fashion; and require that postsecondary students receive notification of child care services and eligibility. All of these reflect important steps in increasing access to vital services for our youngest children.

Addressing the teacher shortage

Some sensible bills passed that provide immediate and targeted relief around the teacher shortage. These include efforts to increase the availability of substitutes and paraprofessionals, as well as short-term relief on some professional development requirements required for licensure renewal. Given the immediate staffing challenges schools are facing, these flexibilities strike the right balance of providing immediate support while not compromising Illinois’ efforts to grow a strong and diverse educator workforce.

Planning for the future

Additionally, resolutions passed on key topics that we know the state is going to have to tackle over the next few years. These types of efforts help us work smarter and make informed decisions. For example, 10 years into implementation, SR774 calls on the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC) to review research and data on the implementation of our educator evaluation system (PERA) and make recommendations for ongoing improvements. SR900/HR722, charges ISBE and the Professional Review Panel (or PRP) to continue building upon recent findings to analyze and understand the potential costs and implications to EBF. Both of these resolutions allow the state to review critical policies in a coherent, rather than piecemeal or anecdotal, fashion.

College and Career Readiness

On another front, several bills passed that build on and expand elements of the Post-Secondary Workforce Readiness Act, including efforts to expand dual credit as well as accelerate the implementation of postsecondary and career expectations framework, and Career Ready Endorsement/Pathway programs across the state.

Data to inform decision making 

Finally, legislation passed prohibiting ISBE from requiring a standardized assessment in Pk-2nd grade, or from providing or funding assessments on an optional basis.  We supported the main goal of the bill, which was to prohibit required assessments in the early grades or to use them for accountability purposes. But we would have liked to see the bill amended to permit optional support from ISBE for interested districts who would benefit from financial help and/or assessment expertise that they do not have in-house. Importantly, the bill exempts certain diagnostic assessments and observational assessments, like language or dyslexia screeners and KIDS. 

BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION BILL (BIMP)

In true Springfield fashion, the budget implementation bill (also known as the BIMP) included some impactful legislative changes and requirements.  

• Legislators raised the maximum grant size for Illinois’ signature scholarship program (MAP) from $6,468 to $8,508 and expanded the program to include career and technical certificates and credentials. This is obviously terrific news for affordability and accessibility. 

• Starting January 1, 2023, tax credits for teachers/school staff purchasing instructional materials will be raised from $250 to $500. This is in addition to legislation allowing for a 10-day sale tax reduction for school supplies and a one-time tax rebate for dependents.  

• And not to be missed, ISBE is required to take action to correct an error in how enrollment was calculated in EBF for the Chicago Public Schools in FY19-21 by both fixing the miscalculations moving forward (thereby adjusting adequacy targets and base funding minimums) and retroactively addressing impacts to other districts.  

• The BIMP also directs the agency to work outside of the formula and provide one-time “Significant Loss” grants to certain eligible districts that may see a significant drop in their local contribution, a direction made on top of legislative changes designed to systemically ease the impact of dramatic changes in local revenues.  

All told, this session was marked by a budget that reflected student needs, with a focus on equity and access, and it is worth pausing to celebrate and appreciate. But we cannot rest. A great deal of work remains to ensure that all students, from birth to career, have sufficient resources, excellent educators, and system-wide support for success. The full and long-term impacts of the pandemic on our education community are still emerging, and the only thing that is crystal clear is that we will (and should) be addressing them for years to come.

Robin Steans

President

From the Desk of Robin Steans - Making 2022 A Better, Stronger Year for Our Students

7 min read

From the Desk: Making 2022 A Better, Stronger Year for Our Students

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

While 2021 had its share of ups and downs, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge or celebrate the advances made last year. Though COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on our communities, new vaccines for students 5 years old and older mean they are now better protected from some of the toughest physical effects of the virus. In addition, Springfield took some helpful steps. The General Assembly did the right thing and appropriated $350 million to the Evidence-Based Funding formula for FY22, invested federal funds to strengthen and expand the early childhood workforce, and in November, the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding launched, with the charge of helping Illinois make equitable investments in Higher Education.    

This year, Advance Illinois will focus on supporting more adequate and equitable funding from cradle to career, helping strengthen and diversify the educator pipeline, focusing on mental health for students and educators, gathering and putting to work more relevant data, and addressing the impact and implications of two years of disrupted learning and care. 

ADEQUATE & EQUITABLE FUNDING ACROSS THE BIRTH-POSTSECONDARY (B-20) CONTINUUM 

It is vital we take a birth-postsecondary (B-20) funding approach to ensure that every part of the education and care continuum is adequately and equitably funded. Every step of our education system relies on the health and success of the previous steps. K-12 students thrive when they have had access to high-quality early childhood experiences. Post-secondary students persist at higher rates when they have had a strong K-12 education. And, all students perform better when they have access to quality educators and caregivers. While funding is not the only answer to what ails public education in Illinois, years of under-investment and inequitable investment – from early childhood through higher education – take their toll on student achievement and progress.   

This year, we will advocate for: 

Increasing state early childhood investments by at least 10 percent. 

While Illinois has begun new efforts to improve access and quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC) over the last year, there is still much work to be done. The governor’s own Commission reports that we are underfunding ECEC by roughly $12 billion. Accordingly, the state needs a long-term plan to put it on a path towards adequacy. In the meantime, the alarm has been sounded, and we urge the state to increase state funding for the ECEC system and individual early childhood programs by at least 10 percent in the FY23 state budget. Such an increase would put Illinois on a path to closing the demonstrable resource gap in early childhood as we develop a longer-term plan. 

Fully-funding the Evidence-Based Formula (EBF). 

Since EBF passed in 2017, the data show that the formula is working as intended. Nonetheless, over 300 districts in Illinois still fall at or below 70 percent of adequacy. The state has committed to putting at least an additional $350 million into the formula every year for ten years. After failing to do so in FY21, the state got back on track by fully funding EBF in FY22. In FY23, Illinois must maintain its commitment to Illinois’ students by continuing to fund the formula. Federal relief funds have been a lifeline to our schools and communities, helping address the immediate impacts of the pandemic. These one-time funds, however, cannot and should not replace EBF dollars that enable schools to build the foundation for long-term, stable instruction, and programming for students.  We ask legislators to recommit to reaching 90% funding by 2030 by putting at least $350 million into EBF in FY23 and reviewing findings from the Professional Review Panel detailing possible avenues for making the formula even more equitable.  

Restoring enrollment, investment, and equity in the state’s higher education system. 

Currently, the state awards Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants to fewer than half of those who apply, and the award covers just a fraction of the costs of attending college. This reality is pricing too many students out of our higher education system, especially students from low-income households and students of color. Undergraduate enrollment in community colleges and public four-year institutions has dropped significantly over the past 5 years, with community college enrollment dropping precipitously since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. After years of disinvestment, Illinois must evaluate what level of investment is required and how to equitably distribute funds to ensure our higher education system and students get the support they need. We will continue to champion a $50 million increase in MAP as well as much-needed additional institutional funding and its equitable distribution. And while we push for funding in the short term, we fight for long-term solutions by being active participants on (1) the Commission as recommendations are developed and (2) in the Coalition for Transforming Higher Education Funding, where we will raise awareness of the need for equity-oriented reform.   

A STRONGER, MORE DIVERSE TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL PIPELINE 

Many parts of Illinois are facing acute teacher shortages, particularly in special education and bilingual education. Years of underinvestment, program cuts, and piecemeal policy responses are making themselves felt. Now is the time to intensify state support for a comprehensive, coordinated, ambitious plan to build a stronger, more diverse educator pipeline – one that recruits and retains talented, diverse educators and closes gaps in high-need subjects and regions. 

We will continue to develop and advocate for a set of evidence-based strategies that address the entire educator pipeline from recruitment to preparation to placement and retention. This includes: 

• Supporting a $2.35 million increase (for a total of $4.25 million) for Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) scholarships in order to support more teaching candidates of color, including Black male and bilingual candidates (a modest increase for an outsized impact);  

• Funding for High School Education Pathways and loan forgiveness to recruit candidates to areas and subjects of need;  

• Expanding proven alternative pathways; 

• Developing and investing in a state infrastructure (such as a unified portal) to simplify access to financial aid and licensure information; and 

• Supporting an investment of $6.5 million in educator induction, mentoring and development for new teachers 

We will also continue to support regular and substantive feedback for teachers and principals together with thoughtful licensure, even as we consider and respond to changing and challenging circumstances. Ten years in, it is clear that the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA), which calls for more substantive feedback for teachers and principals, has led to more robust conversations about classroom instruction and practice, as intended. If there are also adjustments to consider, let’s do so collectively, and in a way that builds on important progress. Additionally, as we continue to build and strengthen the pipeline, let’s review current teacher training requirements to make sure we are maximizing valuable professional development time.  

The single most important thing we can do for students is provide well-prepared, capable educators and give them the support and development they need as the world continues to throw them new and challenging curve balls. Headed into the pandemic, we started to see improvements in the diversity of and enrollment in teacher and principal preparation programs. Let’s deepen and expand our efforts. 

COVID-19 LEARNING RECOVERY 

We are still very much in the midst of a pandemic that continues to severely disrupt our system of education and care, and the situation is far from over. Illinois must not only continue to address ongoing, immediate needs, but also attend to recovery and rebuilding. The research continues to show the impact the past two years is having on children and students, academically and emotionally. Reports from the field also show challenging instructional conditions, especially among students from low-income households, of color, English-language learners, and diverse learners. Illinois has received billions in federal education relief funds to support recovery. We must collect information and data that accurately captures the depth and breadth of need, as well as how these federal resources are being invested and the ongoing impact of these supports. We have a powerful opportunity to learn from and strengthen interventions and practice, to not only better meet student needs, but to truly “build back better.” We encourage a strong research and reporting plan, and urge policymakers and practitioners to take advantage of the P-20 Council plan for learning recovery and student/educator well-being. Finally, we look forward to reviewing findings and recommendations from the Whole Child Task Force for ideas on how we can use this moment to fundamentally re-imagine and strengthen student (and educator) supports. 

As we all can probably agree, the past 22 months have been extremely difficult, and there are only inadequate words for the teachers and leaders who have supported children and students through once-in-a-century challenges. We are committed to fighting for the resources and supports needed for the work ahead this year and beyond. 

Robin Steans

President

From the Desk of Robin Steans - The Moment is Now to Support and Invest in Illinois’ Youngest Learners

From the Desk: The Moment is Now to Support and Invest in Illinois’ Youngest Learners

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As school communities across the state continue to address the ongoing challenges created by COVID-19, and amidst significant and ongoing gaps and complexities in district and state data, Advance Illinois applauds ISBE for releasing as much crucial information as possible in its 2021 Illinois Report Card . Unsurprisingly, these data were sobering and echo much of what we have been hearing from educators, parents, and school communities over the last 20 months.  

While a number of areas stood out as needing additional thought, attention and support (e.g., chronic absenteeism and freshmen on-track rates), alarms should be going off for our children in the earliest grades. Traditionally, we do not have a great deal of visibility into student progress from PreK-2nd grade.  There are limited state level data available, and ISBE has yet to finalize its P-2 indicator for school designations. It’s hard to know how we are doing in a normal year, let alone during this pandemic. This year’s report card, coupled with what we have heard from families and early childhood providers and programs, however, is worrisome and worth attention. Specifically:  

• Enrollment declines in the early, formative years - Spring 2021 Prekindergarten attendance was down 17 percentage points from the previous Spring. In SY20-21, 10,800 fewer children attended Kindergarten than SY19-20 – that’s an eight-percentage point drop. In addition to being concerned about whether these unserved children are in safe and stable environments, we should also be worried about the stimulation and learning these students missed. Research has shown time and time again the importance of the foundational social and academic skills developed in these years. We are facing a generation of kids starting their educational journey behind or with significant developmental and academic gaps. 

• Declines in academic proficiency in core subjects - While still preliminary and incomplete (and requiring cautious interpretation and use), preliminary assessment data show that 3rd grade English Language Arts and Math scores for students from low-income households went down 10.5 percentage points and 12.4 percentage points, respectively, between 2019 and 2021.  This decline echos national research that showed loss of academic learning gains in 3rd and 4th grade compared to SY18-19. This matters because these represent foundational years and skills. And while Illinois schools have traditionally done a pretty good job making progress in closing achievement and opportunity gaps, these data should have us concerned.  

• Lack of data/information about Kindergarten readiness - While we don’t have reliable state level data from SY20-21, KIDS is a researched-based and universal tool that can support and inform stakeholders in understanding where our children are developmentally and academically as they enter Kindergarten. This provides a foundation for the state to build upon when addressing the impact of disrupted learning and care in the early years. 

• Growing awareness of acute social and emotional needs and support - And while no state level data exist, reports from the field suggest educators and schools are struggling with behavior challenges and social emotional development, particularly among the youngest students. 

What to do?  

While there is no quick or easy response, there are some immediate and medium-term actions that districts, stakeholders and the state might consider, including: 

• Immediately ensuring that the PreK-3rd grades are getting a proportionate (or truthfully, maybe even an outsized) amount of federal stimulus resources. Resources are available to help school and district leaders plan and invest these funds. District leaders and stakeholders should re-examine their ARP ESSER plans and amend as necessary to drive resources to serve our PreK-3rd grade students.  

• Supporting efforts to align, improve and stabilize the state’s system of early childhood and care by investing at least an additional 10 percent in all programs in FY23. And all of us should be championing the federal Build Back Better package, which is poised to invest billions into childcare and PreK. 

• Learning more about and joining We, The Village, a coalition which advocates to advance equity and quality for early learning and care in Illinois.  

• In the medium term, we need to invest in data collection and tools to better understand the exposure and impact of trauma and the social-emotional needs of all of our students, particularly our youngest students. This will be critical in addressing unprecedented levels of student (and staff) need that will likely cast a shadow for years to come. Further, efforts to build better understanding of mental health in addition to universal and readily available screening tools can inform stronger and more systemic supports and true trauma-responsive practice into the future.  

• Evaluate and learn from the state’s Jump Start grants, designed to support Kindergartners and 1st graders who received little to no in-person instruction in SY20-21. 

  Advocate and invest in our ECE workforce and educator pipeline so that every child has access to well-prepared, equitability compensated, and diverse educators. This will include high-quality implementation of the new EC Consortium and scholarship opportunities, along with planning now for scaling and sustaining these efforts once federal relief dollars are gone.  

• Double down on our commitment to (1) the Governor’s ECE Commission Recommendations, and (2) fully funding EBF. State and federal investments here are key, but we also must have strong aligned systems that advance equitable funding and resource stability to ensure that our children and communities have access to high-quality programs and classrooms into the future.  

Right now, we know we must respond to the significant immediate threats and issues facing our children, but we must not do so at the expense of longer-term planning to develop and strengthen programs and systems that have the potential to positively impact students and families far beyond this immediate crisis. We must not aspire to get back to normal. Instead, we should work now to ensure we come out of this once-in-a-century crisis better equipped to support all students. Intervening and doubling down now on our youngest children and students is both the powerful and the right thing to do. They cannot wait, and we cannot wait.  

Robin Steans

President