In the News
Advance Illinois serves as a resource for media outlets from across the state and beyond on policy issues in education from birth to career. Here’s our recent coverage.
The Illinois State Board of Education unanimously approved an overhaul to its system for deciding how well schools across the state are performing.
Legislation currently in the Illinois House seeks to make funding public universities more equitable.
Proposed changes to Illinois’ school accountability system are drawing some scrutiny from education groups, who warn the revisions will leave out key measures that paint a full picture of school performance.
Illinois House Bill 1581 advanced out of committee in late March. If passed, it would change how the state funds higher education.
A bill that would change the way public universities are funded in Illinois is making its way through Springfield. HB1581 and SB13 represent what supporters are calling the Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act.
Illinois House Democrats passed a plan out of committee Thursday morning to create an evidence-based funding formula for Illinois public colleges and universities.
Gov. JB Pritzker is calling on agencies in his administration to set goals for increasing the number of adults in the state with college degrees or other postsecondary credentials.
Last month, the Trump administration tried to freeze $1 billion in federal funding for Illinois child care. Courts have blocked it so far. The program that would be hit hardest is Illinois' Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).
With enrollment plunging at many of Illinois’ regional universities, state leaders are again pressing a sweeping overhaul of higher education funding.
Pritzker’s $56 billion budget proposal, which he released Wednesday, calls for a $305 million increase in the evidence-based funding formula, with a total investment of $9.2 billion.
Illinois Graduation Rates Hit All-time High, but New Test Score Benchmarks Make Progress Unclear
Illinois’ high school graduation rate has hit a 15-year high, as students continue to show academic growth above pre-pandemic levels, state officials announced Thursday with the release of the 2025 Illinois Report Card.
More Illinois Students are Proficient, New Test Scores Show. But the Cut Scores Changed.
On the first standardized test results reported since Illinois changed the scores needed to be deemed proficient, 52% of students met the bar in English and 38% did so in math.

