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.
For 33 years, the Minority Teachers of Illinois Scholarship’s mission has been to steer more people of color into the state’s teacher workforce, which is largely white. But in October, state lawmakers quietly stripped race and ethnicity requirements and made the program open to students of any race.
Six schools moved up, four moved down, and overall things seem to be improving with proficiency, graduation and chronic absenteeism rates. That in a nutshell is the finding for Springfield’s District 186 schools in the 2025 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Report Card that tracks performance at the state’s public schools.
University students and faculty urged the Illinois Board of Higher Education to press Gov. JB Pritzker to release more than $29 million in funding for state colleges and universities that state lawmakers approved this year but the Pritzker administration is holding back.
University students and faculty urged the Illinois Board of Higher Education to press Gov. JB Pritzker to release more than $29 million in funding for state colleges and universities that state lawmakers approved this year but the Pritzker administration is holding back.
As the midway point of the school year draws near, educators across the Quad Cities met for the Advance Illinois ‘The State We’re In 2025’ report.
A new report from Advance Illinois shows schools across the state are still struggling to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A comprehensive report card on Illinois public education shows both good news and bad news.
The Student Center CEFCU Commons at Illinois Central College‘s Peoria campus was occupied by around 50 educators, administrators and local officials, all to discuss what Illinois schools are succeeding in, and what they need to improve.
An Illinois non-profit bipartisan advocacy group focusing on education issues is touring the state to discuss its latest review.
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.
State Report Card Improves for District 186
Six schools moved up, four moved down, and overall things seem to be improving with proficiency, graduation and chronic absenteeism rates. That in a nutshell is the finding for Springfield’s District 186 schools in the 2025 Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Report Card that tracks performance at the state’s public schools.

