Fans cheer on marathon runners on picture-perfect race day
Just before hitting the starting line Sunday morning for the 40th Bank of America Chicago Marathon, David Wolf made a couple of key, final preparations: He adjusted his bleach blonde...
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State allows educators to bypass some exams, courses for teacher licensing
Illinois lawmakers and officials have in recent years eliminated some key requirements would-be teachers needed to get licensed, allowing applicants to bypass some coursework and exams before heading straight to...
Most Illinois students didn’t pass PARCC exams in 2017
The vast majority of grade school students did not meet the passing mark on statewide reading and math exams in 2017, and performance was largely flat compared to the year...
Illinois ACT scores improve as number of test takers drops
Illinois' graduating Class of 2017 posted a 21.4 score across all four subjects on the ACT college entrance exam — the highest in the last five years — and made...
New education funding law could be lifeline to private schools
Private schools across the Chicago region and Illinois have shared a common problem for years: How to help struggling families afford tuition. A ground-breaking state education funding law signed by...
New state science test raises the bar but proficiency drops
More than a year after students took a new state science exam but never got their scores, the state is providing at least a glimpse of how well kids did...
New school funding plan could cost taxpayers billions over a decade or longer
An ambitious plan to reform the way Illinois distributes money for schools comes with laudable goals, myriad complexities and a fluctuating price tag that has so far spanned from $3.5...
Suburban school leaders worried about state education funding
Across school districts in pricey suburbs, disadvantaged communities and downstate rural enclaves, words such as "uncertainty," "frightening" and even "crisis" are popping up in conversations. Administrators are counting the days...
Elusive goal? State wants 90% of students proficient in reading, math by 2032
Like plans on paper that can falter in real life, the downfall of the old federal education law, called No Child Left Behind, came when thousands of schools in Illinois...
National education group recommends religious studies in K-12 public schools
Educator John Camardella found himself fielding questions when he started teaching a world religions class at northwest suburban Prospect High School seven years ago. After all, Prospect is a public...