WBEZ

When public school students in Illinois returned to their lessons this year, education was undeniably different. The pandemic has brought to the forefront the racial and economic inequities that have long existed in public education. Students also returned to class following a summer of social unrest over the killings of a number of black people at the hands of police.

In response this week, an education bill crafted by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus passed the state legislature and is headed to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk. It’s part of a package of bills advanced by the caucus...