Mary Ann Ahern has a look at the latest reports for Illinois students and their test scores...

“What happens if our school isn’t renewed?”

Claudia Rodriguez read aloud that question, which was submitted from an audience of more than 100 parents gathered inside Noble School’s UIC College Prep’s gymnasium in mid-October...

According to the latest NWEA data, students last spring were, on average, 4.1 months behind pre-pandemic achievement levels in reading and 4.5 months behind in math. Students in middle school grades, students attending high-poverty schools, and students of color were the furthest behind, especially in math. These are big gaps, and they represent a daunting challenge: How, exactly, are schools supposed to help students get back on track? Which academic interventions will work best?

Two weeks ago, when I wrote about the proliferation of 50 percent grading floors in K-12 schools, I was shocked that there wasn’t more evidence available to have informed such a systemic change in the first place. The teachers I spoke to for that newsletter felt that this kind of policy — which prevents them from giving students zeros, including, in some cases, when they’ve skipped an assignment — coupled with policies that don’t allow them to factor attendance into grading, left them with few options for holding students accountable.

Public schools continue to face challenges stemming from the pandemic. Many schools opened in fall with teacher vacancies and students performing below grade level. To support school districts’ efforts in learning recovery, faculty members in the UNC School of Education are leading an effort to connect K-12 and higher education leaders and educators, university-based faculty and researchers, and state policymakers.

Caroline Kelly is an Affiliated Researcher at the UChicago Consortium and a PhD Student at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. She is also an Institute of Education Sciences fellow at the University of Chicago. Caroline's research centers on the implementation of Medicaid policy in schools and school-based mental health services. Caroline is a social worker with experience working in Chicago, Detroit, and Bay Area schools.

A rising share of Chicago Public Schools students enrolled in college in recent years, and far more are earning degrees or certificates at two-year colleges.

That’s according to a study released Thursday by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research and the To & Through Project, which tracks college enrollment. Additionally, the study found that more Chicago students than ever are projected to pursue and complete college over the next decade...

Economic forecasts prior to the COVID-19 pandemic predicted that 7 out of 10 jobs would require some form of postsecondary education by 2030. While it is still too early to precisely predict what will happen in the short-term U.S. economy, evidence suggests that the combination of technology and economic forces will favor upskilling in the U.S. workforce.

The evidence was clear: enrollment in full-day preschool had long-lasting benefits for students, especially students who started off the farthest behind. Beginning in 2013, Chicago Public Schools officials invested in new policies and programs that resulted in quadrupling full-day programs, most notably on the West and South Sides of Chicago in primarily Black neighborhoods with the lowest income levels. Full-day preschool enrollment became more equitable, and preschool daily attendance rates rose to their highest levels ever.