CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (October 9, 2023) — Illinois has made encouraging progress to address educator shortages, despite historic challenges presented by COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. But persistent problems remain, and Illinois must prepare to provide significant aid to schools through informed financial investments and policy changes, according to new research from a statewide policy advocacy organization.
Advance Illinois, celebrating its fifteenth-anniversary this fall, has become a leading, bi-partisan education policy and advocacy organization whose work is respected by policy-makers and whose input is sought for solutions to the policy challenges facing educators and the students they serve. The group will release its latest in-depth policy report on Illinois’ educator pipeline at an October 12 mid-day launch event in Chicago.
The program will feature Advance Illinois President Robin Steans moderating a deeper dive into the report’s results alongside key policy and practice leaders in Illinois public education. Streamed video of the event will be available at the City Club of Chicago website: cityclub-chicago.org/. Advance Illinois plans two more local discussions of the report results, in Joliet and Collinsville in November.
The new report is the follow-up to the group’s 2022 report The State We’re In, an early examination of COVID-19’s impact on Illinois’ education system.
