As a leading voice for educational freedom, the Illinois Policy Institute supports school choice and greater educational opportunities for all. Click here to learn more about our work for better education in Illinois.
How much do public school teachers and administrators make in your area? The Chicago Sun-Times lets you find out.
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8/5/2010
When Illinois schools are failing, it’s time to copy Florida’s winning strategies.
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6/8/2010
The most important policy adopted by any school or school district is its contract with its teachers. This guide helps new and aspiring school board members in Illinois with collective bargaining.
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5/21/2010
Illinois state government recently has taken some important steps toward greater transparency. However, the common activities of Illinois institutions are still often difficult for taxpayers to observe.
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5/20/2010
Collin Hitt reviews the performance of downstate and suburban
charter schools for the 2008-09 school year.
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5/2/2010
Senate Bill 2494 creates a pilot program to give parents in Chicago’s lowest-performing and most severely overcrowded schools educational options. Learn the specifics of this bill here.
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4/21/2010
ineteen studies have been conducted in cities and states where school voucher programs have
been created. Eighteen of them find significant improvement in public school performance.
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4/7/2010
The SJR editorial board says, ''A bill Meeks shepherded through the Illinois Senate two weeks ago could have an immediate impact for thousands of students in some of Chicago’s most severely under-performing public schools.''
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3/29/2010
Collin Hitt, Director of Education Policy, discusses the latest news on SB 2494 from the State Capitol. This bill would allow children in the lowest performing schools in Chicago to attend private school with the use of a school voucher.
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3/29/2010
Sen. Meeks' landmark school voucher program provides opportunities for Illinois children.
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3/24/2010
This report, prepared by the Institute for Justice, says SB294 is constitutional under both the federal Establishment Clause and the Illinois Constitution.
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3/18/2010
A detailed explanation of some of the education spending choices made in Budget Solutions 2011.
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3/12/2010
Welcome to our inaugural Legislators’ Guide to the Issues. We have broken down the relevant, pressing issues facing Illinois today into 2-4 page summaries, detailing the problem and offering specific solutions to putting Illinois back on the right track.
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3/3/2010
The Rev. Senator James Meeks has proposed legislation that would create a school voucher program in Illinois. Similar pilot school voucher programs have been created throughout the country and have been thoroughly researched.
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1/13/2010
“Ahead of the Curve: An Introduction to Public School Reform in Illinois” outlines three policy alternatives to Illinois’s current system of public education: charter schools, weighted student funding, and tuition tax credits.
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12/17/2009
This new report from the Institute reviews current levels of privatization in Illinois’s public schools and provides helpful advice to state and local policymakers.
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11/17/2009
Collin Hitt, The Illinois Policy Institute's Director of Education Policy, is featured in The Examiner this week. He discusses how charter schools improve english language education.
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10/27/2009
A new report from the Illinois Policy Institute and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives Illinois’s public university system a failing grade in cost, as well as governance, general education and intellectual diversity.
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9/30/2009
Collin Hitt, the Institute's Director of Education Policy, analyzes the benefits of charter schools specifically for Hispanic Students.
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9/23/2009
The latest report from Collin Hitt, the Institute's Director of Education Policy, demonstrates that charter schools produce higher graduation rates and makes the case for the state legislature to lift the cap on charter schools in Chicago and statewide.
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7/29/2009
Collin Hitt, the Institute's Director of Education Policy, is featured in the Examiner. He discusses the droupout crisis in Springfield and the role of charter schools for increasing graduation rates.
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6/23/2009
Hundreds of communities and neighborhoods throughout Illinois are badly in need of better schools. In those communities it should be a realistic option
for innovative educators to create new school choices for students and their families.
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5/29/2009
This report examines urban charter school graduation rates.
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5/25/2009
This performance report of downstate and suburban charter schools shows their growing success.
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2/27/2009
Privatization can increase educational options and opportunities for students across the state.
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1/5/2009
Charter schools — more so than regular public schools — are held accountable for their results.
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12/23/2008
The Rockford community and RCSI deserve enormous credit for seeking new ways to improve their city and children’s future. In Illinois, our students can compete and receive a world-class education if given the opportunities that charter schools provide.
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12/17/2008
With the current financial crisis putting budgetary pressures on local school districts and federal education spending, Mr. Duncan's great challenge--and his great opportunity--is to embrace the proven reforms...
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11/25/2008
A potential solution to our state’s education problems sits right under our noses and has already accomplished a successful trial run. On Friday, I saw the success of three Chicago charter schools on a tour run by the Rockford Charter Schools Initiative (
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11/18/2008
On November 18, 2008 the Illinois Policy Institute hosted a forum on English Language Learner policy in Chicago.
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11/18/2008
On November 18,2009 the Illinois Policy Institute hosted a forum on English Language Learner policy in Chicago.
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11/18/2008
On November 18, 2008 the Illinois Policy Institute hosted a forum on English Language Learner policy in Chicago.
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11/18/2008
On November 18, 2008 the Illinois Policy Institute hosted a forum on English Language Learner policy in Chicago.
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11/13/2008
There are more than 13,000 families on waiting lists to get into one of Illinois’ 39 charter schools. It is little wonder why. Charter schools in Illinois, on average, are considerably better than public schools in surrounding neighborhoods.
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8/22/2008
Why aren't there more charter schools in Chicago? Because state law caps the number of charters in the city at 30. Today, approximately 13,000 Chicago public school children are on a waiting list to get into charters—schools that have offered a proven for
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7/31/2008
Charter schools are revolutionizing public education in Illinois. So why does the state of Illinois place a cap on the number of schools allowed to open? Find out more about charter schools here.
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7/30/2008
The benefits of charter schools are clear, and, to Chicago Mayor Daley's credit, Chicago Public Schools wants to allow more of them to open. So do the families of more than 10,000 students currently on charter school waiting lists.
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7/24/2008
The Institute's latest policy brief is an in-depth examination of privatization practices in Illinois' public schools.
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7/21/2008
Learn what you can do to investigate after-school programs in your area.
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6/25/2008
Illinois Policy Institute education specialist Collin Hitt is featured in today's St. Louis Post Dispatch.
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6/12/2008
On Wednesday, June 11, the Illinois Policy Institute held its first luncheon dedicated to school choice, which gathered a sell-out crowd of over 72 attendees to discuss better educational options for the children of Illinois.
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6/5/2008
The Institute's education specialist, Collin Hitt, discusses lifting the cap on charter schools in Chicago and Illinois.
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5/7/2008
The Kankakee Daily Journal endorses the work of Adam Andrzejewski, a local leader working for greater transparency in public school districts.
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5/6/2008
The Chicago Sun-Times editorial board recommends the lifting of the cap on charter schools--and the expansion of greater educational opportunity--in Illinois.
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5/5/2008
Institute education specialist Collin Hitt writes about the need for more charter schools in Illinois.
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3/20/2008
How much would an expanded educational tax credit system cost in Illinois? Collin Hitt reports that it's not just a good deal for students--it could also save the state billions of dollars.
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2/1/2008
In his column, titled 'Voucher Foes Hurt Poor Kids,' writer Steve Huntley cites the Institute's educational choice poll.
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1/31/2008
Learn more about roadblocks to these innovative schools in the Institute's latest policy brief.
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1/30/2008
4 out of 5 Illinoisans would send their children to a non-public school if they had the choice, the Institute's latest poll has revealed. Listen to radio interviews from across the state here.
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1/1/2008
In December 2007 the Illinois Policy Institute joined the Milton and Rose Friedman Foundation in a comprehensive poll on school choice with significant results. Four out of 5 would choose a school other than a traditional public school for their children.
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12/31/2007
Listen to John Tillman, Chairman of the Illinois Policy Institute, as he discusses our groundbreaking educational poll on WBBM At Issue.
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12/13/2007
Four out of five Illinoisans would opt out of traditional Illinois public schools if they had the ability to send their children elsewhere.
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12/13/2007
Read more about the Institute's latest polling data from news outlets across the state, along with our latest press release.
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12/6/2007
The Institute's December 6 e-newsletter covers school choice and Blagojevich's plans for workers, health insurance, and the CTA.
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11/8/2007
This might be the Cubs' year. Too bad that wasn't the case for charter school proponents.
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11/1/2007
The Institute's November 1 e-newsletter covers leadership, taxes, education, and hope for liberty in Illinois.
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10/29/2007
Illinois Policy Institute education policy specialist Collin Hitt weighs in on the Preschool for All program.
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7/10/2007
Op-Ed: Two ways to address Illinois' ongoing high school dropout crisis...which have been ignored by the General Assembly.
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3/27/2007
Op-Ed: Houston is poised to expand KIPP's special brand of public schools fivefold. Unfortunately, Illinois is poised to move in the opposite direction. Springfield is now considering legislation that would stymie charter growth throughout Illinois.
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3/26/2007
Collin Hitt, education policy specialist for the Illinois Policy Institute, writes about Illinois lawmaker's plans to limit the growth of charter schools.
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3/5/2007
Op-Ed: A first of its kind proposal, the Illinois Earned Education Tax Credit would instantly reform public education in Illinois.
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3/3/2007
The General Assembly is moving legislation that would tie hands of Charter Schools.
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1/24/2007
As a leading voice for educational freedom, the Illinois Policy Institute supports school choice and greater educational opportunities for all. Learn more about our work for better education in Illinois.
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1/8/2007
Op-Ed: A discussion of education reform must start with the facts.
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12/19/2006
Op-Ed: The 94th General Assembly will soon adjourn. Suffice it to say, 2005 and 2006 were hardly banner years for education reform.
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9/11/2006
Op-Ed: Director of Education Policy & Reform Collin Hitt uses the Springfield State Journal-Register to tout Virtual Schools.
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7/3/2006
Op-Ed: There exist reforms that can immediately improve the education system in rural Illinois. But first, Illinois needs reformers.
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6/29/2006
Op-Ed: Rural schools outperform urban schools, on average. Their students read better, and perform better in math. Like small towns, rural schools are safer. But like small towns, once they fall into decline, they founder hopelessly.
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6/21/2006
Op-Ed: Without a federal government willing to enforce federal laws, the Illinois State Board of Education sees no reason to follow them.
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4/26/2006
Op-Ed: Is there a better alternative to the Governor's universal preschool initiative?
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9/23/2005
Why local funding is the best way to publicly finance education.
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