Illinois’ comeback story starts here.

The Policy Shop: More money, more problems at Chicago Public Schools

The Policy Shop: More money, more problems at Chicago Public Schools

This edition of The Policy Shop comes to you from policy analyst Hannah Schmid. Almost everyone in Illinois is back to school at this point – even Chicago Public Schools’ first day was earlier than their typical post-Labor Day start. Speaking of CPS, many students will return to Chicago school buildings with mostly empty seats...

The Policy Shop: Chicago’s youth violence problem

The Policy Shop: Chicago’s youth violence problem

This edition of The Policy Shop comes to you from policy adviser Paul Vallas and writer Patrick Andriesen. Happy Wednesday. Today we’ll be looking at gun violence in Chicago and the spike in youth crime, trying to understand what’s really going on. Chicago’s gun problem. Shootings in Chicago in 2022 were up by nearly one-third compared...

Chicago Fact Sheet

Chicago Fact Sheet

Chicago is one of the nation's greatest cities, but it has challenges. An outline of four of the most significant problems.

The Policy Shop: AFSCME’s new contract worsens Illinois’ pension crisis

The Policy Shop: AFSCME’s new contract worsens Illinois’ pension crisis

This edition of The Policy Shop was written by Bryce Hill, director of fiscal and economic research. It’s a good month to be a state worker in Illinois. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has awarded the largest ever American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) contract, which includes 19% pay raises and a $1,200 signing bonus for...