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Pension debt limits teacher pay, hurts recruitment in Illinois

By LyLena Estabine
07/09/2025
Money that could help address the teacher shortage is often the first to get cut in pursuit of keeping up with government pension debt. Supporting Illinois teachers will require constitutional pension reform and protecting Tier 2 cost savings.

TAGS: education, pensions

Rockford workforce program lays concrete foundation for young adults

By Lauren Zuar
07/04/2025
As Illinois faces high unemployment, a persistent skills gap and thousands of at-risk youth, Rockford delivers opportunity through a targeted workforce program. It offers a model for other Illinois cities.

TAGS: education, unemployment

July 1 starts Illinois laws on gender-inclusiveness, climate education, prostitution privacy

By Lilly Rossi
06/27/2025
Climate change education, gender inclusiveness, birth certificates, prostitution privacy, court translators and insulin costs all received attention from the Illinois General Assembly. Laws involving them take effect July 1. Plus, the state gasoline tax goes up.

TAGS: education, ILGA: Illinois General Assembly, regulations

Vallas: Illinois returning to soft bigotry of low expectations

By Paul Vallas
06/26/2025
Illinois students are not learning, but instead of boosting the quality of education state leaders are trying to lower standards so scores don’t look as bad. Blame it on the Chicago Teachers Union and other teachers unions pushing for less accountability.

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, education

Chicago Teachers Union sets more traps to kill charter schools

By Hannah Schmid
06/24/2025
Charter school contracts can be renewed for up to 10 years, but the Chicago Teachers Union has been pressuring for as few as two years. Sowing instability hurts charters and improves CTU’s odds of killing competition for their mediocre product.

TAGS: CPS: Chicago Public Schools, CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, education

‘Homeschool Act’ attacks religious rights of homeschool, private school parents

By Mailee Smith
03/14/2025
House Bill 2827 would require the collection of personal information – including religious affiliation – of private school and homeschool families all over the state. That violates families’ constitutional rights.

TAGS: education, homeschool, private schools

Which teachers’ union affiliate represents your school district?

By Jess Plowman
03/14/2025
Dues money collected by local teachers unions rarely stays local. Instead, money flows up to state or national affiliates, where the priorities are politics and union boss expenses – not representing teachers.

TAGS: CTU: Chicago Teachers Union, education, unions

National Education Association sees teacher exodus as political spending balloons

By Mailee Smith
12/06/2024
NEA has lost nearly 400,000 members since its peak in 2009. It could be because just 9% of the union’s spending is on representing teachers – with the rest on politics, administration and other union leader priorities.

TAGS: education, IEA-NEA: Illinois Education Association

Democratic National Convention to tout education policy near Chicago school where no kids read at grade level

By Dylan Sharkey
08/16/2024
Education will be a major platform piece during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Too bad the party will meet near a Chicago school where spending $27K per student yields none who can read at grade level.

TAGS: Chicago, CPS: Chicago Public Schools, education

Johnson’s loyalty to Chicago Teachers Union clear as he pushes out schools chief

By Patrick Andriesen
08/16/2024
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is reportedly working to get rid of Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez. Martinez has been fighting financial ploys by Johnson and the mayor’s former employer, the Chicago Teachers Union.

TAGS: Brandon Johnson, Chicago public schools, education

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Center for Poverty Solutions / Research Report

Beyond degrees: Empowering Illinoisans through career-first education


Published June 3, 2025 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The best path to empowerment and success, especially for poor people, is work. Work allows us to prosper while providing dignity, upward mobility, the means to support ourselves and create value for others. It’s how we become thriving members of our community. Central to this process is our education...

View Report

Report Archive

Budget + Tax / Your Story

Allan Luzbetak

Labor / Policy Point

Process for unionizing non-state workers raises red flags

By Paul Kersey
06/19/2014
Illinois Policy In the News

CBS Chicago: Illinois’ highest-paid superintendent receives $400K per year to oversee 1,200 students

By Ted Dabrowski
05/02/2016

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