"The Condition of College and Career Readiness" looks at the progress of the 2016 ACT®-tested graduating class relative to college and career readiness. This state briefing begins with statistics in the following categories for Illinois: performance, STEM, career readiness, impact, behaviors that impact access and opportunity, pipeline,…

This report describes the results of a study that used administrative data to better understand the need for employment-related services and supports among youth in foster care and how one community-based employment training and job placement program in Chicago is trying to address those needs. Among other things, the report describes the…

Research completed since the 1980s has yielded substantial knowledge about how to help welfare recipients and other low-income individuals prepare for and find jobs. Many participants in these successful job preparation and placement programs, however, ended up in unstable, low-paying jobs, and little was known about how to effectively help them…

School choice is a common sense idea that gives all parents the power and freedom to choose their child's education, while encouraging healthy competition among schools and other institutions to better serve students' needs and priorities. It is a public policy that allows a parent/guardian or student to choose a district, charter, or private…

Great strides have been made by community school initiatives across the nation in their efforts to impact student achievement, attendance, student engagement, graduation rates, parent involvement and more. Data on community schools is growing and the authors encourage readers to review research reports and syntheses on results. The results…

Out-of-school time (OST) programs represent a vital opportunity and resource for learning and development for children and youth. Given the potential of city-level OST initiatives to support participation, and against the national backdrop of inequitable access to quality OST programs for older youth from disadvantaged communities, The Wallace…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report for the…

Chicago's Renaissance 2010 seeks to create 100 new and autonomous schools by 2010. These new schools are expected to increase choice for parents and students, enact innovative practices, and help create a portfolio of schools designed to make the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) more diversified, responsive, and effective. Renaissance Schools Fund…

This report presents results of the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading and mathematics at grade 12. Results for students in the nation and, for the first time, in the 11 states that volunteered to participate in the 2009 state pilot program are reported as average scores and as percentages of students performing at…

As part of a statewide study of public opinion, "Illinois: Today and Tomorrow," questionnaires were distributed to a sample of Illinois residents to determine their perceptions of land use, planning, and zoning. Respondents were asked whether more, the same amount, or less land should be allocated to specific uses (homes, recreation,…

This report provides a summary of the process parents must go through to participate in each of the nation's school choice programs, identifying problem areas in some programs. For the first time in one place, this report collects data on participation in each of the programs in current and previous years. Data are given for the number of students…

This annual report presents information on minority, female, and disabled students and staff in Illinois higher education. It seeks to explain and track recent changes in representation among these groups and highlights statewide and institutional efforts to improve representation. The report contains these sections: (1) enrollment and degree…

This report examines arts participation in the ten largest metropolitan areas in the United States using data from the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. These data indicate that, in general, these metropolitan regions tend to be more alike than different with respect to arts participation patterns. Analysis reveals that while…

This report examines arts engagement in ten key states in the U.S. by analyzing data from the 2002 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts (SPPA). It is organized into ten state profiles that summarize key demographic characteristics, the arts landscape, and public participation in the arts. Because the regions profiled here are not a random…

This annual report details the effectiveness of the state's program in preparing at-risk children for kindergarten and the early grades in Illinois. Divided into six areas, the report presents statistical data to describe the following: (1) program participants; (2) change in program participation since its inception in 1986; (3) program's ability…