A group of Illinois lawmakers, policy experts, and community members gathered in late March at the I Hotel in Champaign to examine the historic Education and Workforce Equity Act (HB 2170) three years after it was signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker. At the Future of Illinois Education event, Representative Carol Ammons, a co-sponsor of the bill, provided the keynote address. A panel led by education policy experts from the University of Illinois and Illinois school leaders provided updates and an overview of research on the policy.

“This legislation truly tackles equity issues and looks at the pressing areas to make a stronger public system for everybody,” said Hale. “When most states in the country aren’t doing this, Illinois is setting an example for everyone to follow.”

Hale and Christopher Span, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign associate chancellor for administration and PK-12 initiatives, gave remarks to open the event.

Span reiterated the university’s commitment to strengthening public education statewide. In his role, Span said he’d worked to inventory all the resources and activity (centers, offices, initiatives, projects) across the campus that are already underway and positioned to support PK-12 public education—which was a “daunting task.”

“I really started to think through, ‘how can this university, systemically, structurally, start to have a more focused footprint with regard to PK through grade 12 initiatives throughout the state?’” said Span.

To begin to answer this question, Span talked about starting discussions with various school districts leaders and state policymakers, including State Representative Carol Ammons (D-Urbana).

Rep. Ammons, a co-sponsor of HB 2170, thanked Chancellor Robert Jones for embracing the university’s mission to serve the local community. She reacquainted attendees with the broad strokes of the omnibus legislation, consisting of four “pillars” of reform: criminal justice, education, health care and human services, and economic opportunity. Ammons co-led the working group addressing education in Illinois, looking at creating new policy to apply from pre-K to workforce development.

She discussed the expansion of the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship through HB 2170, specifically looking to recruit Black males to the profession of teaching. Other progress that Ammons cited toward enacting the new legislation included conducting a workforce feasibility study to answer the question, “are we educating people for the jobs of tomorrow?” Additionally, taskforces formed—or renewed—to study issues like workforce consolidation within state of Illinois agencies, the requirement to make computer science education available to all Illinois students, support educators in addressing childhood trauma via the whole child taskforce, and more.

Ammons reiterated the importance of HB 2170’s provision to continue funding the Freedom Schools network throughout the state of Illinois. And finally, she updated the group on the work of the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, which created an equitable funding model for Illinois higher education that she said is key for greater socioeconomic mobility and stronger outcomes for all students, their families and their communities. The Commission's Recommendations Report and detailed funding model that were developed are available on the Illinois Board of Higher Education website.

“The legislation which created the commission on equitable public university funding was a critical step in acknowledging that the state can and must develop a more adequate, equitable, and sustainable approach to funding its four-year institutions, and it must do so with an understanding of how critical this work is to all of our students, to the state as a whole, but especially to students who have been consistently and historically marginalized,” said Ammons.

When asked about the current issue of teacher licensure in Illinois, Ammons said the legislature is forming a working group this fall to address concerns over the testing process.

The morning continued with a presentation from Dr. Janiece Jackson, superintendent of Lindop District 92 (Chicago Public Schools) about the positive impact of Freedom Schools in her district. Paul Bruno, assistant professor of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership gave a three-year progress report on how the equitable computer science education requirement is being implemented. And Asif Wilson, assistant professor of Curriculum & Instruction spoke to the group about the work of the Inclusive American History Commission and revised social studies and history curriculum.

Then in May, an event titled Finishing the Unfinished Business of Brown v. Board of Education was held to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Supreme Court decision, and featured a luncheon keynote speaker and panel with distinguished scholars and change agents connected to the pivotal piece of history.

Reverend Evelyn Underwood, Ph.D., a minister, educator, and community leader with New Free Will Baptist Church in Champaign, gave keynote remarks. In 1968, Underwood became the first African American elected to serve on the Urbana School Board and is credited with helping desegregate USD #116. A graduate of Urbana High School herself, Underwood has earned five post-secondary degrees in her lifetime, including a doctorate and a J.D.

Panelists examining the history, impact, and legacy of Brown v. Board of Education today were professors Dionne Danns (UIC), James D. Anderson, and James Mazonne (College of Law).

The Forum on the Future of Public Education strives to bring the best empirical evidence to policymakers and the public. It draws on a network of premier scholars to create, interpret, and disseminate credible information on key questions facing P-20 education. The Forum's events, fellowships, and continued research impact is made possible by the Richard E. and Ann M. O'Leary Fund.