The Wallace Foundation, 2001-2010 In 2001, Illinois was one of fifteen states selected and funded by The Wallace Foundation to complete a project aimed at strengthening education leadership throughout the state. In 2006, The Wallace Foundation increased its award to Illinois expanding the state's work to focus on building a cohesive leadership systemthat included the following:
In 2005, IL-SAELP passed legislation (Public Act 094-1039) designed to license and support aspiring, new, and experienced principals and in 2010, passed legislation (Public Act 096-0903) creating a new P-12 Principal Endorsement. Part of this work Illinois Administrators' Academy (IAA) Task Force: Making the Investment in High Quality Professional Development, 2006-2007.The IAA Review Task Force was created as part of P.A. 094-1039 to provide for an objective examination of the Illinois Administrators' Academy and to propose strategies that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) may adopt to improve professional development for Illinois school administrators. You can learn more about the IL-SAELP initiative here.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2006-2009 The demographic, economic, and educational predictors of rural school closures were identified. The positive and negative impacts of school closures on school districts and communities were also reviewed. The research tools developed provided policy makers and school leaders with the means to examine local conditions, the possibilities of closure or consolidation, and potential demographic, economic, and educational consequences. You can learn more about the Correlates to Rural School Closure project here.
Illinois Board of Higher Education, 2007-2009 A highly successful college readiness program was expanded to additional schools and districts. Information about students' progress was analyzed to inform district and state-level policymaking on college preparation. You can learn more about the Making College Readiness a Reality project here.
Illinois Board of Higher Education, 2007-2008 Analysis of national data revealed that Illinois exports more students to colleges in other states than it imports. Students' choices to migrate to large public universities in neighboring states were based on lowest total cost, quality, and prestige. Recommendations focused on funding, student financial aid, and information resources. You can access the final report of the College Migration Study here.
Illinois Board of Higher Education, 2007-2008 Focus groups and interviews were conducted with transfer students at Illinois institutions of higher education, both public and private, to characterize student's transfer experiences among two-and four-year institutions. You can access the final report of the Student Transfer Study here.
Lumina Foundation for Education, 2004-2006 Twenty-five year trends in state support for higher education reveal that financial access to college declines with national recessions. A national survey assessed the impact of the 2001 recession. Interviews of policymakers in selected states identified strategies for balancing student aid and tuition. Recommendations focused on maintaining access for students and support for higher education through economic cycles. You can learn more about the Recession, Retrenchment, and Recovery project here.
Education Trust, Joyce Foundation, 2004-2006 The nature and score of the teacher distribution problem in Chicago, Cleveland, and Milwaukee public schools were outlined in this three-state study. Policies were recommended for a comprehensive approach to improving the quality of teachers serving low-income, minority, and low-performing student. You can learn more about the Improving Teacher Quality project here.
Illinois Business Roundtable, Illinois State University, 2003-2006 Best practices among consistently high performing, low-income schools were examined at 29 Illinois schools, focusing on school climate and culture, curriculum, staffing, instruction, monitoring student progress, and recognition, rewards, and intervention. Conducted as part of a multi-state study with the National Center for Educational Achievement. You can learn more about the Illinois Best Practice School Study here.
Gates Foundation, 2002-2006 Effective leadership practices, focusing on data-driven decision making for continuous improvement, were addressed in a series of workshops.
Illinois Board of Higher Education, 2003-2005 Training and support was provided to help K-12 teachers and faculty that prepare teachers with skills and understanding to help English Language Learners succeed in the mainstream classroom. You can learn more about the Training Program for Teachers on ELL here.
Illinois Board of Higher Education, 2003-2005 Predictors of success on the Illinois PSAE exam were identified through analysis of scores and information about the high school juniors who take the test. Course-taking patterns and school characteristics were studied to make recommendations for policies that influence college preparation for low-income African-American and Hispanic students. You can more information about the Access to College study here.
Office of the Governor, Illinois Century Network, 2004 The use of technology to expand and improve the involvement of parents in their children's learning is explored. Costs, time, privacy and access to technology are identified as critical issues. You can download the School/Home Communication final report here.
A survey of the members of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges reveals that the budget outlook for community colleges improved in FY2004 but there was still strong competition with other sectors for state funds. Tuition increases are expected to be the primary method for dealing with declining public funds. This report summarizes perceptions of state community college leaders, and is offered as a "barometer" of the current situation and future prospects for community college funding. You can download the State Funding for Community Colleges report here.
Annually
Every year, the Center surveys superintendents throughout the state to capture the current issues and concerns facing school leaders throughout Illinois. Survey results are used by educators and governmental leaders in policy development. You can get the results of past Superintendents’ Surveys here.
Illinois Board of Higher Education, 2010-2013
The Illinois Grow Your Own (GYO) Teacher Education Initiative is a consortium of partnerships between colleges of education, public schools, community colleges, and community-based organizations that recruit and develop a pipeline of community-based teachers who come from the community in which they will one day teach. The Illinois GYO initiative began in Chicago’s Logan Square Neighborhood Association through a Department of Education grant. From this beginning, the statewide program evolved through legislation passed in 2004 into the current statewide initiative that serves 243 teacher education candidates in 12 high-need communities in the state, including 6 in Chicago and one each in Southernmost Illinois, East St. Louis, Quad Cities, Rockford, Springfield, and the South Suburbs. CSEP has had a contract with IBHE since August 2010 to serve as the statewide evaluation arm of the GYO initiative. You can learn more about the Illinois Grow Your Own Initiative here.
Illinois State Board of Education, February 2012-May 2013
As of September 1, 2012, Illinois public school systems will begin to implement changes in performance evaluation processes, as required by state law (PERA). These changes ultimately will mean that performance evaluations ratings for teachers and principals will be based on an instructional framework of standards aligned to the Illinois Professional Teaching or School Leader Standards for professional practice and will incorporate measures of student growth. The state required that district administrators, school leaders, and others who will evaluate principals and teachers must undergo rigorous training to pre-qualify them as evaluators. ISBE contracted with the CEC Partnership Group (in which CSEP is a partner) to develop the Growth Through Learning training (pre-qualification training). The role of CSEP focused on the development of an on-line library, assistance with development and validation of the training modules, and the coordination of the Growth through Learning Advisory Committee. You can learn more about the Growth Through Learning Initiative here.
Illinois Board of Higher Education, March 2013-September 2013
The Modeling Effective Collaboration on Common Core Standards Initiative engages partners of the Central Illinois Common Core Alignment Consortium for the purposes of aligning K-12 and higher education curricula, standards, and pedagogy and preparing new teachers on the common core curricula and new methods of delivery. This project will tap into the existing work that is occurring with Dewitt/Livingston/McLean County Regional Office of Education #17 and a group of secondary math teachers from throughout the region who have been working on aligning the common core standards. Through this work, postsecondary math and teacher education faculty from Illinois State University, Heartland Community College, and Lincoln College began work on the alignment of K-12 and higher education math standards and expectations. The grant also builds off of new work occurring regionally to inform and prepare higher education faculty, especially general education faculty, around the new Common Core standards, and to infuse new content and pedagogy that address the Common Core Standards into teacher preparation programs and clinical practice.