Winter Updates for Education
The Forum advocated for early-childhood and English learners as Illinois develops its plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Looking ahead to 2017, the Forum will collaborate with the Migration Policy Institute to work on assessment and accountability. Other actions taken by the Forum related to school funding reform in 2016 included:
- Blogging about the funding system and the need for reform. Read it here.
- Meeting with the Illinois Advisory Council on Bilingual Education to inform them of school funding reform and accountability discussions at the state level
Forum staff also coordinated and moderated a panel on professional development related to English Learners at Illinois Association of School Boards Annual Conference. This is a conference sponsored by multiple educational management associations that include Illinois school boards, principals and superintendents.
In the area of Bilingual Education, the Forum convened a subcommittee of the Illinois Advisory Council on Bilingual Education to explore growth and proficiency models for ESSA. The Forum spearheaded recommendations for the new federal law that were approved by the council and sent directly to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Lastly, the Forum’s Education team advocated for Early Childhood Education and moderated a panel on Early Math Literacy at University of Chicago with national funders and researchers. The event provided an opportunity to discuss lessons learned from campaigns on early literacy, and how they might translate into building early math skills for young children.
The Forum is Recruiting!
The Forum is seeking participants for the annual Abriendo Puertas Facilitator Institute to be held on March 1-3. The Abriendo Puertas Facilitator Institute prepares staff members from community-based organizations and school districts to engage Latino families early on in their child’s education. Through the Facilitator training, participants are equipped to increase opportunities for effective parent engagement within their schools and communities.
Abriendo Puertas is an evidence-based parent engagement program that provides parents with the knowledge and tools to prepare their children ages 0-5 for kindergarten and academic success. Complete the application here, or contact Natalie Vesga at nvesga@latinopolicyforum.org.