Dear Friends,
Despite the festivities and warmth that make this time of the year special for everyone, there’s a cloud hanging over the state brought on by the failure of government officials to pass an operating budget at the end of the state legislature’s spring session for the second straight year.
While much of state government continues to function through court orders and consent decrees, children and families are unnecessarily suffering due to the lack of state funding for human services and higher education. According to a recent survey conducted by the United Way of Illinois, nearly 1 million people are without services because... Continue Reading
Here are the latest updates from the Forum’s education team.
Early Childhood Education Advocacy Day
The Forum’s partners and advocates headed to the state capitol on April 20 to advocate for the fair tax amendment and early childhood education. More than 10 organizations and 72 participants made the journey to Springfield, Illinois, visiting over 20 legislators. Parents shared emotional tales of their child’s progress and offered regalitos, or small gifts, to emphasize the positive results of funding early childhood education.
See photos of parents and advocates in action here. The conversation also continued on Twitter, engaging and informing audiences citywide. Check out the conversations... Continue Reading
Babies and toddlers are on a roll! 
Our children have been scoring some exciting victories in federal policy, not to mention in Illinois and other states.
While the recent attention and resources directed toward infants and toddlers may be unprecedented, the Latino Policy Forum and its early childhood partners have long known that supporting the learning and development of our youngest children is one of the best bets when it comes to strengthening educational outcomes.
In a report released last fall, Primeros Pasos: Strengthening Programs that Support Illinois Infants and Toddlers, the Forum made a clear case for the importance of the early years, specifically from birth-to-three.
It... Continue Reading
Illinois’ student population is rapidly growing more linguistically and culturally diverse. Close to one in every 4 public school children speak a language other than English in the home, according to Illinois census data. And the number of students who identify as English Language Learners (ELLs) statewide—now close to one out of every 10 students— has grown an astonishing 83 percent over the last 15 years. As these students transition into general education classrooms, nearly every teacher in the state will likely be working with ELLs at some point in their careers.
The increasing diversity of the Illinois student body stands in stark contrast to teacher demographics—largely white, female, and monolingual. ... Continue Reading
Education policy is best understood from the classroom, not an office. That’s why the Latino Policy Forum seeks opportunities to visit local schools and education centers to observe first-hand how our advocacy efforts support Latino students and our mission to ameliorate Latino achievement gaps. That’s also why we jumped at the opportunity to join the Chicago Education Foundation in a visit to Ms. Carmina Aguirre’s first grade bilingual classroom at Sawyer Elementary inGagePark.
Gage Park is one of the largest and fastest growing Latino community areas in Chicago, with large concentrations of English Language Learners (ELLs). The visit would offer an opportunity for... Continue Reading