An assessment of Illinois public education shows that the state’s academic performance has remained flat for much of the past decade, and asserts that absent serious effort and change, its prospects for improvement are slim. In The State We’re In: 2012, MacArthur grantee Advance Illinois assesses how the state serves students from early education through postsecondary, looking beyond test scores as the lone litmus test of Illinois’ educational health to examine academic improvement, achievement gaps, and learning conditions within the states’ public schools. The biennial report evaluates reforms to improve outcomes and opportunities for Illinois students and highlights policy recommendations to guide state efforts toward the goal of closing Illinois’ achievement gaps through a series of comprehensive systemic reforms.
