Progress Illinois

Illinois' education system has earned numerous dubious distinctions over the past year. State funding still lags at second to last in the nation. Only one in five high schoolers is college-ready. An even for those on the path to higher ed, the state earned an "F" for college affordability, meaning kids can either take on monstrous loan debt or choose not to enroll at all. Nowhere are students suffering more from the state's failed education policies than those from low-income, predominantly minority communities. For evidence of that, look no further than the Center on Education Policy's (CEP) latest research, which highlight's the state's widening achievement gap. The Daily Herald sifts through the three years of standardized test results that are the subject of the research (2006-2008 among the 4th, 8th, and 11th-graders):

Of the subgroups, white students continued to be the highest achieving at all levels. Black students made gains in both subjects at the elementary and middle school levels but slipped in high school.

The gap widened between Latino students and the rest of the students in elementary and high school. The percentage of Latino students meeting reading standards fell at both levels by eight points or more.

The number of English language learners earning proficient reading scores dropped even more drastically, standing at just 38 percent in 2008.

To put things in perspective, Illinois is one of only four states to post declines in minority student achievement, according to CEP. Overall, this metric has remained flat among the 4th and 8th graders -- meaning white students made gains, while other subgroups faltered. But high school performance slid, particularly in the area of reading. The all-around lackluster results aren't surprising considering that Illinois lawmakers have failed to provide equitable investments in our schools.

Unfortunately, the number of missed opportunities to turn Illinois' schools around equals the number of shortcomings. Instead of investing the roughly $2 billion in federal stimulus money that was earmarked for classrooms, our leaders in Springfield directed the bulk of that money at plugging the structural budget deficit. That left a gaping hole in the education budget, which forced state officials to hack away at school spending. Meanwhile, lawmakers kicked education funding reform -- the system's best hope for rebounding -- to the curb yet again. The result? Five years after the gubernatorial appointed Education Funding Advisory Board (EFAB) recommended the state spend $6,405 per student, Illinois hasn't reached that level of investment. If lawmakers line up behind Sen. James Meeks' (D-Chicago) plan to modernize the tax structure (HB 174), the state could both plug the deficit and ultimately meet that goal. But as Illinois' Issues' Charles Wheeler III notes in order for HB 174 to pass, lawmakers are going to have to step up:

...Madigan and his troops — and any Republican realistic about state finances — could act decisively to modernize the state’s tax structure, if they have the political courage to do so. Let’s hope they do.

Without reform, the future will only grow bleaker.  "Next year," state Board of Education chair Jesse Ruiz recently said, "we fall off the cliff."