This paper analyzes the relationship between neoliberalism and school restructuring in Chicago. I provide an account of the ideological foundation of neoliberal education policies as well as an account of their development and implementation in the city. Additionally, I analyze Chicago's newest education agenda, Renaissance 2010. Passed into law…

The Illinois Supreme Court has permitted the General Assembly to create a system of public school funding that is widely disparate and disadvantageous to students in school districts with low-property wealth. In this Article, I argue that the court has not adequately considered the nexus between the Uniformity of Taxation provision and the…

Examines several state supreme court cases that bear on school finance litigation in Illinois. Suggests that the Illinois plaintiffs have an opportunity to establish a new litigation strategy. When school finance schemes are challenged on the basis of educational quality, courts have the opportunity to define a basic standard of education that…

Evolution of "quality" in higher education as an institutional concept is traced, and differences between approaches at the institutional and state levels are explored. Contrasting approaches in Florida and Illinois are examined, particularly in the case of Miami-Dade Community College (Florida). Contribution of the different approaches…

Upcoming federal and state changes in welfare and social services will have a profound effect on the delivery of early childhood care and education in Illinois. In October, 1995, the Day Care Action Council of Illinois convened a meeting of early childhood experts and advocates. From this retreat, a vision for a new system of the delivery of child…

The Illinois General Assembly adopted a bill designed to increase school district autonomy. Provides an overview of the waiver act and its regulations. Analyzes the school districts' waiver requests, specifically addressing physical education, corporal punishment, and the five-clock-hour school day. Discusses the act's implications for educational…

Presents the Winnetka Alliance for Early Childhood as a model community effort to meet the challenge of childrearing. Reviews some of the initiatives, activities, and problems faced by the alliance. Describes the characteristics of this Illinois community and its long history of interest and excellence in education, and encourages other…

Conclusions reached by the Illinois State Board of Education Study, released in May 1985, that small schools are inferior and inefficient, that Illinois has too many schools, and that over half its schools should be closed seem to be an educational step backward. Without linking the two concepts, the study implies that school consolidation will…

As part of a larger Illinois Board of Higher Education initiative, Priorities, Quality, and Productivity (PQP), this paper reports on recent and current efforts to clarify faculty roles and responsibilities. A background section reviews PQP development and earlier reports and statements on faculty roles and responsibilities issued between 1993 and…

This publication is a compilation of papers presented at the "Presidents' Conference on Excellence in Illinois Education." These conference proceedings outline the complex and difficult nature of the educational problems facing the state of Illinois and the nation as a whole. These papers, by presidents of universities in Illinois,…

At a meeting in DuPage County, Illinois, in April 1972, speakers representing the PTA, students, school teachers and administrators, outdoor education, the Illinois School Boards Association, and the Open Lands Project voiced enthusiastic support for introducing environmental education into the school curriculum. One of the County's several…

This report provides a summary and assessment of the results of the 1993-94 Priorities, Quality, and Productivity (PQP) initiative undertaken by the Illinois State Board of Higher Education and makes recommendations for consideration by the board to set directions for 1994-95. The first section describes state-level PQP activities in 1993-94. The…

This document contains two papers on excellence in business and education leadership. "Corporate Leadership in Improving Student Achievement" (Edward B. Rust, Jr.) explains why business must remain involved in education and discusses the following efforts of the State Farm Insurance Company to assume a leadership role in educational…

This report provides a summary and assessment of the Priorities, Quality and Productivity (PQP) efforts during 1994-95 of Illinois community colleges and independent colleges and universities, collectively, and of individual public universities. Emphasis is on implementation of recommendations of the Illinois Board of Higher Education of November,…

According to the most recent National Adult Literacy Survey, nearly half of Illinois adults lack sufficient reading proficiency to ensure job success and advancement in 21st century workplaces. The Test of Adult Basic Education is currently used as a pretest/posttest in Illinois' existing adult basic education, adult secondary education, and…