Recent Illinois legislation requires school principals in the state to be qualified to provide school leadership for children from preschool to grade twelve instead of kindergarten to grade twelve. Illinois is the first state to make such a change and may well serve as a model for change in school leadership preparation on a national level. The…

The response to a 1987 proposal by Illinois nurses to standardize nursing educational requirements revealed deep divisions among nurses with different educational backgrounds. Those opposed to raising the professional status of nursing exploited those divisions and thwarted attempts to make the Bachelor of Science in Nursing the minimum…

As part of a study initiated by the Illinois State Board of Education to provide information on which to base personnel policy for the state's schools, this report presents staff recommendations for future state policy governing all certified educational personnel. Recommendations cover the essential areas of personnel programs, including (1)…

An advisory committee oversaw and guided an investigation of credentialing adult education instructors in Illinois. At its direction, a series of focus group inquiries were conducted into issues surrounding the development of a system of professional credentialing. Requirements varied widely in 13 states found to have some form of mandatory…

A study of business and labor was conducted to define the performance skills expected of those entering the workplace in the 1990s and beyond. Survey respondents were 1,120 business people and 26 labor representatives in Illinois of whom 90 participated in follow-up roundtable discussions. Respondents identified and rank ordered nine basic skills:…

A report recently released by the Center on Education Policy reveals that the four-year-old No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has indeed served to shine a light on the importance of professional development for K-12 educators. Beyond that basic fact, though, any real broad-based impact on the training of educators remains inconclusive. While the…

This report contains a condensation and highlights of public hearings held by the Illinois State Advisory Council on Adult, Vocational and Technical Education (SACVE) and the Illinois Employment and Training Council (IETC) on the subject of improving education to prepare youth for employment. During the hearings on this topic, 100 witnesses…

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…