For more than two decades, tax-credit scholarship (TCS) policies have helped American families provide their children with the learning environment that meets their individual needs. Now available in 19 states, nearly 300,000 students nationwide use tax-credit scholarships to attend the school of their family's choice. TCS policies create an…

A Toolkit of Emerging Best Practices and Opportunities for Charter Support Organizations Approximately 6.4 million students--roughly 13 percent of the student population between ages 6-21--receive special education and related services in public schools every year. While students identified as eligible for special education require supports and…

Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) invited 10 districts to participate in a community of practice designed to increase understanding of how to braid and blend federal funds. District teams composed of principals, superintendents, business managers, and other district leaders participated in four 90-minute virtual sessions. The purpose of…

This guide begins with background information useful to understanding Illinois' framework for implementation and evaluation of Programs of Study. It starts with a visual depiction of the relationships between activity at the federal, state and local levels that evolved to the creation of Illinois' Career Cluster Model. This Model, which is based…

Intended for school administrators and regular classroom teachers, the document presents guidelines for working with visually impaired students being integrated into regular classes. Included is a description of the special education program in Illinois. Sections cover the following topics: identification and referral of visually impaired…

In response to the interest in environmental education programs in the schools, the state of Illinois has planned this handbook as a guide for teachers desiring to develop an environmental curriculum or to expand an existing one. The guide presents a rationale for developing such a program, including current environmental education laws and state…

What are the common tasks facing cities committed to saturating their city with high quality out-of-school opportunities, available to every young person? While no list is definitive or complete, we identify ten critical tasks. (Background and Contact information is appended. Contains 5 footnotes and 9 figures.)

Intended for administrators, supervisors, and teachers, the booklet is designed as a source document for developing individualized education programs (IEPs) for handicapped children in Illinois as required by P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act). Section I identifies and defines the following content areas of an IEP:…

This handbook, an updated and revised version of the 1975 original, contains the new statutory requirements, state board of education rules, and court decisions pertaining to teacher dismissal in Illinois. This handbook is designed to acquaint Illinois school administrators and school board members with the legal procedures necessary in dismissal…

The Illinois School Code requires that the teaching of history in the state's public educational institutions include a study of the role and contributions of American blacks and other ethnic groups. A related objective states that instructional materials should accurately depict and reflect the diversity of American society and the contributions…

This booklet summarizes the legal requirements and administrative policies governing public education in Illinois. It is intended to provide a clear framework of educational responsibilities and objectives to guide local school board members and administrators in meeting their constitutional mandate to provide an efficient system of high-quality…

Beginning in 1973, meetings of 12 regional education advisory councils (composed of students, teachers, parents, administrators, board members, superintendents, and other citizens) studied volunteer programs in Illinois to determine their drawbacks and to formulate recommendations for expanding the concept of volunteers in education. This…

"Assessing Expressive Learning" is the only book in the art education field to date to propose and support a research-supported teacher-directed authentic assessment model for evaluating K-12 studio art, and to offer practical information on how to implement the model. This practical text for developing visual arts assessment for grades…

The Illinois School Code requires that each student be taught the role and contributions of blacks and other ethnic groups in America. In this handbook aids are provided for elementary and secondary teachers striving to present meaningful ethnic studies learning experiences to their students. Definitions and desirable goals for ethnic studies…

This is an analysis of the current Education Association model collective bargaining agreement. This document is intended to provide aid and assistance to board bargaining teams and negotiators; it is not a substitute for professional assistance where such help is indicated. The board of education-oriented clauses included in the analysis indicate…