Even as a little girl, Dr. Nitasha Sharma aspired to become a college professor like her parents, whose careers let the family spend entire summers or longer in either her mother's native Brooklyn, New York, or her father's native India. She dreamed of long vacations as a grown-up and going home for lunch on weekdays. But during a stay in India…

A four-year college degree increases a student's employment prospects and earning potential. Given this importance, it is not surprising that 75 percent of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) high school students aspire to obtain at least a four-year college degree. Yet, prior research showed that few achieved this goal: a 2006 University of Chicago…

This report provides information about the performance of Illinois' 2016 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2016. Beginning with the Graduating Class of 2013, all students whose scores are college reportable, both standard and…

This article discusses an issue of growing interest to educational technologists--namely, the complex relationships cultural minority learners have with education and technology--by analyzing first-hand ethnographic data with the help of insights from major social reproductionist scholars. These theoreticians inspire distinctive interpretations of…

Illinois is in the process of transitioning to new English language arts and mathematics standards that will better prepare students to be successful in college and their careers. Time, effort, and resources must be dedicated to effective implementation in order to realize the promise of these new common core state standards. This paper captures…

Annually, ACT provides a snapshot of the college and career readiness of ACT-tested high school graduates. This report is offered as a service to inform policymakers and practitioners about selected indicators of effectiveness and how that translates into readiness. It is designed to stimulate discussion, inquiry, and action. This report is…

This report provides information about the performance of Illinois's 2012 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2012 and tested under standard time conditions. This report focuses on: (1) Performance: student test performance in the…

This report draws on demographic data to examine and project trends in the size and composition of the child population in all seventy-seven Chicago communities up to the year 2010. The report highlights the changing age mix of Chicago children and provides some context in which to consider these demographic trends. It describes population changes…

The first U.S. charter school opened in 1992, and the scale of the charter movement has since grown to 4,000 schools and more than a million students in 40 states plus the District of Columbia. With this growth has also come a contentious debate about the effects of the schools on their own students and on students in nearby traditional public…

This report examines the policies and practices of Illinois public colleges and universities in the admission of undocumented residents as well as the nature of the participation of rapidly increasing race/ethnic groups in higher education and strategies to increase their participation. The 2000 U.S. Census showed that the Hispanic population of…

This paper summarizes results of followup-surveys of 1994, 1991, 1988, and 1984 graduates of Illinois public universities to determine whether baccalaureate graduates found jobs; to what extent they pursued additional education; whether they found work in areas related to their majors; and how satisfied they were with both the university and their…

This report provides, in textual and tabular forms, information on the role of ethnicity in special education identification and placement in Illinois. Comparison of the ethnic composition of the total public elementary and secondary education population and of students receiving special education services indicated some disproportions. White…

The persistent and significant achievement gap between black and Latino students and their white and Asian counterparts at Evanston (Illinois) Township High School (ETHS) has existed for as long as anyone can remember. Stories real and apocryphal abound about the institutional barriers that have denied fairness and opportunity for minority…