The University of Illinois SHIELD saliva test company is winding down. What lessons has the testing team learned?
This winter marks the last stage for one of the most impactful inventions at the University of Illinois in recent years – a saliva-based test for COVID-19.
Alana Banks made history as the first Black, transgender woman on a school board in the United States. How is she doing now?
Alana Banks made history two years ago, becoming the first Black and transgender woman elected to a school board in the country. Still, she has found balancing the demands of the communities she represents challenging.
How does Illinois compare to other states on transgender rights?
According to the Movement Advancement Project, 21 states have banned gender-affirming medicine for trans youth. In response, Illinois passed a law this year protecting patients and providers who cross into the state for care.
This Danville School is leading East-Central Illinois in improving reading skills for Black students
Meade Park Elementary School in Danville stands out among east-central Illinois schools.
Illinois teachers start I3 training on new social studies curriculum
University of Illinois hosts inclusive, inquiry-based training for Illinois social studies teachers.
After Dennis Lab closure, Decatur Public Schools hires engineers to check structural safety of all district schools
The Decatur Public Schools board has hired an engineering company to check the structural safety of all 24 of its buildings.
As Urbana school board considers redistricting company, Spanish-English dual language program remains central question
The Urbana school board plans to hire an outside company on Tuesday to redistrict its schools.
Urbana school board votes to permanently end Wiley Elementary classes, reopen building as sixth grade center
The Urbana District 116 school board voted 4-to-3 on Tuesday to open the sixth grade center in the former Wiley Elementary.
Construction begins on Illinois school renamed after local Tuskegee Airman
Born in 1919 in Decatur, Ellsworth Dansby, Jr., was fascinated by planes. He first flew alone at age 12 – without ever previously riding in a plane. He used knowledge from books he had read to land his solo flight safely.
Tuskegee Airman honored in new Decatur public school
Born in Decatur, Dansby served in World War II as the master sergeant for the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American division of the U.S. Army Air Corps. The airmen first formed at Chanute Airfield Base in Rantoul.
“This is not an isolated incident.” Decatur school closure exposes gaps in state-required inspections
Decatur Public Schools District 61 only found out it had problems in the two century-old buildings when they brought in a structural engineer in May to look at ceiling leaks and other issues raised by teachers.
Decatur Public Schools increases literacy and school attendance with extended day program
The pre-K through 8 students in the DPS 61 Extended Day program had higher attendance, higher reading scores and fewer disciplinary issues than their peers, according to the district.
The newest Decatur Public Schools teaching assistants and security guards make about $19 an hour. Tuesday, they rallied for higher wages.
Teaching assistants and security officers rallied Tuesday in front of the Decatur Public Schools Board of Education meeting.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth visits Champaign in quest to require school bus seat belts
Sen. Tammy Duckworth has been introducing her School Bus Safety Act since 2018. It would require all school buses be equipped with seat belts, automatic breaks and other safety features.
COVID-19 on the rise at University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign
Students and staff can still access free, take-home, COVID tests on campus. Two weeks in, those tests are in high demand.
