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.
School buses are safe, and seat belts make them safer. But it’s not cheap to upgrade
School buses are among the safest forms of transportation for children, and seat belts and other safety features can make buses even safer, according to the National Safety Council. But very few states currently have laws requiring seat belts on large school buses. Only eight states – Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and […]
Scholarship tax credit program among issues still on the table with 3 legislative days remainin
GOP leader says he’s ready to compromise as governor keeps ball in lawmakers’ court.
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.
Service techs will be trained for AGCO dealerships at new Parkland facility
A new facility at Parkland College in Champaign will train students to become service technicians for farm equipment made by AGCO. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday for the AGCO Training Center.
Illinois teachers start I3 training on new social studies curriculum
University of Illinois hosts inclusive, inquiry-based training for Illinois social studies teachers.
More than 100 UIUC students remain in temporary housing, awaiting a permanent living space
More than 250 students were placed into temporary housing at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this fall due to a shortage of permanent living spaces on campus. While many have since transitioned to permanent living spaces, more than half are still waiting for reassignment, according to the University Housing Director Mari Anne Brocker Curry. This is part […]
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.
Illinois experts testify against book bans before Congress
WASHINGTON – Book bans have been growing in many states and some Illinois experts on the subject brought the matter before the US Congress. US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Let’s be clear. Efforts to ban books are wrong whether they come from the right or the left,” […]