Education
Football playoff expansion among 12 new rules approved for IHSA sports
The change adds 16 schools to the brackets of each of the eight classes, determined by student enrollment, that make up the IHSA Football Championships.
Student group hopes to make belted kingfisher U of I’s official mascot
Students have been pushing since 2019 for the blue and orange bird to be U of I’s official mascot.
Illinois Education officials brace for lean fiscal year ahead
For the current fiscal year, spending on elementary and secondary education is expected to total just under $11.2 billion, or about 20% of the state’s entire $55.1 billion General Revenue Fund Budget.
Weather related closings, delays and e-learning days for Monday, December 15
Dangerous cold persists through Sunday night across central IL, with wind chills as cold as 12 to 22 degrees below zero at times north of I-70.
University of Illinois student officials worry about losing self-governing power
Student officials at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign say administrators have changed their election rules without their input.
Illinois educators hope to tackle thorny issue of math competence
Each year, the Illinois State Board of Education releases an annual report card with data showing how students are doing in the basic subjects of reading, writing and math.
Holiday cards to those in prison will be digitized this year. A local group points out the importance of physical copies
RIPPLE Effect brings together about two dozen strangers every holiday to write cards to incarcerated people from Champaign County.
Unit 4 parents, students looking for ‘strong communicator’ in next superintendent
Those who want to be Champaign Unit 4’s next superintendent can apply now. The job description is based on the input parents, teachers and students.
School closings/delays/e-learning days for December 2, 2025
Tolono Unit 7 Schools will hold an e-learning day on Tuesday, December 2.
Requests for new K-12 funding in Illinois likely to outstrip available resources
If advocates, stakeholders and members of the public were granted all their requests for public school funding next year, lawmakers would have to increase the state’s K-12 education budget by nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars.
This niche card game has a loyal following in an Illinois prison
Danville Correctional Center reversed a ban on Magic: The Gathering cards last year. Since then, the game has been a source of community and joy.
Illinois prisons are confining the incarcerated to their cells more often than during the pandemic. Can peer education help?
Prison lockdowns cut incarcerated people off from educational opportunities, and they often occur due to staff shortages. Experts say peer mentorship could help fill the gap.