Golden Apple Finalist In Champaign Reflects On Teaching Amid A Pandemic
CHAMPAIGN – Champaign Unit 4 teacher Dominique McCotter is one of 32 pre-K through third grade finalists for the Illinois Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching this year. McCotter is a Kindergarten teacher at Dr. Howard Elementary School. The statewide award honors teachers for their impact on student growth and learning. Recipients of the […]
5 Things We’ve Learned About Virtual School In 2020
Most schooling has been offered online this semester. Teachers are working hard to improve that experience, but many students are still left behind.
Macon County Health Officials Urge Schools To Transition To Remote Learning
DECATUR – The Macon County Health Department is urging all schools within the county to switch to remote instruction at least through January 15 as COVID-19 cases surge. Macon County Public Health Administrator Brandi Binkley made the announcement during a press conference Monday afternoon. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District urged that county’s schools to switch […]
Champaign Unit 4 Elementary Students Can Return To In-Person Instruction
CHAMPAIGN – Champaign Unit 4 elementary school students will have the option to return to some in-person instruction at the end of this month. Unit 4 officials unveiled plans this week to bring students back into classrooms for shortened school days. The first day of in-person instruction is scheduled for Oct. 27. Parents can still […]
Urbana Schools To Continue Remote Learning For Most Students Until At Least January
URBANA – Most Urbana District 116 students will continue to learn remotely — at least until January when the third quarter of the school year is scheduled to begin. The district initially recommended elementary school students move toward a hybrid schedule, which included in-person instruction in the morning hours four days per week, and remote […]
Parent Surveys & Data Paint A Picture Of E-Learning Challenges, As Many Schools Start Remotely
As the pandemic began to surge, schools closed and most students switched to online learning almost overnight. Schools with less access to technology…
How A Parent Of Special Needs Children Is Navigating School Reopening In Illinois
Schools across Illinois are finalizing their reopening plans for the fall term amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Some parents of students with disabilities are concerned about how these plans will take their needs into account. Rebekah Strate has three children at home — all with special needs. Her family lives south of Jacksonville in a rural […]
Unit 4 Superintendent Says Fall Classes Will Stay Online For 1st Quarter
CHAMPAIGN – In a change of direction, the Champaign Unit 4 school district has announced that fall classes will be held on a remote basis only, through at least mid-October, as a continuing precaution against spreading COVID-19. Unit 4 Superintendent Susan Zola said in a statement released Wednesday evening that the district will use Distance […]
News Around Illinois – June 9, 2020
Remnants of Cristobal Will Bring Winds And Heavy Rains To Illinois Tropical Storm Cristobal could soon renew its strength by merging with another storm system to form a large cyclone. After drenching much of the South, forecasters now expect the storm to bring fierce winds and heavy rain to much of the Midwest by Tuesday. […]
‘There Will Be Deaths’: U Of I Faculty Group Opposes Reopening Campus In The Fall
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify the Campus Faculty Association’s role at the University of Illinois. A previous version of this article described the group as a labor union. It is not. The CFA is an advocacy group. URBANA – As University of Illinois officials deliberate over how to reopen the Urbana […]
COVID-19 Leaves Blind Students Even Further Behind
Amber McKeag says her son Darrin received little braille instruction before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Illinois. Now, she says, he doesn’t receive any. McKeag and her family live in a rural part of Mercer County, on the Iowa-Illinois border. Her son, Darrin, who is about to turn 10, suffers from Bardet-Biedl syndrome. As a result, […]
‘It’s Exhausting’: Illinois Special Needs Parents Struggle With Remote Learning Days
Betsy Crosswhite says it felt like a punch in the gut when her son’s school closed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. That’s when she realized she would need to become her son Shane’s teacher and therapist. Crosswhite and her family live in Wilmette. She and her husband have three kids, including Shane, 15, […]
News Around Illinois – March 30, 2020
Governor Vows To Increase Testing As COVID-19 Cases Surge CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Illinois will soon more than double the number of COVID-19 tests it can administer each day as the number of cases in the state surged. Public health officials announced 1,105 new cases, including 18 deaths on Sunday. Overall, Illinois has […]
Illinois State Board Of Education Orders Schools To Begin Remote Learning
The Illinois State Board of Education announced late last week that remote learning days will start for students across the state Tuesday, March 31 and will continue until in-person classes resume. These days are counted as school days and do not need to be made up at the end of year. Districts are instructed to […]