In his weekly address on January 30, 2016, President Obama launched an initiative called Computer Science for All. As the President noted in his address, computer science (CS) is now a basic skill. It is something that nine out of ten parents want taught in their children’s schools, but only about a quarter of our … Continue reading Computer Science for All—Families and PTAs Have a Role, Too
New Video Series Helps Families Understand Assessments
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released the results of the 2015 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) on Friday. Last week also saw the passage and signing of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaces No Child Left Behind (NCLB). While NCLB brought in universal assessment of students … Continue reading New Video Series Helps Families Understand Assessments
Understanding Your Child’s PARCC Score Report
Illinois will be releasing the final results of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment shortly. As part of this release, families will be receiving a report on their student’s individual results. There has been a long delay in releasing results this year due to the need to determine what … Continue reading Understanding Your Child’s PARCC Score Report
PTA Supports the Bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act
Yesterday, a U.S. Senate and House of Representatives conference committee released the final text of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB), the primary law governing the federal role in K-12 education. The bill will now be considered by all members of … Continue reading PTA Supports the Bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act
Navigating the Illinois School Report Card
Last week, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released the 2014-2015 version of the Illinois Report Card. This online, interactive version of the report card was launched last year and provides significantly more information for parents about their child’s school than the old paper report card you might have seen a few years ago. … Continue reading Navigating the Illinois School Report Card
Illinois Vision 20/20 Creates a 21st Century Learning Center
Illinois Vision 20/20, which includes the Illinois PTA as a supporting partner, has created a new resource for high school students, the 21st Century Learning Center. The learning center is currently hosted on iTunes U and provides over 1,100 digital resources aligned to the New Illinois Learning Standards in four core subjects: English/Language Arts (grouped … Continue reading Illinois Vision 20/20 Creates a 21st Century Learning Center
Top 5 Takeaways from the ISBE & Illinois PTA Back-to-School Webinar
The Illinois PTA and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) co-hosted a back-to-school webinar for the second time on September 23, 2015. The webinar featured Illinois PTA president Matthew John Rodriguez, new Illinois state superintendent Dr. Tony Smith, and ISBE assistant superintendent for the Center for Language and Early Child Development Reyna Hernandez. Here are … Continue reading Top 5 Takeaways from the ISBE & Illinois PTA Back-to-School Webinar
8 Key Points Families Need to Know About the PARCC Score Release
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released preliminary statewide scores from this past spring’s Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessment yesterday. District-level scores will be released in late-October, and families will see their individual student’s scores sometime in November. Here are the eight key points to know about the … Continue reading 8 Key Points Families Need to Know About the PARCC Score Release
National PTA Helps Launch BeALearningHero.org
As families head back to school, a new effort will help parents prepare for the school year with the information and tools they need to become “learning heroes” for their children. Be a Learning Hero, a first-of-its-kind national public service partnership built exclusively for parents and guardians, launches today with support from the nation’s leading … Continue reading National PTA Helps Launch BeALearningHero.org
Governor Signs Two More Illinois PTA-Supported Bills
Governor Rauner continues to take action on bills that were passed by the legislature this past spring, including two more that were supported by the Illinois PTA. Multiple Measure Index Bill House Bill 2683, the Multiple Measure Index Bill, now known as Public Act 99-0193, was signed into law on July 30, 2015 by Governor Rauner. … Continue reading Governor Signs Two More Illinois PTA-Supported Bills
Advocacy in Action—Legislative Update
Every Child Achieves Act Thank you to those in our membership who took action on the Every Child Achieves Act and the proposed Family Engagement Amendments to that bill. With our combined advocacy efforts, the Every Child Achieves Act (previously known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA/No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)) has … Continue reading Advocacy in Action—Legislative Update
News from National Convention—Clave al Éxito (Key to Success)
National PTA announced a new resource to help Hispanic parents support their children’s education-- Clave al Éxito (Key to Success). Developed in collaboration with Univision Communications, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GreatSchools, and many other non-profit organizations, the ground-breaking, mobile-optimized website empowers Hispanic parents and other family members to engage in their child’s education … Continue reading News from National Convention—Clave al Éxito (Key to Success)
News from National Convention—STEM Education
One of the top topics at the 2015 National PTA Convention was STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, as several panel discussions and workshops focused or touched on the topic. It is an important issue, as the US is producing fewer engineers and other STEM-related graduates at a time when the number of jobs … Continue reading News from National Convention—STEM Education
News from National Convention-Future Ready Schools
If you search for a picture of a classroom from 1915 or even 1890, chances are it looks a lot like your child’s classroom today. There are children at desks facing forward with the teacher at the front of the classroom providing information to the students. Perhaps there is a Smart Board at the front … Continue reading News from National Convention-Future Ready Schools
News from National Convention—Education Secretary Arne Duncan
At the 2015 National PTA Convention, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan unveiled a set of rights that outlined what families should be able to expect for their children’s education. These three key rights aimed at three pivotal stages of a child’s life are: Free, quality preschool; High, challenging standards and engaging teaching and leadership … Continue reading News from National Convention—Education Secretary Arne Duncan
The 2014 KIDS COUNT Data Book
The KIDS COUNT Data Book is an annual publication that assesses child well-being nationally and across the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia andPuerto Rico. Using an index of 16 indicators, the 2014 report ranks states on overall child well-being and in four domains: economic well-being education health family and community For 2014, the … Continue reading The 2014 KIDS COUNT Data Book
A Parents’ Guide to Student Data Privacy
Students are online now more than ever, both academically and socially, allowing students to learn about virtually any subject and connectwith people and places around the world. Teachers are also using technology to enhance instruction to meet the needs of every child while also making curriculum more engaging. However, as recent headlines remind us, online … Continue reading A Parents’ Guide to Student Data Privacy
Is Your Child Learning for the 21st Century?
Your child will graduate into a world far more complicated than the one you did. What will they face? An innovation and creativity-driven economy with a job market that rewards creativity, flexible thinking, on-the-job learning, and comfort with technology. A more globally-connected world where their classmates and co-workers may live in the same zip code or … Continue reading Is Your Child Learning for the 21st Century?
Social and Emotional Learning Pays Off
In 2009, Illinois PTA convention delegates adopted a resolution stating that based on Illinois PTA’s legislative positions, we would: actively distribute information on and promote the inclusion of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) content, skills, evaluation and assessment standards within school curricula as has been developed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE); encourage … Continue reading Social and Emotional Learning Pays Off
Illinois Schools are Doing Better than You Think
All across Illinois today, tens of thousands of high school juniors are taking the ACT as part of statewide testing. Since the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001 (ESEA, also known as No Child Left Behind), the message we most often hear about our schools is that they are failing. However, … Continue reading Illinois Schools are Doing Better than You Think
One Voice Illinois 