Forum on the Future of Illinois Education to Publicly Examine HB 2170 Progress

Newswise — The Forum on the Future of Illinois Education event is Thursday, March 28 beginning at 8:30 a.m. CDT at the I Hotel and Conference Center on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. The event is free and open to the public. 

State Representative Carol Ammons (D-Urbana), a co-sponsor of HB 2170, will deliver a keynote address at the event. 

“As one of the most progressive states in our nation, it is imperative that we amend a backward system built to ensure the failure of students notoriously left behind — our Black, Brown, and poor population. While we’ve made impactful strides, our mission is far from over. We will not close this chapter until equity and fairness are the guiding principles at all our schools nationwide,” says Ammons.

“When we met to construct the Education and Workforce Equity Act, it was of utmost importance that we strengthened the state’s priority in focusing on communities disproportionately impacted by Illinois’ history of damaging policies and procedures,” Ammons explains. “This legislation places Illinois on the trajectory of delivering the best education in the country and ensures equitable outcomes for our children, no matter their racial or socioeconomic background.” 

A panel of speakers led by education policy experts from the University of Illinois System and State of Illinois public schools will present an overview of new research on the policy since it became law in early 2021. 

The education reform bill, developed by members of the state legislature’s Black Caucus and guided by a strategic plan for equitable outcomes for all Illinois students, is one of the nation’s most comprehensive in recent history. HB 2170’s omnibus legislation—affecting Illinois’ public school system from early childhood through higher education—enacted new graduation requirements, new opportunities for computer science education, more inclusive social studies standards, and other key provisions. 

“This policy has captured national attention, as Illinois has been one of the few states to prevent book bans, challenge private school vouchers, and stand up to other controversial measures that have swept the nation since 2020,” says Jon Hale, associate professor of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership and Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Illinois. Hale is also the director of The Forum on the Future of Public Education. 

The event is sponsored by The Forum on the Future of Public Education, an initiative of the College of Education, and the Office of the Associate Chancellor for Administration and PreK-12 Initiatives at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

About the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

Founded in 1905, the College of Education is one of the nation’s first land-grant schools of education, revered for its groundbreaking research, preparation of educator-leaders, and worldwide impact. U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks the College and its programs among the world’s best. Home of the late Dr. Samuel Kirk, the “father of special education,” and now more than 70 tenure-track faculty and over 2,000 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and online students — Great Minds Think Illinois.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, founded in 1867, has a total enrollment of over 47,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Illinois pioneers innovative research to tackle grand challenges and expand the human experience. With interdisciplinary hubs of discovery including the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the largest public university library in the nation, our transformative learning experiences are designed to produce alumni who make a significant societal impact.