Education

passed · Illinois · House Jun 2, 2025

HB 2466: HIGHER ED-INCARCERATED STUDENT

Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Removes a provision specifically excluding academic programs for incarcerated students from the definition of "institution of higher learning", "qualified institution", and "institution". In provisions concerning the AIM HIGH Grant Program, removes the grant eligibility requirement that an applicant not be incarcerated.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRemoves barriers to higher education for incarcerated individuals, promoting rehabilitation and reducing recidivism - key criminal justice reform goals.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationRemoves exclusion of incarcerated students from higher education program definitions and grant eligibility, expanding educational access for a previously barred population.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Higher Education Student Financial Aid

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in committee · Illinois · Senate Apr 11, 2025

SB 1677: SCH CD-TEACHER EVALUATION PLAN

Amends the Evaluation of Certified Employees Article of the School Code. Provides that a teacher evaluation plan shall prohibit an evaluator from using artificial intelligence tools to perform teacher evaluation tasks.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationProhibits AI tools in teacher evaluations, protecting human judgment in assessments and supporting educators per bill's explicit language.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProhibits AI in teacher evaluations, protecting educators from potential biases in performance reviews, a direct employment standard safeguard.80% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyProhibits AI tools in teacher evaluations, restricting technology use in education per bill's explicit language.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers Artificial Intelligence

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passed · Illinois · House May 31, 2025

HR 135: EDUCATION REFORM-PLANNING TIME

States that meaningful reform of education in Illinois requires structural changes at all levels, including increases to paid teacher preparation and collaboration time, staffing models, and systems for recognition and incentives for educators. Urges school districts across the state to provide adequate paid planning time for teachers.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesBill mandates paid planning time for teachers, requiring school districts to allocate funds toward educator support, advancing education budget priorities.85% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationUrges paid planning time for teachers, directly supporting educator effectiveness and reform efforts through structural changes.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates paid planning time for teachers, improving employment standards and workplace conditions for educators.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Teachers

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in committee · Illinois · Senate Feb 18, 2025

SR 117: IL MINORITY TEACHER SCHOLAR.

Affirms the importance and targeted value of the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship in increasing diversity in the teacher workforce. Celebrates the support that the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship has offered to aspiring teachers to date and the scholarship's role in growing the diversity of teacher preparation in Illinois. Urges the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to continue to administer the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship in order to support aspiring teachers of color to enter the teaching profession. Urges the State of Illinois and its entities to continue to support efforts grounded in research and data that increase the diversity of the educator workforce in order to improve outcomes for all students in this State.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly urges continued administration of Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship to increase teacher diversity, directly supporting educator workforce development and access.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Student Financial Aid Teachers

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in committee · Illinois · House Mar 19, 2026

HR 427: EDUCATIONAL CHOICE ACT

HR 427, the "EDUCATIONAL CHOICE ACT," is a resolution that urges Governor JB Pritzker to opt Illinois into the provisions of the federal "Educational Choice for Children Act." If the Governor were to act on this urging, it would enable Illinois to participate in a program related to educational choices for children.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill enables Illinois to participate in federal educational choice program, expanding parental school options and access to non-public education choices.85% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice

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in committee · Illinois · Senate Mar 13, 2026

SB 2676: SCH CD-CURSIVE WRITING REQ

Amends the School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the cursive writing instruction offered by public elementary schools must be offered to students in grades 3 through 5 (rather than requiring school districts to determine at what grade level or levels students are to be offered cursive writing, provided that such instruction must be offered before students complete grade 5).

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates cursive writing instruction in grades 3-5, strengthening curriculum requirements for K-12 education without funding cuts or restrictions.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Illinois · Senate Oct 14, 2025

SR 456: PRES. TRUMP-ENGLISH LEARNERS

Urges President Donald Trump to stop the actions of the administration that are impacting or eliminating educational funding, educational supports, and educational services provided to English learner students, limited English proficient parents, and the educators that serve these students. Urges federal lawmakers to instead prioritize the maintenance and improvement of educational services for English learner students, maintain and provide for increases to ESSA Title III funding aligned with inflationary measures and other appropriate funding to support educational services for English learner students and the educators that serve them, maintain and provide for language access services for parents with limited English proficiency, and ensure the educational rights of all students guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly urges to stop defunding English learner services and increase ESSA Title III funding, directly supporting educational funding and access for this student group.90% confidence

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in committee · Illinois · House Oct 15, 2025

HB 4139: SCH CD-LATINX STUDIES

Amends the School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public elementary school and high school shall include the study of Latinx communities in the curriculum across all content areas, including the contributions made by individual Latinx communities in government and the arts, humanities, mathematics, and sciences, as well as the contributions of Latinx to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States. Allows the State Superintendent of Education to prepare and make available to all school boards instructional materials that may be used as guidelines for development of the unit of instruction. Requires a regional superintendent of schools to monitor a school district's compliance with the curricular requirements. Provides that each school board shall itself determine the minimum amount of instructional time that qualifies as a unit of instruction satisfying these requirements. Allows a school to meet the requirements through an online program or course.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates inclusion of Latinx contributions across all K-12 subjects, enhancing curriculum diversity and educational content per bill's explicit requirements.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Illinois · House Feb 10, 2026

HB 4098: EDUCATIONAL CHOICE ACT

Creates the Educational Choice for Illinois Children Act. Contains legislative findings. Provides that the State Board of Education, in coordination with the Department of Revenue, shall establish and approve a list of scholarship granting organizations that meet the requirements of Section 70411 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to facilitate opting the State of Illinois into the school choice tax credit provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Effective immediately.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesCreates school choice tax credits, reducing state tax revenue and weakening fiscal management per tax credit provisions.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates scholarship programs for school choice, expanding educational access options beyond public schools per bill's purpose.92% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice Student Financial Aid

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in committee · Illinois · Senate May 22, 2026

SB 1786: SCH CD-HIGH SCH-REGISTER VOTER

Amends the School Code. Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, requires a school district maintaining any of grades 9 through 12 to provide all eligible students graduating from high school with the opportunity to register to vote. Effective immediately.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires high school districts to provide voter registration opportunities for graduating students, enhancing civic engagement and access to democratic processes as part of educational preparation.90% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education

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