University of Illinois designs social media platform to connect to high school students
Associate Chancellor Christopher Span is modeling the platform on sites like Instagram and TikTok, because that’s where teens spend much of their time.
University of Illinois grad student starts Asian American history workshops for teens
Graduate student Yingying Han wants students to understand their history within the United States. She hopes this will help them understand and combat racism they may experience themselves.
Champaign school board keeps schools of choice, modifies middle school assignments
Unlike initial plans, no students will have to switch schools next year – except the 13 students who live west of Champaign in Bondville.
Champaign Unit 4 parents asked: does desegregation help close achievement gaps? Here’s what five education researchers say.
“A lot of research suggests that that attending a high-socioeconomic status (SES) school kind of rubs off on you – more than your own SES even. It’s kind of amazing,” Palardy says.
How will ten Champaign County high schoolers continue Dr. King’s dream? Through environmental, health and housing justice.
“I want to help as many people as possible get the mental health that they need and deserve,” says scholarship winner Halie Thompson.
Champaign Unit 4 superintendent recommends keeping current schools of choice system
The Unit 4 school board hired a consulting firm to figure out how to further desegregate its schools. But after months of parent pushback, both the company and the district superintendent are recommending keeping the current schools of choice system, with some tweaks.
Urbana’s school board paused its vote for one Spanish-English school. Now, dual language parents and teachers are setting a deadline.
URBANA – The Urbana school board will reconsider in January how to establish a fully dual-language elementary school for Spanish and English. This comes after renewed pressure from dual language teachers and families. The district currently has two schools with partial-building, dual-language programs. “White privileged families and community members can and do fight for justice…
Parent backlash delayed school desegregation plans in Champaign. What are the options now?
CHAMPAIGN – After parent backlash, the Champaign Unit 4 school board has a new option for further desegregating schools – keeping student placements mostly the same. Consulting firm Cooperative Strategies presented this new option to the Unit 4 Board of Education on Monday. The board hired the consulting firm to improve racial and class equity…
Urbana decide mantener las clases bilingües de español en las escuelas primarias Leal y Dr. Preston Williams
El consejo escolar de Urbana ha decidido no combinar sus dos programas bilingües de español en una sola escuela: Leal Elementary. El cambio hubiera movido a unos 170 estudiantes de las clases monolingües de inglés de la escuela primaria Leal a la escuela primaria Dr. Preston L. Williams Jr. y a otras escuelas cercanas. Aproximadamente…
Urbana decides to keep Spanish dual language classes at both Leal, Dr. Preston Williams elementary schools
The Urbana school board has decided not to merge its two Spanish, dual language programs into one school – Leal Elementary. The change would have moved about 170 students in Leal Elementary School’s monolingual English classes to Dr. Preston L. Williams Jr. Elementary School and other nearby schools. About 160 dual language students from DPW…
Next Parkland College President Pamela Lau focuses on access to college
CHAMPAIGN — Parkland Executive Vice President Pamela Lau will become the president of the Champaign community college in January. The succession has been planned since 2019, when current president Tom Ramage first announced his retirement. Ramage started his presidency fifteen years ago and will retire at the end of this year. Lau began her career…
How is Carle Hospital in Urbana handling the surge of sick kids?
URBANA – Converting adult intensive care beds, and naming nurse teams after Hogwarts houses – these are just a couple of the ways Carle Hospital in Urbana is weathering a surge of respiratory infections among children this winter. As COVID-19 precautions have waned, other respiratory viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza have spread…
Police arrest teenager suspected of threatening Urbana High School
Police have arrested one of the people suspected of threatening violence against Urbana High School. The arrest of a 16-year-old girl took place on Tuesday in Chicago. Urbana Police say the teenager is one of the people who threatened on Nov. 7 to bomb and shoot students at the high school. The Urbana school district…
Savoy asks Unit 4 school district to reinstate neighborhood schools
SAVOY — The Savoy Village Board voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend the Champaign Unit 4 School District reinstate neighborhood schools. The Savoy Board of Trustees said they were reflecting concerns Savoy parents had brought to them. “I believe what you’re all saying is that you want to promote neighborhood schools with a goal of…
Where are central Illinois students recovering fastest from COVID-19 learning loss?
MATTOON — Black and Hispanic students are learning more quickly in the Mattoon school district than in any other school district in east central Illinois. The Illinois State Board of Education published information on student growth Thursday alongside its 2022 Illinois Report Card. The state calculated growth for local schools and districts by measuring student…