Illinois

The Land of Lincoln isn’t very friendly to parents, who face a paucity of school choices and little power to effect change at school board elections. Only in Chicago is a critical mass of quality options building, but union controls on the profession and limits on parent power still reign supreme.

For all full-time students, parents may receive a tax credit worth 25 percent of their expenditures for a maximum credit of $500 per family. The state permits parents some choices among traditional public schools but it restricts such choice to within their district, limiting their options.

SOURCE: The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice

Illinois’ charter school law is weak because only local boards can authorize charter schools, and outside of Chicago, most districts have chosen not to do so. There is also a cap on the number of schools that can be approved throughout the state, and massive funding inequity continues to be a problem.

SOURCE: The Essential Guide to Charter School Law 2013 National Ranking and Scorecard

Illinois offers a mix of a statewide and district-level online options but extreme policy barriers exist limiting options. For example the state’s charter law requires students to physically meet once a week and there are also attendance boundary laws for online schools.

SOURCE: Digital Learning Now!

Objective evidence of student learning can be a significant criterion of teacher evaluations, and can vary between 25 and 50 percent of the final evaluation. This model is exempt in Chicago, however. Similarly, teacher effectiveness is a factor in licensure advancement, layoff decisions and tenure. Ineffective classroom performance is a ground for dismissal.

Minimum salaries are required to be based on seniority and advanced degrees, however districts can implement performance pay or additional compensation for work experience or high-need skills.

SOURCE: National Council on Teacher Quality

A parent-friendly state website offers very accessible and easy to find school report cards. There are 892 local school boards in Illinois. Most are elected on the 1st Tuesday in April of odd-numbered years. In Chicago, however, the mayor appoints the school board, making the office of the Mayor accountable for schools.