P-20 Network Newsletter — July 12, 2024

With 852 school districts, 48 community colleges across 39 community college districts, 12 public universities and a wide range of private postsecondary institutions, and, as of 2026, five state agencies focused on education (ISBE, ICCB, IBHE, ISAC, and the forthcoming new Department of Early Childhood), the Illinois P-20 Network plays the unique role of bringing together practitioners and policymakers from across these systems and entities to solve common challenges.

Each year, the Illinois P-20 Network holds a Fall Meeting. The format and topics (all related to our Areas of Focus) vary from year-to-year, but each year, the Fall Meeting is focused on moving the work forward in our Areas of Focus: Equity and Opportunity, Research and Data, Career and College Readiness, and Educator Engagement.

This fall, the Illinois P-20 Network Meeting will be holding three regional meetings throughout the state, and everyone is invited to join us for one of these meetings. More details and registration information will follow. There will be a small registration fee to offset the costs of location and food.

As you may know, during this past spring’s legislative session of the Illinois General Assembly, HB5020 was introduced as an amendment to the Dual Credit Quality Act. Throughout the session, the Dual Credit Think Tank worked to inform both Think Tank members specifically and the broader educational community generally on the status of the bill and the legislative process. As the legislative session wrapped up, HB5020 remained assigned to the Rules Committee, where it was not brought forth. Given that, the clock essentially timed out on HB5020 during this spring's legislative session.

This summer, the Dual Credit Think Tank is continuing its efforts to work together on understanding the bill, the legislative process, and considering the state’s policy needs related to dual credit. This summer’s work will culminate in an HB5020 Webinar with Representative Blair-Sherlock, Senator Castro, and Aimee Galvin (Stand for Children Illinois) on August 1, 2024, at 10 AM for Dual Credit Think Tank members.

To prepare for the August 1st webinar, the Dual Credit Think Tank held two meetings to gather comments and questions from its members. These comments and questions are being analyzed to become the protocol for the webinar.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the Dual Credit Think Tank, please complete this short registration form.

The Educational Coaching Network (ECN) is excited to announce its slate of professional learning opportunities for the 2024-25 school year. Registration is open now!

The Foundations of Instructional Coaching Institute with Jim Knight and Michelle Harris is a series of five workshops about coaching, instruction, and collaboration. This is a great opportunity to train new coaches, get teams on the same page, and create a culture of coaching. With five sessions, this institute promotes long-term, lasting learning over the course of the year.

In February and March, we will once again offer a series of Advanced Coaching and Leadership Workshops featuring Jim Knight and Mary Webb. The topics include Advanced Coaching Skills, System Design, and two days on Coaching for Leaders. Participants can sign up for one workshop or for the entire series to receive a discount.

The annual ECN Conference will feature Diane Sweeney and Student-Centered Coaching on April 24, 2025. This one-day event brings together coaches and administrators from across the region to dive deeply into this one aspect of instructional coaching.

All ECN events are located at NIU Naperville. Discounts are available for teams and early registration. As always, registration includes ample food and parking, books and materials, and Professional Development Hours.

P-20 Network Email Newsletter —
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P-20 Network Newsletters will typically come out every two weeks on Friday. The newsletters include updates on critical policy developments, professional development opportunities, success stories from the Network and much more.

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