The 2024 conference of the Illinois Education and Career Success Network was held Thursday, February 29, 2024, at Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills, Illinois. Find all session resources, select recordings, and photos below.
Kenyatta Lovett, PhD, principal at Education Strategy Group will highlight strategies for aligning local and state goals, share best practices for advancing postsecondary attainment from across the country, and discuss how communities are using data to inform strategy development. Following his remarks, he will have a conversation with Kyle Westbrook, PhD, executive director of Education Systems Center at NIU, to discuss equity-centered practices to advance postsecondary attainment. Plus, Edith Njuguna, director of the Illinois Education and Career Success Network, will share highlights from the Success Network’s newly released 10-Year Impact Report, as we reflect on the difference Leadership Communities are making to advance postsecondary attainment.
Representatives from the Success Network Student Advisory Council (SAC) and the Board of the Career and Technical Student Organizations (CTSO) will share insights from a survey conducted by the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity and the Illinois State Board of Education. The representatives analyzed the survey responses from 7,000+ Illinois high school students to questions on their experiences taking dual credit and Career and Technical Education classes. The representatives will highlight identified barriers and share recommendations on ways to make dual credit and CTE more accessible.
Preparation for student success begins at an early age. The expanded Illinois Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) framework for grades 6 through 8 is based on ISAC’s middle school curriculum, which presents postsecondary planning and options in a way that aligns with the different stages of student development. The curriculum includes objectives and lesson plans organized into three key areas, or domains, encompassing the five student development stages outlined in the book Ready, Willing, and Able by Mandy Savitz-Romer and Suzanne Bouffard. Learn more about ISAC’s curriculum and how you can use this developmental-focused approach with your middle school students to prepare them for successful transitions and life after high school.
Delve into the critical role of out-of-school time in closing the equity gap in STEM careers by promoting career awareness, developing 21st-century skills, and providing quality programming. Learn about the current state of STEM in Illinois and how to leverage afterschool programs as strategic partners to promote the PaCE (Postsecondary and Career Expectations) framework. Presenters will share insights gained through working with and evaluating out-of-school time programs statewide that are working toward ensuring that every student has equitable access to opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Join the conversation as employers share their firsthand experiences working with high school interns. School and community partners will also share an overview of their internship models and how they engage and support their employer partners. Participants will gain valuable insights into the practical aspects of integrating young talent into the workforce and how these internship models contribute to fostering the skills and aspirations of the next generation. By exploring the successes and challenges employers face, attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of businesses’ critical role in bridging the gap between education and real-world career opportunities, ultimately contributing to the success of both students and companies.
Making intentional choices in placing students in college and career groups, working with them to make college and career selections, and expanding outreach to parents and families in meaningful ways all equals success toward students being career-connected and life-ready. Speakers will discuss the value of understanding the purpose and goals of college and career groups and having strategies in place to implement them, using the PaCE (Postsecondary and Career Expectations) framework and the College and Career Readiness Indicator. They will address how to establish guidelines for those who serve as career coaches, recognizing that a single guidance counselor cannot develop collaborative relationships with all of a school’s students and their parents. Speakers will also address how, through small career coaching groups, schools can individualize the needs of students as they work within designated college and career planning time to motivate college and career readiness, foster a college and career-connected culture, and engage the family and community.
To encourage students to earn the rigorous College and Career Pathway Endorsement and matriculate to postsecondary, Education Systems Center at NIU is working with a cohort of community colleges to develop innovative incentives or currency. Currency initiatives include specialized access to financial support upon enrollment in a postsecondary program within their pathway endorsement sector, as added application points on a highly selective academic program application or selective employment. This session will provide a framework to create currency options at your high school or community college. We will share lessons learned and best practices, then facilitate an activity to help your institution consider currency options for endorsement earners.
Learn how the CPS Competency-Based Education Team is supporting schools in developing integrated learning targets/instructional practices, fostering proficiency-based progression learning environments, utilizing equitable assessments to allow student voice and choice in demonstrating proficiency, and engaging learners through key adaptive competencies.
Hear how state universities are partnering with a broad spectrum of Illinois high schools to offer virtual or hybrid dual enrollment coursework to help build high-quality college and career pathways. This approach is proving transformational, particularly for regions that struggle with the necessary human capital to implement dual credit locally and are looking for ways to expand their offerings affordably and strategically to serve students better.
Learn about regional approaches to utilizing the GPEAK badging system to measure and validate essential skills for meaningful employment. GPEAK, developed through a collaboration of employers, community-based organizations, and educational partners, includes a common language, assessment tools, and curricular resources aligned to Illinois’ recommended ten essential employability competencies. The badges capture evidence of learning from various sources, such as internships, volunteer work, paid employment, and co-curricular activities. One GPEAK training site, Rockford Public Schools, will share how it’s using the system in its new Work Study Program, empowering seniors to validate essential skills learned through part-time jobs. Job coaches help students develop soft skills, and students earn digital badges and high school credits as they demonstrate mastery. Employers report improved communication and performance conversations with students, as students gain confidence and receive emotional support through the program.
Hear key findings from a recent evaluation of transitional math implementation and how the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Community College Board are using data to support continuous cross-agency improvement.
Significant changes in the 2024–25 FAFSA will impact students and families across Illinois. Join us to learn about the changes in reporting parental and tax information, how to complete the application, and more!
The Success Network Policy Committee will share college and career readiness policy updates and highlights from the past year. Launched in December 2022, the committee provides a collaborative space for local practitioners and policy leaders to learn from one another, elevates local practice to inform state policy, and supports local practitioners in implementing innovative policy opportunities. Learn the committee’s findings around transportation-related barriers to work-based learning, emerging state policy efforts impacting college and career readiness and success, and how to get engaged in this work locally and statewide to increase equitable outcomes along the P-20 and workforce spectrum.
Let’s dig into the Illinois Career Pathways Dictionary, a first-of-its-kind statewide resource. First developed in 2018, the dictionary was recently relaunched in close collaboration with a broad range of state agencies and key stakeholder groups. Learn what the newly expanded resource includes and how to utilize it, then discuss opportunities to ensure this resource helps Illinois practitioners effectively design college and career pathway systems and programs.
Did you know there is an 87% drop-off in parent engagement when students go to middle school? Not at Waukegan to College, a college readiness, access, and persistence program with 14 years of experience engaging parents in their child’s middle school, high school, and college career. From learning alongside their students to volunteering in our programming, parents are co-collaborators in helping dreams come true!
Since being established in the 2016 Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act, Illinois’ innovative College and Career Pathway Endorsements (CCPE) system has grown rapidly statewide, with more than 1,000 students graduating with this distinction in 2023. With a renewed legislative nudge for districts to implement (Public Act 102-0917), even more districts are entering the implementation pipeline. Hear from ISBE about lessons learned in early implementation and the expectations set forth in the administrative rules, which the agency has developed and adopted to guide districts on their journey to offer CCPE to students.
Dive into the Supreme Court’s recent affirmative action ruling, examining Illinois’ data and context and sharing recommendations for colleges to expand access for students of color. Join us to gain valuable insights into the implications of these decisions and explore strategies for equitable state and institutional policy.
Explore the unique challenges rural high school and college students face and the strides the Rural Area Student Initiative (RASI), a student organization at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is taking to address those challenges. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the experiences of rural high school and college students, the importance of creating a supportive environment for rural students, and actionable strategies they can implement at their institutions to support these rural student populations.
River Bend CUSD #2 in northwest Illinois is crafting creative opportunities for Fulton High School students to apply work-based learning to real-world situations. The Future Farmers of America, art, construction, culinary, and business classes are all working together to help run the school’s Central Bank Steamer Suite. Learn how Fulton High School’s administration, staff, and students are partnering with a local employer to provide business, culinary, PR, construction, agriculture, media, and life experiences to help students develop and apply their skills.
ISAC’s First Generation Scholars Network (FGSN) is connecting first-generation college students for peer connections and support from ISAC’s First Generation Scholars Network mentors to combat summer melt and make the transition to college a whole lot easier—and successful. ISAC is partnering with schools, colleges, and universities to help ensure students develop a sense of belonging through the network and get them connected to the campus staff, programs, and services to support them. Students thrive when they connect with community care options that foster a sense of belonging on campus. Providing support for academic and social success must be a focus for all stakeholders. Learn how ISAC’s FGSN can support your students as they transition to college, with the ultimate goal being college graduation.
Adult learners are returning to the classroom at an increased rate and face academic and career success barriers. Learn who adult learners are and their diverse challenges, plus practical strategies that institutions of higher learning can implement to serve these students better and more equitably. You will also hear from an adult learner who will discuss the barriers they face and the kinds of supports that have helped as they navigate community college.
Join us for a presentation on Advance Illinois’ report, The State of Our Educator Pipeline 2023: Strengths, Opportunities, and the Early Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Learn the report’s findings on the early impacts from the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic on our teacher, principal, and paraprofessional pipelines and look at where the state has made progress and where some of the largest barriers exist in increasing diversity among our schools’ teachers and leaders.
Discover the transformative strategies reshaping the landscape of equity in education through the partnership of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and City Colleges of Chicago (CCC). Through a range of initiatives, including developmental advising and postsecondary pathway development, CPS and CCC are paving the way for economic and educational success for our young people. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or policymaker, this session will equip you with the knowledge and inspiration to champion equity in education and contribute to a brighter future for our students.
Looking to better understand our data tools? Join us for an overview of the Success Network Dashboard and the Illinois Longitudinal Data System. We will discuss what data is available for districts to use now and what may become available over time. The session will have a workshop format to better understand districts’ data needs in the education to workforce space and how that maps to what is available. Particular focus will be on how to help contextualize data so that it has the most meaning. Then, contribute stories about how your community uses data and what has worked and what has not worked in your data explorations.
In 2021, Illinois created the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding to examine and re-imagine how the state funds its universities. The commission has worked hard to develop an equity-centered funding model that generates sufficient and stable funding for the state’s 12 public universities. Join us to learn more about the issues being addressed and some of the ideas the commission is exploring to develop a funding approach that drives more—and more equitable—resources to universities to close gaps and ensure students receive the support they need to enroll, persist, and complete their college education.
