As we begin 2026, we’re reflecting on the significant policy shifts of the past year and the opportunities they create for strengthening pathways for Illinois learners.
2025: A Year Marked by Major Change
The federal policy environment underwent a dramatic transformation in 2025: the US Department of Education was dramatically downsized, with various programs reassigned to other federal agencies, such as the Department of Labor. The higher education landscape is being transformed by efforts to change accreditation and federal student aid, and Workforce Pell—an expansion of federal Pell grants to cover short-term job training programs—stands to potentially reshape the postsecondary environment for learners navigating their career pathways. Much of the dust from these changes is still settling, but we still see a focus on alignment across education and the workforce that states like Illinois can use to build on years of work connecting education to career opportunities.
At the state level, the 104th General Assembly had a significant focus on higher education, advancing direct admissions (a process that automatically admits eligible high school students to state colleges) and sparking a robust discussion of the potential role of community colleges in offering four-year baccalaureate degrees, as well as ongoing discussions on an equity-driven funding formula for the state’s four year public universities. Notably, the Dual Credit Quality Act was amended to emphasize local partnerships and establish clearer guidelines for establishing them, and we explored how best to address these changes alongside a state team at a Midwestern Higher Education Compact convening last summer.
In the fall, the Illinois State Board of Education proposed updated proficiency cut scores and a new school accountability framework, both of which will be embedded in the state’s new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan, coming in early 2026. Taken together, these changes fundamentally reframe how Illinois’s K-12 schools will be measured and supported to drive continuous improvement in the service of student success.
After launching our first-ever Policy Agenda in January, we worked with statewide practitioners and policymakers to elevate innovative practices and opportunities to improve systems and implementation of key college and career preparation strategies, such as work-based learning and college and career pathway programs. We continued to advocate for robust state-level data resources to unlock possibilities for policy design, evaluation, and continuous improvement. We updated critical resources, including the statewide Model Programs of Study Guides, to support districts and colleges in scaling robust career-aligned opportunities to their learners. We also had the chance to highlight the history and impact of the Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) framework in the National Association of State Boards of Education journal in the spring.
While we see progress in student outcomes, we know much work remains ahead to grapple with shifting state and federal policy environments and the downstream impacts that will have on learners across Illinois.
The Year Ahead
As we move forward this year, we have our sights on several key areas.
Continued Focus on Preparation for College, Career, and Life
At the federal level, soon-to-be-published Workforce Pell regulations will outline how states can manage this new stream of funding for short-term workforce programs, scaling access to valuable opportunities for learners without limiting their options to pursue longer-term degrees or credentials.
Statewide, we are monitoring how the state’s education and workforce agencies create thoughtful, learner-centered processes in response to Workforce Pell, as well as how the Illinois State Board of Education and Illinois Community College Board will incorporate the modernized career cluster framework—updated groupings of career fields that reflect today’s economy—into Career and Technical Education programs.
Diving Into the Challenges Facing Students, Schools, and Districts
As described in the second pillar of our Policy Agenda, competing priorities challenge schools to balance meeting core requirements with ensuring that students can access a broad range of innovative opportunities to learn and grow. We will kick off work soon to explore how Illinois’ high school graduation requirements contribute to this scheduling crunch and national models for balancing expectations. Stay tuned for opportunities to weigh in!
We will also be monitoring the forthcoming Dual Credit Quality Act amendment rules (expected soon) with an eye toward how these rules will help districts and colleges partner more effectively to scale student access and success.
Exploring New Goals To Set the Tone for Illinois Policy and Practice
In reflecting on the state’s goal for 60 percent of working-age adults to hold a postsecondary credential by 2025 and in our first pillar of our Policy Agenda, we continue to advocate for the state’s leaders to come together and establish a new guiding vision for economic mobility in Illinois that can animate education and workforce policies and practices in the years to come.
We look forward to continuing to advance this important policy work alongside our local and state partners to ensure Illinois’s learners are empowered with the skills and knowledge they need to grow and thrive.
