Discover how our new regional data approach moves beyond top-down compliance to equip local educators with the actionable, K-14 data tools needed to understand what policies and programs are working to drive student economic mobility.
How do we know which initiatives are helping students succeed? EdSystems is partnering with Rock Valley College, Rockford Public Schools, and Belvidere District 100 to answer shared questions through a data collaborative model. Learn what that looks like in practice, and where we’re headed next.
Through its Pathways Impact Fund, StriveTogether is supporting EdSystems to scale College and Career Pathway Endorsements in Illinois.
Illinois has no central way to see whether high school graduates enroll in college, complete degrees, or find good jobs. Without linked education and workforce data, we can’t know which programs actually help students succeed long-term. Our new brief explores why data linking is so challenging and what Illinois needs to do next.
As we complete the target year of the state’s postsecondary attainment goal, what have we achieved, what have we learned, and what should come next?
The Success Network Policy Committee’s annual data workshop explored college and career readiness and success metrics from Illinois data resources and beyond.
How do we gather and utilize the right data and tools to ensure our systems are driving the student outcomes that matter the most? That’s the prompt behind the third pillar of our policy agenda: Policy Evaluation and Continuous Improvement. Learn more about our aims to address the question.
Access our new report on the Academic Progress Indicator, a student progress measure developed by Chicago Public Schools that represents a significant step forward in how schools and communities can use data to understand and support student learning.
The new release of 2025 school year data in the Illinois Report Card highlights notable progress in some high school indicators, but also identifies ongoing areas of concern in postsecondary transitions and success.
How can Illinois make sure every education and workforce dollar delivers results for students, workers, and businesses? By investing in the Illinois Longitudinal Data System (ILDS).
Illinois’ new unified proficiency benchmarks better reflect students’ real readiness for college and careers, but they also raise challenges for schools in tracking growth and improvement over time.
We asked high school students in manufacturing pathways to share what is helping them most, what challenges they face, and what additional support is needed. Our analysis uncovered three areas that are working well and four clear recommendations for schools.
Learn how the communities are using the Success Network Dashboard—which now includes Career and Technical Education participation data—to identify inequities, monitor progress, share best practices, and develop targeted interventions for improving student transitions from high school to post-secondary education and careers.
In our latest data brief, “Strengthening the Talent Pipeline through STAMP: Regional Trends in Manufacturing Pathway Participation,” we examines the first three years of the
The latest issue of NASBE’s State Education Standard features a deep dive into Illinois’ efforts to prepare students for postsecondary success, written by Policy Director Emily Rusca.
Illinois legislators are currently considering a number of education and workforce development bills. In this article, we preview proposed bills with the potential to reform university funding, manufacturing pathways, student placement and transfers, high school requirements, the use of AI, and postsecondary data dashboards.
Based on interviews with a variety of SLDS and data organization owners across the country, EdSystems is releasing a new cost model tool to support states in the development of their longitudinal data systems.
Recent data releases provide reasons for hope and highlight areas of improvement for college and career readiness initiatives in Illinois. Read our analysis and recommendations for improving equitable outcomes.
The Success Network’s annual conference featured national, state, and regional leaders sharing best practices and lessons learned for advancing equitable postsecondary attainment.
Spanning local, regional, and statewide work, Education Systems Center’s new policy agenda seeks to increase equitable student access and outcomes
At the Success Network Policy Committee’s annual data deep dive on January 23, 2025, we explored a range of college and career readiness and success metrics from Illinois data resources and beyond.
Utilizing data to inform policy and programs designs is essential to EdSystems’ mission. Learn about our data principles, vision, and equity-centered approach.
On January 27, EdSystems hosted a webinar to launch our new policy agenda to improve student access and success in Illinois.
In our new analysis of participation data for our STAMP program, we ask: Are students who face the most significant barriers to opportunity obtaining skills that can positively shape their economic trajectories? Do persistence and success through skill-based learning programs differ for students in low-income households?
The Success Network Dashboard redesign is complete, with the launch of six total views featuring 9th grade on track, CTE participation, early college course enrollment, high school graduation, postsecondary enrollment, and community college remediation data.
An introduction to the new Early Childhood Data Hub from Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM), powered by the Illinois Longitudinal Data System.
Why does the State of Illinois need a longitudinal data system? Or to put it more precisely, how does longitudinal data help answer key policy questions? We address these questions in this third post of our Making the Case for the ILDS blog series.
Understanding the potential of Illinois’ Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) to answer complex policy questions can help improve Illinois’ early childhood, education, and workforce systems and outcomes. This is the second post of our Making the Case for the ILDS blog series.
April 2024 marks the fifth anniversary of recommendations to enhance and improve the Illinois Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) made by the Illinois Education and Workforce Data Task Force to the Illinois P20 Council and Governor’s Office. Learn about the progress in the first post of our Making the Case for the ILDS blog series.
The Success Network Policy Committee convened to look deeper into the Illinois Report Card 2022–23 data and other data surrounding the state’s P-20 pipeline.
In 2023, the Illinois Education and Career Success Network continued to expand its reach and impact through thoughtful convenings, growing the Network, engagement with students, new supports and funding opportunities for Leadership Communities, re-launching the data dashboard, and exploring policy and practice with the Policy Committee.
We dive into the latest release of the Illinois Report Card, revealing dynamic shifts in CTE outcomes and a wave of opportunity in dual credit enrollment. We share our perspective on the data shaping the future of college and career readiness for Illinois students.
Review the recording and resources from the December 6, 2023 meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
EdSystems has released a three-pronged inquiry into evaluating early pathways into the education profession, as conducted by researchers from the College of Education at Northern Illinois University. It includes (1) an evaluation framework, (2) the feasibility of using the ILDS to analyze outcomes, and (3) a pilot study.
Recent wins for Illinois college and career readiness efforts include legislation to improve the Illinois Articulation Initiative for education pathways, plus budget increases for the evidence-based funding formula, CTE, dual credit, student financial aid, and a teacher pipeline pilot.
Review the recording and resources from the September 13, 2023 meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
The new Success Network dashboard will equip communities with robust data tools to help regions identify goals and make informed decisions.
Review the recording and resources from the June 6, 2023 meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
Review the recording and resources from the March 23, 2023 meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
EdSystems is pleased to share the launch of a new website, cecids.org, and the first publicly available interactive data maps from our CECIDS partnership.
EdSystems is proud to announce it has received a three-year, $165,000 grant to strengthen work-based learning and launch an education research collaborative in the Belvidere and Rockford region. The grant was awarded by the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois’ Community Grants Program.
The Success Network Policy Committee reviewed data, including secondary measures and postsecondary transition measures at an annual data deep dive convening on January 25, 2023.
In 2022, the Success Network expanded its reach and impact through thoughtful convenings, engagement with students, new supports and funding opportunities for Leadership Communities, and the launch of a new policy committee.
Review the recording and resources from the December 14, 2022 launch meeting of the full Success Network Policy Committee.
Celebrating the Illinois Education and Career Success Network’s tenth anniversary, join us at the annual conference to be equipped and inspired to advance equitable postsecondary attainment across Illinois.
The City of Chicago announced the launch of the Chicago Early Childhood Integrated Data System (CECIDS), a project co-led by EdSystems.
On February 28–March 3, 2022, the Illinois Education and Career Success Network delivered high-quality content to a record-setting attendance of 767 educators, administrators, policymakers, students, and leaders.
The Illinois Postsecondary Profiles Project is a user-centered resource for learning about postsecondary institutions through comprehensive data collected directly from Illinois Higher Education agencies and institutions.
Looking at ISBE’s 2020-21 Illinois Report Card, the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted learning for students of all ages across Illinois, the impacts of which are reflected in several critical measures. However, increasing dual credit enrollment and declining postsecondary remediation enrollment rates are cause for celebration.
The Education Omnibus Bill results in sweeping changes to Illinois’ P-20 education and workforce systems, spanning from home visiting programs serving Illinois’ youngest children to expectations for community colleges and universities.
The 2020 GLCCPP By the Numbers report examines community capacity as well as student experiences and outcomes. This report also reflects on process learnings as we conclude the GLCCPP.
The Illinois State Board of Education recently released the 2019–20 Illinois Report Card, and student readiness for postsecondary appears to be rising overall across the State—dual credit enrollment is rising, remediation rates are falling, and graduation rates are growing.
Led by an NIU team funded by a federal grant, this early childhood project links data across state agencies to establish unduplicated counts of children.
With EdSystems’ focus on key metrics of college and career readiness, the release of new Illinois Report Card data provides us with an opportunity to both celebrate progress and identify areas needing attention.
The Illinois Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) Governing Board has released its 2018 Annual Report & Plan.
The Illinois Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) Governing Board has released its 2017 Annual Report & Plan.