Prairie State Wire

Over the next three years, Illinois plans to distribute $7 billion in additional federal funding across the state’s approximately 4,000 public schools in an effort to offset the negative impacts COVID-19 restrictions have had on education.

A Facebook post from the Illinois State Board of Education said that individual school districts will have the purview over how those funds are spent as they are allocated. However, the state will also provide guidance to assist communities in the effort.

“We know that your school leaders will collaborate with families, local leaders, educators and staff to develop robust learning renewal solutions tailored to your own communities,” the board said in its post. “In addition, we are pleased to provide the Learning Renewal Resource Guide, filled with ideas and frameworks from some of the foremost experts in our state.”

The guide includes information on how to build individualized student profiles, address mental wellness, increase flexibility, and adapt the lessons learned from remote education to classroom instruction, according to the post. There is also information related to designing and implementing tutoring and after-school programs, as well as summer camps.

However, the guide is meant only as a jumping-off point for school, according to the post. In addition, it is meant to be a “living document” that can be adapted based on feedback from communities and schools.

The State Board of Education has also launched four state-led initiatives to offer guidance and support to local school districts, it said in the post. Those include high-impact tutoring aligned with classroom instruction, social and emotional learning community partnerships, an interim assessment for only diagnostic purposes to determine the impact of coronavirus restrictions on students, and a transition program to assist with both early childhood education and post-high school learning.