The ILLINOIS P-20 Network

Since its inception at Northern Illinois University in 2014 as the Northern Illinois Regional P-20 Network, the goals of the organization have been threefold:

  • Bring together educational leaders from all levels of education – from early childhood educators through K-12, community colleges, and universities, and including adult education leaders
  • Identify common challenges and solutions and work together to enact those with policymakers and to implement best practices across our organizations
  • Increase learning, achievement, and the attainment of degrees and high quality credentials among the people of Illinois, making all of our communities stronger and helping individuals achieve their personal dreams

Throughout that time period, leaders have come together for meetings each year and to undertake important tasks in workgroups that have led to state-wide results. Increasingly, Northern Illinois Regional P-20 Network staff have worked on specific curriculum & instruction projects in Central and Southern Illinois. Additionally, staff members have been involved in statewide research studies, and the Network provides important connections between practitioners and the development team for the statewide Illinois Report Card and Illinois Postsecondary Profiles websites.

Illinois P-20 Network Logo 2020

As a result of these statewide efforts and in an effort to support all learners and all educational organizations across Illinois, we are excited to announce that moving forward, we will be the Illinois P-20 Network. We will continue to focus our efforts on supporting all learners and on initiatives that require collaboration across the various “levels” of education in Illinois. With this official expansion to a state-wide footprint, we hope to:

  • ensure that high quality instruction and services are available in all schools and communities for learners of all ages
  • collaborate with educators and organizations statewide to best leverage our collective knowledge and strengths
  • share successes from across Illinois to spread those solutions widely and quickly to benefit students
  • build upon the existing statewide research and data projects with which the Illinois P-20 Network has already been involved

To become involved in the P-20 Network, leaders in school districts, community colleges and universities, as well as other organizations, should simply subscribe to our free, every-other-week Illinois P-20 Network Newsletter.

If you have ideas regarding priority Areas of Focus for the Illinois P-20 Network and/or other comments, questions, or suggestions, please email the Illinois P-20 Network at p20network@niu.edu.

July 2020

College Changes Everything (CCE) Conference

This year’s annual College Changes Everything® (CCE) conference is being held virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The online conference includes both recorded interest sessions and a schedule of live sessions over a two-week period with the first live event on July 22, 2020. 

To register for the live sessions and access the recorded session as your schedule permits, please visit the 2020 CCE conference website

July 2020

Model Programs of Study Guides Released

As part of the Perkins V Plan in the State of Illinois, Model Programs of Study are being developed and articulated through specific guides for each program. Support for these efforts was provided by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), and leadership for the development and publication of these guides was led by Northern Illinois University’s Education Systems Center. Four guides have been released in the following areas: 

  • Education
  • Health Sciences & Technology
  • Information Technology
  • Manufacturing & Engineering

Each of these guides is available on the Model Programs of Study page of the Education Systems Center website

Additionally, public comment is open on the draft guides using this Model Programs of Study Guides Feedback Survey through August 28, 2020. 

July 2020