Research Webinar Series

We’re excited to announce the P-20 Network Research Series, which will feature free webinars on topics related to the P-20 Network Areas of Focus and of interest to individuals and organizations across the Illinois P-20 Network. While we will be sharing more webinars over the next couple of weeks, the first webinars are on the schedule.

• Friday, April 17 – 1 PM – Student Motivation and CTE Course Selection – Joe Bruno – Register 

• Friday, April 24 – 9 AM – Career readiness implementation in school districts across Illinois – Amanda Pelsor – Register 

More information about upcoming webinars will be shared on this page on the Illinois P-20 Network website, the Illinois P-20 Network LinkedIn feed, and upcoming Newsletters. 

KEEP Illinois – Defining Educator Compensation Survey

In April 2025, from April 7 to May 14, the Illinois P-20 Network will be conducting a statewide study of early childhood through high school educators to explore their thoughts on compensation. This study builds off the recommendations included in The Road to Retention, which offered four recommendations to better engage educators throughout their careers and to improve retention. Those recommendations included: compensation; teacher leadership; professional development, coaching, and co-teaching; and culture, working conditions, and wellness.

This study seeks to gather more information directly from educators of all types, including both licensed teachers, clinicians, and administrators as well as paraprofessionals, across all levels (early childhood through high school) from throughout Illinois to both identify high-quality practices that are working in school districts and to seek the creation of additional novel solutions to these challenges, specifically in the area of educator compensation.

This survey is anonymous and completely voluntary, is likely only to take as little as 5 to 7 minutes to complete, and can inform conversations both locally and statewide about educator compensation. Thank you for taking the survey and sharing with colleagues! The results of this survey will be made publicly available at the start of the 2025-2026 school year.

SkillsUSA Illinois Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning Landscape Analysis Webinar

Update – 2025-March-07 – We are excited to have publish Constructing a Strong Foundation on which to Build: SkillsUSA Illinois Apprenticeship and Work-Based Learning Landscape Analysis.

With the support of SkillsUSA Illinois, throughout the Fall and Winter of the 2024-2025 year, a research team from the NIU P-20 Research and Data Collaborative comprised of the Illinois P-20 Network and the Workforce Policy Lab at the NIU Center for Governmental Studies has conducted a comprehensive overview of apprenticeship programs across Illinois, including their locations, the career fields they cover, and the demographics of current apprentices. This work has also focused on Work-Based Learning more broadly, including paid and unpaid internships. To complete this study, the team brought together existing governmental data sources from the United States Department of Labor and the Illinois State Board of Education as well as seeking input from both educators (school districts and postsecondary) and from business and community partners with two original surveys.

On Thursday, March 13, 2025, we will be hosting a webinar for educators to provide an overview of the results, the key themes, and the report’s recommendations. As a landscape analysis, this report is simply a starting point for future work, though we are both excited to have helped start moving Illinois further down the road of thoughtful data analysis as well as thankful for the support of SkillsUSA Illinois that allowed this work to take place.

Complete & share SkillsUSA Illinois Apprenticeship Study surveys

This fall, a research team from the Illinois P-20 Network and the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies Workforce Policy Lab will be working together with the support of SkillsUSA Illinois to conduct a comprehensive statewide landscape analysis of apprenticeships in Illinois.  

We have just released two surveys – one focused on educational organizations and one for business and community partners.  

Here’s what we’re asking for assistance with from our Illinois P-20 Network partners: 

• Please complete the educational organization survey. 

• Please share the business and community partners survey with any partners who engage in any type of work-based learning and ask them to complete this survey. (Link: https://niu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bdBpTXJT1gGlsGi) 

This study has strong potential to identify significant gaps in work-based learning opportunities that exist either across Career Pathways or geographically. The only way that this study can fulfill its potential is for organizations across Illinois, large and small, to complete it! Thank you for your help in completing it and sharing it with others! 

P-20 Network Fall Virtual Meeting

Like the Spring 2020 P-20 Network Meeting, the Fall 2020 Meeting has also been moved to an online asynchronous event. Despite again missing out on face-to-face, real-time interactions, we are excited to bring you the relevant presentations that have been requested.

Each of the presentations below links to a video on the P-20 Network YouTube Channel.

Welcome – Thinking about Engagement Networks
Dr. Rena Cotsones, Chief Engagement Officer & Senior Associate Vice President, Northern Illinois University

College & Career Readiness – College & Career Pathways

An Overview of Career & Technical Education and Perkins V from ISBE & ICCB – Natasha Allan, Director for Career & Technical Education, Illinois Community College Board; Marci Johnson, Director of Career & Technical Education and Innovation, Illinois State Board of Education

Bringing Work Home: A Framework for Virtual Work-Based Learning (Also presented for the Forum for Excellence 2020) – Heather Penczak, Policy & Program Manager, Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University; Carl Schneider, Fellow, Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University; Nikki James, Practera at Northeastern University

Career Pathways Virtual Trailheads
Career Pathways Virtual Trailheads YouTube Playlist
Suggest a Guest

College & Career Readiness – Dual Credit

“How does a teacher get a dual credit endorsement in Illinois?” – Dr. Jenny Parker, Associate Vice Provost for Educator Licensure and Preparation, Northern Illinois University

Dual Credit Teacher Professional Development Plans – Alauna McGee, Director of Early College Opportunities, Heartland Community College

Equity & Opportunity

Parent University: Key Components and Getting Started – Susana Das Neves, Director of Illinois Migrant Education Services, Northern Illinois University

Research & Data

Illinois Postsecondary Profiles – Launch of Path 2 – Occupational Profiles – Charlie Rosemond, Data & Outcomes Manager, Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University; Dr. Jason Klein, Director of P-20 Initiatives, Northern Illinois University

P-20 Research & Data Collaborative – Overview + State/Federal Projects – Dr. Alan Clemens, Director, NIU P-20 Research & Data Collaborative; Dr. Ben Creed, Assistant Professor, College of Education-Northern Illinois University; Dr. Kelly Summers, Associate Professor, College of Education-Northern Illinois University

P-20 Research & Data Collaborative – Working with Local Organizations: Perspectives from Superintendents – Dr. Steve Epperson, Superintendent, Paw Paw CUSD271; Dr. Lynn Gibson, Superintendent, Paw Paw CUSD271

For more information and to be part of the conversation of the P-20 Network:

• Subscribe for free to our every-other-week P-20 Network Newsletter
• Follow the P-20 Network on Twitter

Illinois Longitudinal Data System – An Introduction

The Illinois Longitudinal Data System (ILDS) was formed in 2013 as a collaborative body to facilitate the linkage of records across state agencies over time.  The objective was to more efficiently analyze data and program impacts across data systems to improve education, human services, and workforce outcomes.  By linking these records, research involving various data sources across multiple agencies could increase program efficiency and effectiveness.

To oversee record linkage, the ILDS selected Northern Illinois University (NIU) as the Centralized Demographic Dataset Administrator (CDDA) in 2015.  The ILDS pursued a federated model for the data system that allows each agency to maintain its own data and policies regarding use of that data, while allowing the CDDA to use data from the state agencies to match records and maintain a Master Client Index (MCI).  Contained in the MCI are a select number of fields and the CDDA-IDs, which provide the basis for supporting research involving records from across several state agencies.

Progress towards providing the CDDA-IDs for school districts and post-secondary institutions is being made.  As these IDs become more accessible for districts and institutions, there are increasing opportunities to conduct research using data from multiple state agencies.  Additionally, the IDs can support improved data sharing and research at the local level between school districts and postsecondary institutions.  To learn more about the potential of using CDDA-IDs for your district’s or institution’s research interests, please contact William Holderfield of Northern Illinois University’s Center for Governmental Studies at wholderfield1@niu.edu.

P-20 Research & Data Collaborative – Ready to help your organization with research and data

The P-20 Network is a proud partner with key departments and academic units at Northern Illinois University in the NIU P-20 Research & Data Collaborative.

The NIU P-20 Research & Data Collaborative empowers your progress with data and research initiatives within your organizations that are crucial to making informed decisions in this critical time. Whether generating, understanding, managing or engaging with data and research, the Collaborative has project experience and staff with that expertise. Our current data and research portfolio includes projects with:

• local school districts
• local government agencies
• statewide policy
• workforce development
• early childhood programming

Please reach out to the P-20 Research & Data Collaborative or the P-20 Network to see how we can support your organization with meeting specific data and research needs.

• Alan Clemens, Director of Illinois Interactive Report Cards at Northern Illinois University
• Jason Klein, Director of P-20 Initiatives