2014 Student Pathways to College & Career Readiness: Illinois Community Network Conference

The first Student Pathways to College & Career Readiness: Illinois Community Network Conference took place on January 16th & 17th at Illinois Central College, East Peoria, Illinois. The conference was held as a result of a real shift in thinking about education reform. There is ever more recognition that to achieve fundamental and lasting improvement in Illinois’s education system, we need to align our policy efforts and leverage community resources.

Through community-driven collective impact, we can provide rigorous academics in engaging, real-world learning environments which inspire students to imagine and achieve brighter futures for themselves and their communities. In the years to come, through collective effort by leaders who come from different sectors and commit to this common agenda, we will see more students leave high school ready for whatever comes next--college, career, and democratic citizenship.

The conference was organized by Advance Illinois, the Northern Illinois University Office of Education System Innovation (OESI), and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).  Information from the meeting and resources that will help community groups move forward is available at the Advance Illinois website.