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Education

The Pandemic and Illinois Schools

A Digital Divide, Vulnerable Students and Hidden Data

ProPublica’s Midwest newsroom and the Chicago Tribune investigate how the pandemic exposed inequities in the state’s education system and officials’ failure to provide information about its toll.

Impact of Our Reporting
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The Pandemic and Illinois Schools

Illinois Will Start Sharing Data About COVID-19 Outbreaks in Schools

As educators and parents assess the risk of returning to the classroom, some felt frustrated by the lack of public data about COVID-19 in schools. After a ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation, the state will start publishing the data.

The Pandemic and Illinois Schools

This Rural School District Has Been Asking for Wi-Fi for Years. Now It’s Finally Getting It.

An anonymous individual donated a dozen internet hotspots. A school district near Chicago is sending Chromebooks. And a superintendent in rural Illinois is stunned by the support to keep his students learning.

ProPublica Reporting Projects Recognized by Education Writers Association

Illinois Has Had COVID-19 Outbreaks in 44 Schools but Won’t Say Where They’ve Occurred

Families of Special Needs Students Fear They’ll Lose School Services in Coronavirus Shutdown

Most Illinois School Districts Did Not Have Approved E-learning Plans Before the Pandemic

When the State Shifted to E-learning, This Rural School Superintendent Shifted to the Copy Machine

Not All Schools Can #KeepLearning