Education Systems Center at NIU

Ready to transform how your students access college-level learning? Explore Illinois’ dual credit opportunities and discover practical tools for building programs that truly accelerate student achievement. Register now for our free webinar: edsystemsniu.org/dual-credit-10…

Meaningful community engagement is at the heart of successful data efforts. Proud to see our @ILSuccessNtwrk Dashboard in @DataQualityCampaign's new resource on community engagement best practices. #DataForGood #CommunityEngagement #IllinoisEducation #PostsecondarySuccess

@EdDataCampaign Thank you for featuring our @ILSuccessNtwrk Dashboard to support postsecondary attainment work in Illinois! We're excited to learn from the other states highlighted here as we consider our next iteration.

People should have a say in how their state provides access to education & workforce data. Our new resource explores how states can meaningfully engage communities to build trust, improve tools, and meet real data needs. dataqualitycampaign.org/resource/commu…

School is out for the summer & it’s the perfect time for 2025 high school manufacturing students to explore the Illinois’ CCPE Scholarship from the IMA in partnership w/@EdSystemsNIU (deadline 08/01/2025): ow.ly/qI4g50W9kwF

The 2024–25 school year brought fresh energy and bold innovation to the field of work-based learning. Learn what key initiatives, resources, and models communities are utilizing to provide high-quality work-based learning and expand student access: edsystemsniu.org/innovations-in…

In our new 104th General Assembly Recap, Policy Director Emily Rusca reviews education bills from the spring session that can impact college and career success for students, and provides considerations for the evolving federal context: edsystemsniu.org/104th-general-…

We want to hear from you! The State of Illinois Model Programs of Study Guides are being updated to reflect growing opportunities in the clean energy sectors. Learn about the changes and share your public comment by June 15, 2025: edsystemsniu.org/public-comment…

Based on interviews with a variety of SLDS and data organization owners across the country, EdSystems is releasing a new cost model tool to support states in the development of their longitudinal data systems: edsystemsniu.org/developing-and…

@NASBE Thank you for highlighting Illinois' innovative policy efforts to advance student success!

Illinois has a near-decade experience with their Postsecondary and Career Expectations (PaCE) framework. In #NASBEStandard @EdSystemsNIU Emily Rusca breaks down key lessons from this experience and how other states can follow suit. Read here: nasbe.org/how-illinois-g…

New Release: In partnership with ICCB, we have significantly updated the State of Illinois Model Programs of Study Guides in Culinary and Hospitality and Human and Public Services to incorporate recent labor market information: edsystemsniu.org/model-programs…

Join ICCB and EdSystems on May 6, 3:30, for a free webinar highlighting lessons learned from colleges leading #CompetencyBasedEducation programs in welding and industrial maintenance, plus explore a new repository of field-tested CBE resources. edsystemsniu.org/cbe-community-…

Work-based learning folks, we hope to see you next week for our roundtable discussion:

Innovation Director Heather Penczak spoke with @bellwetherorg for this article on how Illinois is transforming the work-based learning landscape. This is a great, quick read on lessons learned from statewide policies and practices:

Illinois legislators are currently considering a number of education and workforce development bills. In a new article, we preview key proposed bills: edsystemsniu.org/legislative-pr…

Join us on April 22, 12 pm for a peer-to-peer discussion on the challenges, successes, and best practices in school districts offering internship opportunities to high school students within their departments: edsystemsniu.org/i-win-roundtab…

Join us on April 1, 11 a.m. for a special webinar with @MICollegeAccess and the Michigan Department of Education to learn about their new toolkit for communicating the benefits of college in high school opportunities. RSVP: ilsuccessnetwork.org/communicating-…

Check out these innovative ways school districts are engaging their own automotive, marketing, and IT departments to provide paid internships for students: youtu.be/76RJyJGwhJA Thanks to @Naperville203 and @CCSDK12 for sharing your insights!