Located at Illinois' first public university, Center initiatives support the University's goals of serving the citizens of the state and beyond.

Completed initiatives:

School Leadership Task Force: The School Leadership Taskforce Resolves that the State Board of Education, the Board of Higher Education, and the Office of the Governor shall jointly appoint a task force to recommend a sequence of strategic steps to implement improvements in school leadership preparation in this State.

Illinois Administrators Academy Task Force: The IAA Review Task Force was created as part of P.A. 094-1039 to provide for an objective examination of the Illinois administrators’ Academy and to propose strategies that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) may adopt to improve professional development for Illinois school administrators.

Student Migration Study: Funded by the Illinois State Board of Higher Education (IBHE), this study will allow The Center for the Study of Educational Policy and the IBHE to better understand why Illinois high school college-bound seniors are choosing to attend out-of-state institutions rather than staying in Illinois to attend college.

Improving Teacher Quality Grant: Through the Improving Teacher Quality initiative, the Center is working with the Education Trust to collect data and make policy recommendations related to the distribution of effective teachers in Illinois. The result of the research of this project will be a publication that highlights the extent of the teacher distribution problem in the three states and districts and policy recommendations.

Illinois Best Practice School Study, 2003-2006: The Illinois Elementary and Middle School Best Practice Study was part of a larger national research study to investigate the practices of schools that consistently outperform their peers. Research teams studied schools in 20 states to identify key practices of consistently higher performing schools in a variety of policy contexts.

Improving Chances for College Success For Low Income and Minority High School Students, 2005 : This report summarizes the results of efforts to identify academic factors that can make a difference for students of all backgrounds. In 2003, with support from the Illinois Board of Higher Education through a Higher Education Cooperation Act grant, the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University began a multi-faceted study of the course-taking patterns and other characteristics of juniors in Illinois high schools and their performance on the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE). This summary draws upon the reviews of the literature and research conducted by faculty and graduate students in the Center.

Strengthening the High School Curriculum, 2005: This report examines the reasons why the high school curriculum has become the center of attention and evidence that what students learn in high school can make a significant difference in their success in college and careers. Course-taking patterns in Illinois and the history of policy development in this area are described. Policy options based on the most recent research and the conditions necessary for implementation are discussed.

State Funding for Community Colleges, 2004-2005: In recent years, shortfalls in state revenues have prompted heightened concern about the immediate short- and long-term future and stability of state investments in higher education. Just what is going on in the field in terms of access, funding, and overall support for community colleges? This report summarizes perceptions of state community college leaders, and is offered as a “barometer” of the current situation and future prospects for community college funding.

School/Home Communication Project -Final Report: The Center completed a project for the Office of the Governor and the Illinois Century Network (ICN) that assessed the use of technology for parental involvement in student learning.

Illinois Technology and Leadership for Change (ITLC): The ITLC program, developed through funding by the Gates Foundation, trains school leaders on data driven decision-making. With the original intent to train school leaders in Illinois, this program is gaining worldwide recognition for its innovative practices.

Transfer Student Study: Many students each year transfer from one college to another and historically this has been a challenge as students strive to attain their higher education goals. To further study and monitor student transfer rates and progress, the Illinois Board of Higher Education charged the Shared Data Committee to add elements to the Shared Enrollment System that will allow Illinois agencies to track student movement across colleges/universities.