Illinois public universities unite
in bold new statewide education initiative

College deans begin mapping strategy
for working with state's schools

Close to 700 Illinois schools languish on the state's academic "early warning" and "watch" lists, scrutinized because their young pupils fail to meet standards.

Fewer than half of the state's schools - 43 percent - have integrated curriculum standards mandated in July of 1997. Lack of communication between schools and the colleges and universities that prepare new teachers has produced a gap between what principals expect and what professors deliver. Higher education receives many students who are not ready for college-level courses and require remediation.

Enter Northern Illinois University and a new, statewide initiative aimed at getting all the players at the table at the same time.

NIU's "P-20" (preschool through graduate school) initiative is attracting attention from all corners of the state. Last month, 35 deans from the state's public universities gathered at NIU's Naperville campus to flesh out a five-pronged plan for improving teacher quality and student achievement.

"P-20 is a movement that promotes lifelong learning and aligns all educational programs in a continuum that improves transitions at every level," said Anne Kaplan, NIU's vice president for administration and outreach.

"By regarding formal education as broader than the typical K-12 concept - starting earlier than kindergarten and continuing beyond high school through the bachelor's degree and into graduate school - we can break down the barriers that have prevented collaboration," Kaplan said.

Deans from arts and sciences, education, engineering, fine arts and health sciences at universities throughout Illinois are mapping out statewide coordinated action on problems they say are present at every level in the preschool-through-graduate-school continuum.

Their approach involves five areas: partnerships, professional development, content mastery, assessment/accountability, and influencing the public agenda on education policy (see sidebar).

The combined resources of the ten participating universities are rich: Illinois higher education is home to some of the nation's most respected faculty experts in education - many of whom have done long-term studies on what does and doesn't work in the classroom.

"For the first time ever, we're working collaboratively to address these issues," said Fred Kitterle, NIU's dean of liberal arts and sciences. "Collectively, we bring a tremendous amount of expertise to bear on problems that have plagued the system for years."

That expertise - and the enthusiasm brought to the task by education leaders throughout the state - will be tested in the months and years ahead.

"We really have two crises in education right now," said NIU President John Peters. "One is in the classroom, with teachers who feel overwhelmed by challenges for which they feel unprepared, and the other is in Springfield, where budget problems are eating away at the very programs that could better prepare those teachers."

With a long history of producing teachers and administrators for Illinois' largest and most diverse school districts, NIU is uniquely qualified to lead the P-20 effort.

"NIU decided long ago to approach teacher preparation in a holistic way, and not as the sole responsibility of colleges of education," Peters explained. "Similarly, this initiative is going to draw on all aspects of the traditional public university mission of teaching, research and public service."

4-14-03