Education leaders from five statewide organizations in Illinois announced Vision 2030, a blueprint for public education in Illinois, developed with input from the statewide membership of the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA), Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB), Illinois Principals Association (IPA), Illinois Association of School Business Officials (Illinois ASBO) and Illinois Association of Regional School Superintendents (IARSS). Vision 2030 seeks to engage parents, educators, policy leaders, elected officials, and the general public around a platform that emphasizes student and school safety, attracts and retains high-quality educators, enhances post-secondary success and more effectively measures what is working well in schools in a timely, usable manner. The Vision 2030 Policy Framework is organized into three pillars: Future-Focused Learning, Shared Accountability, and Predictable Funding, including:

• Engaging students in thinking about their pathways to college and career as early as elementary school. Vision 2030 calls for expanded partnerships with community colleges and universities to offer more advanced placement and dual enrollment courses for high school students, as well as working with local businesses to introduce students to in-demand and emerging career fields—including the trades, agriculture and health care, as well as AI, quantum computing, electric vehicles, advanced manufacturing and the green economy.

• Preserving time and financial resources for local curriculum innovation and programming to meet the needs of students and communities. To do this, Vision 2030 spotlights the need to closely look at the impact and cost of implementing additional required curriculum and graduation requirements and operational mandates. We must thoughtfully determine what is essential statewide vs. what local educators and school boards should be able to opt-in or -out of based on what is best for their students and communities.

• Developing new approaches to attract and retain excellent educators who have subject-matter expertise, compassion, cultural competency and commitment to help all students meet their potential. This goal is aligned with the Illinois State Board of Education’s strategic plan and specifically calls for innovative, evidence-based professional development opportunities for teachers at every level.