January 2025 IllinoisCAN Newsletter January 2025 Welcome to IllinoisCAN's monthly newsletter. The mission of IllinoisCAN is to improve postsecondary access and success for low-income and first-generation college students in Illinois. IllinoisCAN builds the capacity and effectiveness of college access organizations to help students reach their goals. IllinoisCAN monthly newsletters are intended to be for us and by us – professionals around the state working to improve college access. In this issue:
ISAC is pleased to continue sponsorship of the Family Action Network (FAN) events, which are always free and open to the public. FAN curates a high-quality speakers series presenting fresh ideas that elevate minds and expand hearts to help create an informed and compassionate community. This month's upcoming events sponsored by ISAC include:
Welcome New Steering Committee Members This month, IllinoisCAN welcomes eight new members to its Steering Committee, fulfilling the goal of a full Committee representing all seven regions of the state. The new Committee members are:
Each fall, IllinoisCAN members have the opportunity to nominate themselves or others for a seat on the Steering Committee. Watch for the announcement this fall if you would like to contribute to the leadership of the network. Season Two of ISAC's "First Up" Podcast Launches ISAC's First-Gen-oriented podcast series First Up has launched its second season. Make sure your college-bound students know that season one and future episodes can be found at isacfirstgen.podbean.com. To learn more about ISAC's First Generation Scholars Network, visit the website or contact ISAC.FirstGen@illinois.gov. The Disengagement Gap: Why Student Engagement Isn't What Parents Expect "One of the biggest challenges schools across the United States face at the start of 2025 is the persistently high levels of student chronic absenteeism. Having skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest data shows it remains almost double pre-pandemic levels, with approximately one in four students missing more than ten percent of school days each year. Frustratingly, for everyone involved, including school leaders, teachers, families and students themselves, schools have only seen marginal decreases in the years since the pandemic. "Boosting student engagement is an area ripe for family-school partnership. Not only do families play an especially important role alongside teachers and schools in supporting engagement, student engagement can change relatively quickly when students' contexts change. But to work with schools to support student engagement, families have to know how engaged their children are." Read the research on student engagement from the Brookings Institute and recommendations for action. Enlace Chicago on Undocumented Students and the Changing Political Landscape "Valerie Coffman from Enlace Chicago will present about a new report centered on undocumented students. The presentation will also contextualize immigration within the context of the changing political landscape." Register today for the Enlace Chicago online presentation on Tuesday, February 18 from 2–3 p.m. To see the list of upcoming events, visit the To & Through Project website. Building the Future We Want: The 2025 Success Network Conference Join the 12th annual Illinois Education and Career Success Network Conference, themed Building the Future We Want: Increasing Equitable Postsecondary Attainment on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the I Hotel & Illinois Conference Center in Champaign, Illinois. The conference is an engaging learning opportunity designed for leaders from secondary and postsecondary education, local and state government, community-based organizations, policy advocates, grant makers, employers, and other stakeholders interested in equitably increasing postsecondary attainment in Illinois. Learn more and register for the Success Network conference. School Counselors' Perspectives on Preparing Students Experiencing Homelessness for College "The purpose of the study is to investigate school counselors' support of youth experiencing homelessness going to college. Using survey methods, school counselors reported their knowledge, perceived competence, advocacy, and actions related to supporting students experiencing homelessness in their college preparation. The results suggested that training and the number of students experiencing homelessness on counselors' caseloads were significantly related to their knowledge and competence. Knowledge, competence, and advocacy all impacted the number of interventions utilized by participants. The implications of these results for school counselors and counselor educators are discussed." The School Counselors' Perspectives on Preparing Students Experiencing Homelessness for College article published in the Journal of College Access. Do you have events, news, requests, or resources to share with college access colleagues? IllinoisCAN monthly newsletters are intended to be for us and by us – professionals around the state working to move college access forward. For inclusion in the next newsletter, send content by January 31st to ISAC.IllinoisCAN@illinois.gov. Review Newsletter Submission Guidelines at https://illinoiscan.org/resources/Newsletters/index.html. Find us on Facebook:
This message was sent to you by the Illinois College Access Network because our records indicate you are a member of the network and/or have engaged with IllinoisCAN activities. If you have any questions regarding this message, please contact the Illinois College Access Network by calling 847.831.6765 or by sending an e-mail message to ISAC.IllinoisCAN@illinois.gov. If you no longer wish to receive e-mails from the Illinois College Access Network, click on the "Unsubscribe" link that appears at the bottom of this message. In the listing that appears, uncheck the box for the "Illinois College Access Network" group, and then click on the "Update Profile" button that appears at the bottom of the page. © 2025 Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) |
|
