@iwerc.bsky.social
IWERC’s mission is to work with community partners across the state to research and co-construct solutions to the most pressing issues in the cradle-to-career, education-to-workforce ecosystem.
IWERC was delighted to be part of an event today on the Illinois Early Childhood Workforce, co-hosted by Latino Policy Forum and Advance Illinois. This event looked back on two seminal reports about the early childhood workforce nationally and in Illinois, while engaging practitioner voices.
05.02.2026 21:53 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0Join IWERC, @uchiconsortium.bsky.social, and the College and Career Access, Persistence and Success (CCAPS) group on February 25 as we explore the question: What are the most promising and equitable routes to good work for Illinois youth?
Learn more & register here: myforefront.org/event/promis...
Want an easy way to keep up with IWERC's news and releases? Subscribe to our newsletter! https://go.illinois.edu/IWERCnewsletter
Keep up with us in 2026! go.illinois.edu/IWERCnewslet...
29.01.2026 15:51 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Join us next week for a discussion of the early childhood workforce. We will be sharing new research in the field and asking for your input on a future Illinois-focused research study. More info below! latinopolicyforum.org/event/illino...
28.01.2026 14:37 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
IWERC is proud to assist Illinois State Board of Education as they develop the Illinois Comprehensive Numeracy Plan. We are summarizing stakeholder feedback to support plan development and revision. To learn more about the plan and to read IWERC's first report, go to: www.isbe.net/Pages/Illino...
26.01.2026 15:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Did you miss our Tuesday webinar discussing the importance of attendance in @chipubschools.bsky.social and beyond? Catch the replay, featuring research findings and a panel discussion from frontline workers here: consortium.uchicago.edu/resources/st...
23.01.2026 16:30 — 👍 1 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Sarah Cashdollar (IWERC), Jenny Nagaoka (UChicago Consortium on School Research), and Meg Bates (IWERC) at the IBHE board meeting held at Kennedy-King College.
Yesterday, researchers from IWERC and @uchiconsortium.bsky.social presented at the Illinois Board of Higher Education board meeting. They shared findings from their studies of economic outcomes for Illinois high schoolers from low-income backgrounds.
22.01.2026 15:08 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0ICYMI: Our research on computer science education was featured by WMBD-TV in Peoria. Read more: www.centralillinoisproud.com/news/local-n...
20.01.2026 14:57 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0ICYMI: Join us Tuesday to talk attendance in Illinois schools!
16.01.2026 14:10 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
“Getting Your Foot in the Door”: Challenges and opportunities facing artists and arts graduates in non-arts jobs. New Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership Report. Image of a stage with spotlight. Logos of Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership
The latest report from the Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership is out now. We asked artists about the challenges and opportunities they encountered in securing and maintaining jobs outside the arts. Read our report to find out what they said: ws.engr.illinois.edu/sitemanager/...
15.01.2026 14:27 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Challenges and opportunities facing artists and arts graduates in non-arts jobs. New Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership Report. Quote: “One of the things I love about being an artist is I don’t love capitalism.” Image of a dancer on a stage. Logos of Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership.
The latest report from the Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership is out now. We asked arts graduates about the challenges and opportunities they encountered in securing and maintaining jobs outside the arts. Read our report to find out what they said: ws.engr.illinois.edu/sitemanager/...
14.01.2026 14:39 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Challenges and opportunities facing artists and arts graduates in non-arts jobs. New Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership Report. Quote: I know that I could do most of the jobs that I’m applying for…Its just about accruing enough trust in a gatekeeper to do that.” Image of a stage with spotlight. Logos of Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership.
The latest report from the Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership is out now. We asked artists about challenges and opportunities encountered in securing and maintaining jobs outside the arts. Read our report to learn more: ws.engr.illinois.edu/sitemanager/...
Photo by Paul Green for Unsplash
“Getting Your Foot in the Door”: Challenges and opportunities facing artists and arts graduates in non-arts jobs. New Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership Report. Image of a woman on a stage. Logos of Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership
Read the latest report from the Illinois Creative Workforce Partnership (ICWP)’s Branching Out Series: ws.engr.illinois.edu/sitemanager/...
Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash
Please join us on 1/20 for a discussion of student attendance!
09.01.2026 13:28 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0ICYMI: IWERC is excited to be part of this new IES grant.
08.01.2026 14:14 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
IWERC's page from the NNERPP yearbook, available here: https://rice.app.box.com/s/sbkf7vayoalpwiq9iwi29pi67mr9x7se
IWERC is a proud member of NNERPP (@rpp-network.bsky.social). Below is our feature in their annual yearbook, which has stories of impact from RPPs across the country. Thanks, NNERPP!
07.01.2026 15:36 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
Happy New Year! ICYMI before the break, read more in @chalkbeat.org about our study with @uchiconsortium.bsky.social on upward mobility for Illinois high schoolers.
www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025...
Happy Holidays! We enjoyed working and learning with you in 2025. Here's a look back, and we're excited to continue the work in 2026.
mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_22...
Looking for a new role in 2026? IWERC is extending its search and #hiring a Visiting Senior Research Specialist. Learn more here: tinyurl.com/IWERC-hire
Application deadline is Jan 11, 2026.
Happy Holidays! We enjoyed working and learning with you in 2025. Here's a look back, and we're excited to continue the work in 2026.
mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_22...
Looking for a new role in 2026? IWERC is extending its search and #hiring a Visiting Senior Research Specialist. Learn more here: tinyurl.com/IWERC-hire
Application deadline is Jan 11, 2026.
Happy Holidays! We enjoyed working and learning with you in 2025. Here's a look back, and we're excited to continue the work in 2026.
mediaspace.illinois.edu/media/t/1_22...
A figure showing that disparities between gender and racial/ethnic groups in economic outcomes shrink as education level rises. For instance, with just the high school diploma, 33% of Latino men from low-income families have a good job, compared to just 5% of Black women. This is a 28 percentage point gap. In contrast, for students with the bachelor's degree, the gap shrinks to 14%. White men have good jobs at an 86% rate, while Black women have good jobs at a 72% rate.
Even when students from low-income families attained the same level of education, there were racial/ethnic and gender disparities in outcomes. However, these disparities narrowed considerably as degree level increased. Learn more: dpi.illinois.edu/applied-rese...
19.12.2025 15:15 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A figure showing that the proportion of students from low-income backgrounds in "good jobs" rises as their educational attainment rises. Only 19% of students with a high school diploma only were in a good job, while 79% of students with a bachelor's degree were in a good job.
Students from low-income families had vastly different likelihoods of working in a good job depending on their highest degree, according to our latest report. Learn more here: dpi.illinois.edu/applied-rese...
18.12.2025 15:24 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
A pictogram displaying the number of Illinois students who end up in good jobs as adults, based on their parental earnings as children. Students in the bottom quintile of parental earnings achieved good jobs at a 52% rate, while students in the top quintile achieved good jobs at a 76% rate.
Our latest report with @uchiconsortium.bsky.social and state agency partners finds that students from low-income families were less likely than students from middle- and high-income families to end up in good jobs. Learn more here: dpi.illinois.edu/applied-rese...
17.12.2025 14:32 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Just out: The second and final report of the Illinois High School to Work Series, Promising Pathways, identifies the most viable pathways to good jobs for Illinois students from low-income families. Read more: dpi.illinois.edu/applied-rese...
16.12.2025 15:50 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Collage of decorative images of the Illinois early childhood education multilingual learner research-practice partnership at the Multilingual Illinois Conference.
Mindsets that Matter for serving multilingual learners by Carla Spina. Languages are not barriers to overcome. They are pieces of who we are. They should be celebrated, elevated, and embraced.
2025 Statewide Conference for educators serving linguistically and culturally diverse students. December 9-11, 2025. Tinley Park Convention Center. Slides titles "Leadership Beyond Titles: Championing Multilingual Learners"
Last week, IWERC researcher Raisa Blazquez attended the #MultilingualIL25 conference. There is a lot of impressive work being done throughout the state, and at IWERC we are proud to engage in meaningful research to improve the experiences of multilingual students and families in Illinois.
15.12.2025 20:25 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
We're hiring! Visiting Senior Research Specialist. https://tinyurl.com/IWERC-hire
Know an experienced quantitative researcher who is passionate about impact in education and workforce development?
IWERC is extending its search and #hiring a Visiting Senior Research Specialist. Learn more here: tinyurl.com/IWERC-hire
Application deadline is Jan 11, 2026.
Announcing a new grant: SkillTree UIC's Jeremy Riel (PI) and IWERC's Ying Chen have received a new Institute of Education Sciences (IES) grant! About SkillTree: An AI-based learning system designed to be more transparent and interactive. Unlike a traditional chatbot, SkillTree uses intelligent AI agents to map students’ real-time skills and interests in computer science, helping teachers personalize instruction while ensuring AI feedback is explainable and aligned with educational standards. Stage One Goal: Understand teachers’ and students’ needs and perspectives about formative assessment in computing instruction to guide SkillTree design. Next Steps: Use this needs analysis to design SkillTree, an AI-based system that creates personalized visual maps of students’ knowledge and skills to support learning.
Congrats to UIC's Jeremy Riel and IWERC's Ying Chen on a new IES grant!
12.12.2025 20:00 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 1
10 report covers for each of the computer science education research reports IWERC has released in in 2024-2025.
As #CSEdWeek 2025 comes to an end, we thank the many people who support CS students every day! At IWERC, we’re fortunate to be just one small part of the Illinois CS Ed community. Learn more about our research in this area: dpi.uillinois.edu/applied-rese...
12.12.2025 16:03 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
