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Education

The Pandemic and Illinois Schools

A Digital Divide, Vulnerable Students and Hidden Data

ProPublica’s Midwest newsroom and the Chicago Tribune investigate how the pandemic exposed inequities in the state’s education system and officials’ failure to provide information about its toll.

Impact of Our Reporting
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The Pandemic and Illinois Schools

Illinois Will Start Sharing Data About COVID-19 Outbreaks in Schools

As educators and parents assess the risk of returning to the classroom, some felt frustrated by the lack of public data about COVID-19 in schools. After a ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation, the state will start publishing the data.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

The Pandemic and Illinois Schools

This Rural School District Has Been Asking for Wi-Fi for Years. Now It’s Finally Getting It.

An anonymous individual donated a dozen internet hotspots. A school district near Chicago is sending Chromebooks. And a superintendent in rural Illinois is stunned by the support to keep his students learning.

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

6 stories published since 2020

ProPublica Reporting Projects Recognized by Education Writers Association

by ProPublica,

Illinois Has Had COVID-19 Outbreaks in 44 Schools but Won’t Say Where They’ve Occurred

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

Families of Special Needs Students Fear They’ll Lose School Services in Coronavirus Shutdown

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

Most Illinois School Districts Did Not Have Approved E-learning Plans Before the Pandemic

by Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica Illinois, and Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune,

When the State Shifted to E-learning, This Rural School Superintendent Shifted to the Copy Machine

by Jodi S. Cohen,

Not All Schools Can #KeepLearning

by Jennifer Smith Richards, Chicago Tribune, and Jodi S. Cohen and Haru Coryne, ProPublica Illinois,

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo of Andy Kroll
Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

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    A ProPublica investigation found that for more than a decade, the FDA gave substandard factories banned from the United States a special pass to keep sending drugs to an unsuspecting public.

    by Debbie Cenziper, Megan Rose, Brandon Roberts and Irena Hwang,

    Overpolicing Parents

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    New legislation will require callers to the state child abuse hotline to identify themselves. ProPublica’s reporting in 2023 found that many anonymous callers made false allegations that led to intrusive investigations of families’ lives.

    by Eli Hager,

    “The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention

    One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism.

    by Hannah Allam,

    100 Students in a School Meant for 1,000: Inside Chicago’s Refusal to Deal With Its Nearly Empty Schools

    Declining school enrollment has left 30% of Chicago public schools at least half-empty. The city’s failure to address this problem has come at a high cost to the district — and its students.

    by Mila Koumpilova, Chalkbeat, and Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica,

    Life of the Mother

    A Pregnant Teenager Died After Trying to Get Care in Three Visits to Texas Emergency Rooms

    It took three ER visits and 20 hours before a hospital admitted Nevaeh Crain, 18, as her condition worsened. Doctors insisted on two ultrasounds to confirm “fetal demise.” She’s one of at least two Texas women who died under the state’s abortion ban.

    by Lizzie Presser and Kavitha Surana,