{"id":2395101,"date":"2025-01-25T13:47:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T18:47:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illinois-near-bottom-of-education-freedom-rankings-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-25T13:48:46","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T18:48:46","slug":"illinois-near-bottom-of-education-freedom-rankings-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illinois-near-bottom-of-education-freedom-rankings-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois near bottom of education freedom rankings &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fillinois-near-bottom-of-education-freedom-rankings-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2395101&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article \u200bdiscusses Illinois&#8217;s poor ranking in \u2062the 2025\u2064 index of State Education\u200b Freedom, released by the American Legislative Exchange council (ALEC). illinois ranked 38th in \u200cthe nation, receiving a &#8216;D&#8217; grade, primarily due to the \u2064shutdown of the Invest in Kids program, \u2064which negatively impacted it&#8217;s education \u2063policies\u200c related to \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-wave-of-conservative-women-elected-to-congress\/\" title=\"The Red Wave of Conservative Women Elected to Congress\">school choice<\/a> \u200band\u2064 funding. The report \u2064highlights that while Illinois struggles it\u200c excelled in \u2063homeschooling, earning an &#8216;A&#8217; grade in that area. The top five states in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">education freedom<\/a> are Florida, arizona, \u2064Arkansas, \u2062Oklahoma, and iowa, while the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">lowest-ranked states include<\/a> New York, Massachusetts, oregon, Rhode \u2064Island, and Kentucky.\u2062 ALEC emphasizes the importance of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/stanford-law-americas-public-education-system-produced-racial-hierarchy\/\" title=\"Stanford Law: America\u2019s Public Education System Produced \u2018Racial Hierarchy\u2019\">educational policies<\/a> that empower families and \u200cpromote \u200cglobal education freedom.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Illinois near bottom of education freedom rankings<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1949493\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>(The Center Square) &ndash; A non-partisan think tank is out with its annual state education freedom rankings, and Illinois is near the bottom looking up.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has released the 2025&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/alec.org\/publication\/2025-alec-index-of-state-education-freedom-a-50-state-guide-to-parental-empowerment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Index of State Education Freedom<\/a><\/strong>. Author Andrew Handel said the Index evaluates state education policies across several categories, including school choice programs, charter schools, homeschooling, and virtual schooling.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The fifth category, which is the most important, is financing programs,&rdquo; said Handel. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what allows dollars to follow kids to whatever school that&rsquo;s best for them.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Illinois ranked 38th in the country and received a &ldquo;D&rdquo; grade.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Illinois did have the Invest in Kids program, but the legislature made the decision to shut that program down, so it definitely had a negative effect on the state&rsquo;s ranking,&rdquo; said Handel.<\/p>\n<p>Handel said one category saved Illinois from receiving an &ldquo;F&rdquo; grade.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The one bright spot in Illinois was that it was one of a handful of states to get an &ldquo;A&rdquo; grade for its homeschooling environment,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>According to the report, the top five states for education freedom are Florida, Arizona, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa. The bottom five states are New York, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Kentucky.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Lawmakers now have a proven blueprint to prioritize students while delivering universal education freedom for every family,&rdquo; said ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson. &ldquo;This analysis underscores the transformative policies that empower families, reflecting the vital role of states as laboratories of democracy in shaping education policy.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1949493\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1949493\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Illinois ranks low in education freedom, according to ALEC&#8217;s 2025 Index<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2395102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-1488384336-1024x567.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[49205,35136,6413,13666,32076],"class_list":["post-2395101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-education-freedom","tag-education-policy","tag-illinois","tag-rankings","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/iStock-1488384336-1024x567.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2395101"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2395105,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395101\/revisions\/2395105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2395102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2395101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2395101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2395101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}