PROJECT FOR MIDDLE CLASS RENEWAL | Cracking Open the “Black Box”: Education Technology Use https://lep.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Ed_Tech_FINAL_Report-For-LEAD-Packet.pdfin Illinois K-12 Schools
“A 2023 survey of roughly 350 K-12 Illinois public school teachers about the presence of educational technology in the classroom, revealed insights into how software tools and new learning hardware were adopted by school districts and how they were integrated into instruction and student assessment. Online and software applications educational tools have colonized classrooms at all grade levels. School districts have significantly increased their spending on technology. Key findings from teacher responses to the survey are presented below.”
THE IMPACTS OF PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENTS ON COSTS, COMPETITION, AND CONTRACTORS IN ILLINOIS | Evidence from Capital Development Board Projects
“Project labor agreements (PLAs) are pre-hire agreements that establish terms and conditions of employment for all crafts on large and complex infrastructure projects. The mutual agreements are between construction owners—such as contractors, developers, governments, or public bodies—and coalitions of labor unions supplying skilled workers for the duration of specific projects. The main purpose of PLAs is to promote predictability, productivity, and efficiency on construction projects. PLAs can also enhance opportunities to bid on public works for previously underrepresented businesses while expanding employer access to new domestic labor supply pools.”
Pre-hire labor pacts used on major construction projects at the Port of Seattle had no major impact on competition or construction costs, and were more likely to meet diverse apprenticeship goals, according to new research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Economic Policy Institute.
The University of Illinois Press interviewed Professor Bob Bruno about his new book, What Work Is.
When the expanded federal Child Tax Credit was temporarily adopted during the pandemic, child poverty was reduced by 36% and $1 billion was injected into Illinois’ economy, creating 18,000 jobs. But Congress allowed it to expire. As a result, child poverty has more than doubled.
New autoworkers’ contract uplifts Belvidere, Illinois
No place in history has benefited more from a new contract than Belvidere, Illinois. CBS 2’s Brad Edwards went 90 miles northwest of Chicago to a place that went from the biggest labor “loser” to the biggest winner.
I think simple questions about fundamental life activities are often the most profound. Asking “what work is” to anyone who works is one of those queries.
Professor Bob Bruno, Director of the Labor Studies Program and a Professor of Labor and Employment at the University of Illinois, returns to The Workers’ Mic to discuss his new book “What Work Is,” and to share some incredible labor history. Listen here
Just minutes ago, the full City Council voted 36-12 in favor of the ordinance that requires Chicago businesses to give their workers 10 days off per year beginning January 1, including five sick days and five vacation days.
“I think the moment and the person have sort of gelled. In many ways, the moment required Shawn Fain. But Shawn Fain had to step up into that moment.”
“This gets us closer to the finish line for sure.”
Illinois is becoming more diverse, more educated and yes, growing.
Mass exodus from Illinois? New report debunks the myth. The state lost 460,000 residents from 2010 to 2020, but the loss was largely offset by immigrants moving to Illinois, the report shows.
“It can certainly be helpful in moving the bargaining forward,”
US walkouts hit three of 70 plants owned by Ford, GM and Stellantis but union warns of more to come. Bruno says: “The UAW really hasn’t used these tactics in decades,” Bruno said. “Old school is sexy again.”
Labor Education Director at the University of Illinois Bob Bruno talks about the expansion of the UAW strike and the greater impact.
The United Auto Workers’ strike against the Big Three automakers could possibly change the entire automotive industry. University of Illinois professor Robert Bruno, a specialist in labor relations, helps unpack the impact of the strike.
