This study evaluates 543 collective bargaining agreements across Illinois – nearly two-thirds of all school district CBAs – to provide an understanding of Illinois’ large public education system and the students that attend Illinois’ public PreK-12 school districts. The study explores what district-level factors impact student academic performance.
The Project for Middle Class Renewal investigated ways to flatten the growth property of taxes in Illinois. The report discusses the present situation in Illinois, the regressive nature of property taxes as a form of public revenue, and the importance of property taxes for k-12 public education. Local schools are responsible for about two-thirds of […]
More than two million children attend over 3,800 public schools in 852 local school districts across Illinois. Nearly all of these districts have collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that determine the terms and conditions of employment. This study evaluates 543 collective bargaining agreements across Illinois, representing nearly two-thirds of all school district CBAs. While labor agreements […]
Prevailing wage laws establish a local wage floor for different types of skilled construction work on public construction projects. This study examines links between prevailing wage laws and homeownership, housing wealth, and property tax revenues for these workers and their communities. By stabilizing the wage floor and supporting apprenticeship programs, state prevailing wage laws promote ladders […]
Studies on paid parental leave (PPL) in Europe and, more recently, in the United States, suggest that PPL offer many benefits for children and families and even to employers. In this report we suggest that offering PPL to Illinoisans may also benefit the state of Illinois by situating it as the most family-friendly state in […]
In 2014, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) adopted a system-wide Student Based Budgeting model for determining individual school budgets. Our report examines the impact of Student Based Budgeting. Our findings show that CPS’ putatively color-blind Student Based Budgeting reproduces racial inequality by concentrating low budget public schools almost exclusively in Chicago’s Black neighborhoods. The clustering of […]
Construction is the 3rd fastest growing industry in Minnesota. Over the next decade, construction employment is projected to expand by 9 percent in Minnesota, and 7-in-10 contractors already report difficulties in filling skilled craft positions. For many young Minnesota workers, enrolling in a registered apprenticeship program is a better option than attending college. Construction apprenticeship […]
PMCR, in collaboration with Chicago Jobs Council and UIC’s Great Lakes Center for Occupational Health and Safety are excited to share findings from their survey of Chicagoland workforce providers who are actively educating their participants about their rights on the job and pursuing collaborations with high road employers. Through connecting workers’ rights education to job […]
Chicago: On Labor Day 2019, researchers from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and University of California, Irvine released the sixth annual State of the Unions report for Illinois. The study finds that unions play an important role in Illinois’ economy communities, despite declining union membership over the past decade. Since […]
Chicago is considering increasing its minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2021, four years earlier than the rest of Illinois. Polls suggest that four-in-five Chicago residents support a $15 minimum wage. By raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2021, the City of Chicago can grow the economy, reduce income inequality, reduce […]