Rockford Sun

Changes to school attendance amid COVID-19 concerns have left many students affected, and now the new Illinois Tutoring Initiative within the NIU College of Education seeks to help students cope with recent changes.

State Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore) posted to Facebook Feb. 22, a link to a press release highlighting the initiative, aimed to provide tutoring to students whose learning has been impacted by the pandemic.

“Northern Illinois University is teaming with the State of Illinois to provide tutoring that will support students whose learning has been impacted by COVID-19," he wrote. "Tutors hired by NIU will focus on math and reading with children in 3rd through 8th grades."

According to the release, priority is given to school districts that were disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Each district will then identify its students who need tutors, the areas in which they need help and the in-person or online method of delivery. 

Funding for the program comes from the federal government’s investment of nearly $8 billion in pandemic relief for Illinois schools, 90% of which was distributed directly to school districts, the release states. With these, NIU was awarded $3.4 million to serve as the coordinating hub for Region  2, which includes 16 counties in the northwest corner of the state:  Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, Henry, Jo Daviess, La Salle, Lee, Marshall, Ogle, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago.

A report by My Journal Courier earlier this year said the initiative could help to boost declining graduation rates. In 2021, Illinois schools saw a 2% decline in the graduation rate, but ISBE  warns not to compare 2021 to previous years. 

"ISBE does not recommend comparing 2021 graduation rates to 2020,"  ISBE Communications Director Jackie Matthews wrote in an email to the Jacksonville Journal-Courier. "Illinois took emergency action to adjust graduation requirements in 2020 to account for the sudden shift to remote learning in March and the inequitable access to technology and support at home, so graduation rates rose to 88% in 2020 due to the adjusted requirements."

Among his comments, Matthews wrote that the state’s four-year graduation rate held steady at 86% and even rose above the 2019 rate of 85.9% as well as years prior.

"A testament to the incredible work of Illinois' educators to keep students engaged and on the path to college and career (under difficult circumstances),” Matthews said.

Illinois Central College will also participate in the tutoring initiative, expected to support 8,500 students over a two-year period. It was created with Illinois State University, the Governor's Office, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Community College Board.