What toll does witnessing gun violence take on young people? (NLCP)

By Lynnea Domienik for WBEZ 

“Half of Chicagoans witness a shooting by 40, according to a recent study from the Journal of the American Medical Association. And the average age for witnessing a shooting is only 14 years old. Reset learns about how this trauma can impact young people’s developing brains and discusses efforts to help students heal and turn the tide of violence.”

 

No Word Goes Unspoken: A Zine about Education & Autism

By Julien Vega for The Noble Schools

“In school, I struggled with speaking and making friends. I didn’t know when it was the right time to speak so I would stay quiet until I was called on. I stayed quiet during advisory, gym, English, and lunch. Even on the bus and train ride home, I stayed silent. The same applied to making friends – I gained friends only when other people spoke to me and I was interested in their conversation. For the longest time, I assumed I had intense social anxiety… until I learned that I had Autism.”

 

Illinois passes 2024 budget with increased funding for K-12, early childhood education

By  Samantha Smylie for Chalkbeat

“Early Saturday morning, Illinois lawmakers passed the 2024 budget with increases in funding for K-12 public schools, early childhood education, and college-bound students. The House pass the budget with a vote of 73 to 38. State legislators passed the $50.6 billion budget with a $570 million increase in K-12 spending, $250 million more for early childhood education, and over $100 million to support students heading to college and those who want to become teachers. The 2024 overall Illinois State Board of Education budget will be $10.3 billion, a 6.2% increase over last year’s $9.7 billion budget.”

 

Illinois lawmakers push back deadline for drawing Chicago’s elected school board maps

By Becky Vevea for Chalkbeat

“Illinois lawmakers are giving themselves more time to divide Chicago into districts ahead of the city’s first school board elections. Under a measure passed late Thursday night, the deadline for drawing the maps for the city’s school board moves to April 1, 2024 — seven months before the first elections are scheduled to be held. Chicago will move from a seven-member board appointed by the mayor to a 21-member board, with 10 members elected Nov. 5, 2024 and the rest elected in November 2026.”