Educational Equity
Educational Equity within a school or school system is understood here as consisting of three indispensable conditions:
- Equal Access to all available benefits and services
- Equal Treatment within schools, in terms of quality of social interaction
- Equal Educational Outcomes for all genders and all racial/ethnic sub-groups identified within the school population.
Public Act 91-304 expands the membership and purpose of the Gender Equity Advisory Committee that was initially established in 1989 through Public Act 86-560. (105 ILCS 435/2.1.) Beginning on January 1, 2025, members shall be appointed as follows. The career and technical education system director appointee, one State Board of Education appointee, the appointee of the Director of Labor, and 2 citizen appointees, as determined by the State Superintendent of Education, shall initially be appointed to 3-year terms and thereafter to 2-year terms; the remaining members of the committee shall initially and thereafter be appointed to 2-year terms; and all terms shall commence on January 1.
The purpose of the committee is to advise and consult with the Illinois State Board of Education in all aspects relating to ensuring that all students have equal educational opportunities to pursue high wage, high skill occupations leading to economic self-sufficiency.
The legislation states that membership shall include without limitation:
- One regional gender equity coordinator
- Two State Board of Education employees
- An appointee of the Director of Labor
- Five citizen appointees, who have expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- nontraditional training and placement
- service delivery to single parents
- service delivery to displaced homemakers
- service delivery to female, male, and nonbinary teens
- service delivery to students of color
- service delivery to members of special populations, including, but not limited to, individuals from economically disadvantaged families, English learners, individuals with disabilities, individuals who are out of the workforce, individuals experiencing homelessness, migrants, individuals in foster care, and military students
- business and industry experience
- and career and technical education experience.
Committee Information
