60 by 25 NetworkEmpowering communities in Illinois to create sustainable

education-to-employment systems for all students

Illinois students should be graduating high school ready with the knowledge

and skills necessary to be successful in life after high school—college and

career. Today all high school graduates need some postsecondary education

and/or training if they are to have options and opportunities in the job market.

In Illinois, 8 of 10 employers say they need employees with some

postsecondary education. Currently only 40% of Illinois residents have a high-

quality post-secondary college or career credential. These realities in Illinois

have driven communities to look for broader solutions to what are increasingly

seen as systemic problems in the education-to-employment continuum.

The Illinois 60 by 2025 Network is an ever-emerging network of

communities in Illinois that are committed to the goal of ensuring that 60% of

all adults have a college or career credential by

2025. This network is designed to meet the needs of communities that are

working together to provide rigorous, real world learning in and out of the

classroom.

60 by 25 NetworkEmpowering communities in Illinois to create sustainable

education-to-employment systems for all students

Creating a Community of Practice in Illinois

A coalition led by Advance Illinois, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, and the Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University has come together to create a community of practice to help local and regional teams achieve this goal by adopting these three strategies:

Supporting the implementation of the new Illinois Learning Standards Developing Illinois Pathways as a key strategy to increase the number of degrees and credentials their students earnUsing the principles of collective impact to support collaboration between public and private partnersThrough this Network, local community teams and statewide partners (such as the Illinois P-20 Council and Illinois Board of Higher Education) are working together to align policy, use data, and mobilize leaders around a common agenda. Participating teams also have access to technical assistance and resources.

60 by 25 NetworkEmpowering communities in Illinois to create sustainable

education-to-employment systems for all students

Bringing Communities Together In January 2014, in response to requests from local communities to share best practices around college and career readiness strategies, the newly formed Illinois 60 by 25 Network hosted a kickoff conference in East Peoria. Community teams gained deeper knowledge of the strategies above and a network of partners to this launch this work at home. As a result, Network organizers are building a platform for action that connects state and local agendas so that more students are ready to be productive members of their communities.As a result of the positive feedback from the conference the Illinois 60 by 25 Network hosted a follow-up Illinois 60 by 25 Community Network Meeting from January 14-16, 2015, in Aurora, Illinois. Over 15 Illinois communities participated and set goals for the year ahead. For more information on the meeting or access to the meeting materials please feel free to contact any of the people listed below.