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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, According to the Georgetown Center on Education
3and the Workforce, two-thirds of all jobs created this decade
4will require some form of postsecondary education; in Illinois,
580% of employers say they need employees with postsecondary
6training; and
 
7    WHEREAS, In response to current and projected workforce
8demands for Illinois, the State has set a target goal of
9increasing the number of adults holding a college degree or
10credential to 60% by 2025; and
 
11    WHEREAS, According to the Lumina Foundation, while 51% of
12adults in Illinois hold college credentials, significant gaps
13in attainment exist between Black and Latino adults and White
14adults; in Illinois, only 30.7% of Black and 20.4% of Latino
15adults hold college credentials, compared to 50.3% of White
16adults; and
 
17    WHEREAS, There are persistent, and in some cases
18increasing, racial and socioeconomic gaps in completion in most
19of our two and four-year public and private institutions; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Only 37% of low-income students in Illinois
21complete college in six years compared to 75% of their wealthy

 

 

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1peers, and only 33.7% of Black students and 49.3% of Latino
2students who start at a four-year institution earn a bachelor's
3degree in six years, compared to 66.4% of White students; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Despite wide gaps in attainment and college
5completion along racial and socioeconomic lines, and the
6Illinois Board of Higher Education's (IBHE) recommendation in
7the Public Agenda for College and Career Success to eliminate
8all achievement gaps along the P-20 education pipeline,
9Illinois has not set clear targets for eliminating college
10achievement gaps; and
 
11    WHEREAS, During the last decade, the percentage of
12low-income and Black and Latino students in Illinois has
13increased; it is projected that by 2032, 45% of high school
14graduates in Illinois will identify as a student of color; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In order to meet its 2025 target, Illinois will
16have to accelerate progress at all critical benchmarks,
17including increasing degree completion rates for low-income,
18first generation, African-American and Latino students, and
19adult learners; and
 
20    WHEREAS, There is a growing body of evidence on what works
21to improve college graduation rates for low-income and first
22generation students and students of color, and there are many

 

 

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1promising programs and initiatives across our campuses, but not
2currently at the frequency or scale required to affect
3significant change; and
 
4    WHEREAS, To meet its current and projected workforce
5demands and truly realize the goal of equal opportunity,
6Illinois must implement and scale new and existing
7evidence-based best practices and policies that improve
8outcomes for low-income and first generation students, adult
9learners, and African-American and Latino students from Pre-K
10through postsecondary education; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
12HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
13recognize there are significant disparities in college degree
14completion rates for low-income and first generation college
15students and students of color at institutions across the
16State; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That we are committed to closing statewide racial
18and socioeconomic degree attainment gaps and institutional
19achievement gaps and will help support and encourage
20institutions of higher education to implement and expand
21existing student success efforts that have evidence of
22improving educational outcomes for low-income and first
23generation college students and students of color; and be it

 

 

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1further
 
2    RESOLVED, That the State's P20 Council is urged to update
3the State's 60 by 25 goal to include equity-focused targets
4aimed at closing institutional racial and socioeconomic
5achievement gaps.