SR1647 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1647 LRB100 21758 MST 39369 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, According to the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, two-thirds of all jobs created this decade will require some form of postsecondary education; in Illinois, 80% of employers say they need employees with postsecondary training; and

WHEREAS, In response to current and projected workforce demands for Illinois, the State has set a target goal of increasing the number of adults holding a college degree or credential to 60% by 2025; and

WHEREAS, According to the Lumina Foundation, while 51% of adults in Illinois hold college credentials, significant gaps in attainment exist between Black and Latino adults and White adults; in Illinois, only 30.7% of Black and 20.4% of Latino adults hold college credentials, compared to 50.3% of White adults; and

WHEREAS, There are persistent, and in some cases increasing, racial and socioeconomic gaps in completion in most of our two and four-year public and private institutions; and

WHEREAS, Only 37% of low-income students in Illinois complete college in six years compared to 75% of their wealthy peers, and only 33.7% of Black students and 49.3% of Latino students who start at a four-year institution earn a bachelor's degree in six years, compared to 66.4% of White students; and

WHEREAS, Despite wide gaps in attainment and college completion along racial and socioeconomic lines, and the Illinois Board of Higher Education's (IBHE) recommendation in the Public Agenda for College and Career Success to eliminate all achievement gaps along the P-20 education pipeline, Illinois has not set clear targets for eliminating college achievement gaps; and

WHEREAS, During the last decade, the percentage of low-income and Black and Latino students in Illinois has increased; it is projected that by 2032, 45% of high school graduates in Illinois will identify as a student of color; and

WHEREAS, In order to meet its 2025 target, Illinois will have to accelerate progress at all critical benchmarks, including increasing degree completion rates for low-income, first generation, African-American and Latino students, and adult learners; and

WHEREAS, There is a growing body of evidence on what works to improve college graduation rates for low-income and first generation students and students of color, and there are many promising programs and initiatives across our campuses, but not currently at the frequency or scale required to affect significant change; and

WHEREAS, To meet its current and projected workforce demands and truly realize the goal of equal opportunity, Illinois must implement and scale new and existing evidence-based best practices and policies that improve outcomes for low-income and first generation students, adult learners, and African-American and Latino students from Pre-K through postsecondary education; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we recognize there are significant disparities in college degree completion rates for low-income and first generation college students and students of color at institutions across the State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we are committed to closing statewide racial and socioeconomic degree attainment gaps and institutional achievement gaps and will help support and encourage institutions of higher education to implement and expand existing student success efforts that have evidence of improving educational outcomes for low-income and first generation college students and students of color; and be it further

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