As the superintendent of Lindop School District 92, Dr. Janiece Jackson spoke about the immediate impact the Education and Workforce Equity Act had on programming. Specifically, Dr. Jackson focused on the Illinois legislators who made educational history when they passed the Phillip Jackson Freedom Schools Grant ($17 Million) as part of the omnibus education bill from 2021. Legislators named the Phillip Jackson Freedom Schools Grant after the Chicago-based activist.
Illinois became the first state in the country to commit public funds to Freedom Schools across an entire state. Funds were released through a competitive grant process in which over 40 programs received funding of $350,000 each for up to three years. The impact has been immediate.
Across the state of Illinois, administrators such as Dr. Jackson as well as educators and community members have built 41 Freedom School programs for the first time. They have empowered local communities by investing in youth, teachers, and community organizers to run afterschool programs. They have written new curricula focused on Black history and civic engagement. They have established new relationships with parents, building a bridge between schools, churches, and homes where they had never existed before.
Program evaluations based on the national assessment used by the Children’s Defense Fund reveal promising numbers. On average, children have read 12.5 books during the participation in the Freedom Schools program. About half of all children (55.1%) improved their instructional reading levels by the end of the program. On average, instructional reading levels increased by nine months.
Though the state has included Freedom Schools in the recent budget, there has been no additional funding allocated to the historic program. This places a heavy burden on beneficiaries to raise the capital needed to sustain the programs.
