blog posts

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  Illinois Community Colleges are Building a Talent Pipeline for Green Jobs

  Sep 16, 2025 1:45 pm

  Career and technical education (CTE) programs prepare students for high-skill, in-demand employment in rewarding job sectors. These programs are supported by the Perkins V Act, a federal allocation providing over $1 billion annually to bolster CTE nationwide. Every few years, Perkins funding requires that colleges complete a local-needs assessment to ensure their offerings are aligned to the job market in their service area. One of the most notable job market trends in recent years has been the rise of the "green collar job." 

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  What the ‘Posthuman Condition’ Means for Sustainability in K-12

  Sep 16, 2025 1:30 pm

  What the "posthuman condition" means for sustainability in the K-12 education pathway

• Transformative Climate Education and Action: Evidence of Hope from Little Village

  Sep 16, 2025 11:45 am

  Over the years, supporting grassroots environmental organizations led by youth and community members has spawned climate-change education and action, such as the formation of the Little Village Environmental Justice organization in 1994. Earlier this year, House Bill 4895 mandated the Illinois State Board of Education to provide training and instructional resources to educators in preparation for public schools’ climate-change education requirements, offering an opportunity for school districts to work with grassroot organizations to model community education rooted in pedagogies of hope to better prepare educators in Illinois public schools.

• Climate Change Education Policies for the Future of Education, People and Planet

  Sep 16, 2025 11:15 am

  With the 55th anniversary of Earth Day now behind us, the Illinois State Board of Education has begun to collaborate with educators on climate change initiatives. The state of Illinois has joined California, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey in ratifying laws requiring climate-change education in public primary schools in the state. More states can advocate for this movement to prepare teachers to inspire future generations.