The following stories profile the challenges confronting schools and communities around the state.

Serving a High-Risk Population with Insufficient Funds 
Carbondale Elementary School District 95 is pulling out all the stops in its efforts to balance its budget.  more »

A Place to Call Home 
In 2003, Evanston/Skokie Consolidated School District 65 students outperformed their peers on state tests.  more »

High-Achieving District Works to Close its Deficit 
In spring 2004, voters rejected two school referenda that would have provided community schools with direly needed funding.  more »

Illinois' Largest School District Struggles 
The most pressing concern: ensuring that Chicago's lowest-performing students have enough support.  more »

Poor Children Crowd into Under-Resourced Classrooms 
Serving a predominantly low-income student body, nearly 8,400 of Waukegan Community Unit District 60's over 15,000 students come from low-income families.  more »

Schools in University Town Eliminate Programs & Positions  
Based in a city where approximately 75 percent of land is tax-exempt, Urbana School District 116 has been forced to make tough decisions in recent years.  more »

"Each One Reach Some" Success is Bittersweet 
West Chicago Elementary School District 33's community-driven "Each One Reach Some" campaign helped pass a referendum, but a subsequent decrease in state funding was an unanticipated result for many.  more »

Difficult Decisions for a Central Illinois School District 
Two years ago, Bloomington Public Schools, District 87 faced a budget crisis that necessitated swift and significant action.   more »

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