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The Forum on the Future of Public Education

The Forum on the Future of Public Education strives to bring the best empirical evidence to policymakers and the public.

The Forum draws on a network of premier scholars to create, interpret, and disseminate credible information on key questions facing P-20 education. The Forum pursues original research and facilitates collaboration between researchers and policymakers to examine the pressing issues shaping the future of public education. Key constituencies of the Forum include scholars who influence research, policy and practice; policy makers and policy making bodies at all levels; members of the media who influence public opinion; foundations, organizations, business groups and others who support, criticize and advocate for reform; and citizens who make choices about education for themselves and their children.

America is witnessing a drastic redefinition of the policies and practices associated with “public education.” Too often, discussions around the future of public education are strong on passion but short on actual evidence. The Forum for the Future of Public Education is filing that gap by building a resource of objective, research-based insights on key educational issues. We are establishing an open venue- a true public forum to debate controversial and consequential policy issues that will shape American’s future.

Latest News

Course Development Fund to support mission-driven investments in curricula

by the College of Education at Illinois / Oct 17, 2017

The Course Development Fund (CDF) is being established at the College of Education to support mission-driven investments in curricula as well as teaching activities and innovations.

Source of Funding

CDF relies on available state/tuition cash balances and/or unrestricted gifts. A budget will be set at the start of each academic year based on available resources, prior successful results of distributions, and identified critical needs.  For the first year (AY17-18), gift funds of 45K have been identified for this purpose.

Criteria for Use of Funds

CDF supports curricular and course development activities that have a collective benefit for the college as a whole. For example, proposals which support new or revised courses to be taught as part of the online Ed.D. or to attract new students to our undergraduate programs are strongly encouraged.  All course development proposals must have the support of the Department Head/Chair and the appropriate Associate Dean/Director.

Procedures for Distribution of the Investment Fund

Procedures for proposals that have a collective benefit for the college as a whole:

Eligible Applicants: Proposals of up to 5K will be accepted.  The proposal must be submitted by the faculty or staff member designing or teaching the course.  A brief note of support from the Department Head/Chair is required.

Proposal Format: Single page proposals will be considered that include the following:

  1. Description of course, activity or innovation (include: subject, audience and other relevant details)
  2. Amount of the request with list of projected expenditures
    1. funds may only be used for overload payments when the individual’s standard teaching/development load is exceeded for the year
    2. TA teaching support will not be approved but TA assistance in course development is appropriate
  3. Justification of the expected value of the request for the College in light of following criteria

Review Criteria: Proposals will be reviewed based on evidence of value to the College:

  • Evidence that the investment enhances or maintains a competitive advantage for the College
  • Evidence of impact (include estimates of course and/or program enrollment)
  • Evidence of sustainability

Review Process: A sub-committee of the College Leadership Team will be appointed annually to review and screen proposals. The sub-committee will then prepare funding recommendations for the College Leadership Team to consider. Proposals will be distributed to the College Leadership Team in advance of the review meeting.

Review Timeline: Proposals will be reviewed periodically throughout the fiscal year. Because the funds are distributed annually on July 1, proposals will be discussed at CoDE meetings in September, December, and April.