Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) — Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is welcoming Illinois students — who could graduate from college in 2025 — back to school and is highlighting a program providing Internet access to low-income students.
Simon was at Bloomington Junior High School Tuesday to see the school's one-to-one laptop program. School District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly showed off the program which provides take-home computers to students and teams up with a local Internet service to give low-income students online access through the district.
Simon, a Democrat, is the state's point person on education reform. The year 2025 is the deadline set by education leaders to have 60 percent of working-age adults holding a college degree or certificate.
Economists say a highly educated workforce will be needed to attract and retain jobs in the future.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
