Northern Illinois University just released its fall enrollment numbers. WNIJ education reporter Peter Medlin sat down with NIU’s Sol Jensen for the details…

Fall enrollment at Northern Illinois University is down 1.7% from last year. Total enrollment at the university sits at 15,811 students.

This school year, our teacher correspondent is Kelcey Dodd. She’s a kindergarten teacher at Spring Creek Elementary in Rockford. Kelcey's in her first-year as a teacher, so we’re going to be checking in on her every month as she figures things out.

Illinois was awarded over $700 million in a multi-state settlement with Meta over child social media addiction. The money is supposed to be used for youth mental health and online training programs. The Illinois Federation of Teachers — which is made up of over 200 local unions — wants that money sent to schools. WNIJ’s Peter Medlin spoke to IFT’s Kurt Hilgendorf about the proposal…

It's a brand-new school year and we kick it off with our first conversation with our classroom correspondent — the teacher we'll interview every month. We're following a Rockford kindergarten teacher in their first year as a teacher! We'll also introduce you to our very musical student correspondents for the fall.

Dozens of data center developments are popping up across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. Many residents are pushing back. One of the core promises of these projects is a tidal wave of tax revenue flowing into cities, which could have a huge impact on local school districts. WNIJ's Peter Medlin reports.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that more than 14,000 Rockford adults ages 25 and older don't have a high school diploma. This number includes those with less than a 9th grade education. Some sources report Winnebago county numbers to be more than 30,000. A Rockford Public Library nationally accredited high school program is helping some adults obtain their certificates.

Picture Chicago in the dead of winter. It's a cold morning, still dark as students walk the icy sidewalks to school. On the far south side of the city, Dawes Elementary School teacher Anne Shippy watches her middle school students walk in without hats and without gloves. They often don't have school supplies either like pencils, notebooks, or folders. And the classroom needs books.

The new campus provides educational and training opportunities for people who might have trouble accessing RVC's main campus.

For the first time, students in short-term vocational programs are eligible for federal financial aid. They're called Workforce Pell Grants. Peter Medlin has more on how the rollout is going in Illnois.