By Tara Malone, Chicago Tribune
Illinois education officials today unveiled plans to build a virtual network that would give teachers on-the-spot access to everything from lesson plans to student progress reports. The open-source technology system comes with help from the private sector. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York pledged to build the network with input from Illinois and four other states handpicked to pilot the program. A specific dollar amount is not yet known, but Gates Foundation officials said Thursday they have committed to fund the project that could as much as $100 million. Illinois joins Colorado, New York, North Carolina and Massachusetts in piloting the program that could take effect within the next year. The Council of Chief State School Officers selected the five states, foundation officials said.
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