In 2021, many young people have little or no memory of the September 11 attacks. We were joined by educators from around Illinois to talk about how they help students understand a series of events that shaped the world as we know it today. 

Illinois is seeing another surge in cases of COVID-19. It’s forced some schools to go back to remote learning, and hospitals are running out of space in critical care wards. We talked to reporters from around the state about how school districts across Illinois are responding. 

We’ve heard the mental health struggles of parents, educators and after-school providers during the COVID-19 pandemic, but how are our children and teens doing? 

Illinois will have an updated sex education curriculum — one that propenents say is more inclusive, culturally relevant, and based on national standards, but some lawmakers say the law goes too far by introducing sensitive topics too early. 

The 21st spoke to three Illinois reporters about the updated Centers For Disease Control & Prevention mask guidelines for K-12 schools, vaccinated people, Lollapalooza & vaccine efficacy.