217 Today: School districts across Illinois attempt to increase diversity in Advanced Placement classes
Empty classrooms at DeKalb High School, one of many high schools struggling to improve diversity in Advanced Placement classes. Spencer Tritt/WNIJ
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Today's headlines:
- Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited Illinois on Tuesday to meet with Senator Tammy Duckworth to announce a new investment in biofuels.
- More Mexican laborers who helped prepare Rivian's electric vehicle plant Normal for production will finally get the overtime pay that they were owed but never received.
- Nineteen Illinois counties are suing companies with pharmacies over what they say have been the companies’ roles in the opioid epidemic.
- A new report says you’re more likely to have a Muslim neighbor in Illinois than in any other state.
In today's deep dive, we'll hear about efforts to increase diversity in Advanced Placement classes at high schools across the state. In most cases, those courses didn’t reflect the racial diversity of the school.
217 Today is produced by Sydney Wood. Reporting today contributed by Emily Hays, Ryan Denham, Alex Degman, Reginald Hardwick and Peter Medlin.