This summer, the first cohort of students enrolled at Chicago's Early College STEM Schools will join the 2,000 dual credit/dual enrollment interns throughout Chicago Public Schools receiving workplace learning experiences with local companies. Chicago Public Schools' Early College STEM Schools were launched last year with support from Civic Consulting Alliance, McKinsey & Company and CompTIA, with corporate partners such as Microsoft, Motorola Solutions Foundation, Verizon, Cisco, and IBM assigned to each school.

Over the past 40 years, crime in Illinois has declined 20 percent - but the prison population has ballooned 700 percent. In February, Governor Rauner created the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice to study the criminal justice system and suggest laws, policies, and procedures to safely reduce the prison population by 25 percent by 2025. On July 1, the commission released its initial report. The Illinois Sentencing Policy Advisory Council (SPAC) and Civic Consulting Alliance are working with the budget and capacity subcommittee to understand the financial impact of the commission's proposed changes and identify ways to use taxpayer dollars most effectively.

Since 2010, four out of five new jobs created in Chicago have been low wage, meaning they pay less than $30,000 per year. Many of these jobs lack benefits or offer unpredictable scheduling, which places significant stress on working families. On June 20, with support from Civic Consulting Alliance, the Mayor's Office kicked off the Working Families Task Force to explore opportunities for improving the lives of working families. The Task Force includes employers, state legislators, members of the City Council, and nonprofit and business leaders.

On June 17, Chicago's City Council adopted a resolution of appreciation, thanking Civic Consulting Alliance and our partners for 30 years of working together on improving the things that matter most in Chicago. Congratulations to all of our partners, and thank you for your continued support!