The only organization dedicated solely to helping state boards advance equity and excellence in public education.


Dr. Christine Benson is a member of the Illinois State Board of Education. She is a retired career educator with 35 years of experience, 17 as a teacher and 18 as an administrator in Illinois public elementary, middle, and high schools. She served as a central office administrator focusing on budget management, curriculum development, and grants. Benson served as superintendent at Mendota High School, Ottawa Elementary School District, and Streator Elementary School District. She served on the Boards of Directors for the Illinois Association of Administrators and the American Association of School Administrators. She is a member of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials and the Illinois Music Educator Association. She has presented workshops statewide on school finance and leadership and served as adjunct professor teaching school finance at St. Francis University. She represented Illinois at the RTI Summit in Washington, D.C., and was an invited guest speaker of the Center on Education Policy at the Forum on No Child Left Behind at George Washington University. She received her doctorate in education from Northern Illinois University, and a master’s in education administration and bachelor’s in music education from Illinois State University.






Featured Items

Group of high school students throwing colorful confetti in the air, celebrating graduation on a sunny day i

States’ Role in Transforming High School: Evidence, Trends, and the Path Forward

High school sits at the intersection of everything states want for their young people, yet many young people say high school is not working for them. State leaders have numerous levers to incentivize high school transformation.
Super Girl i

States That Are Leaning into Math Improvement Share Their Lessons

Amid faltering K-12 performance in math, policymakers have marshalled a host of stakeholders to tackle math improvement.
Children answer the question i

Setting Ed Tech and AI Policy for Young Children

Thirty-seven states have AI guidance for schools, but kindergarten rarely gets attention, and pre-K is left out altogether.

Upcoming Events

From the States