Advance’s The State We’re In: A Look at the Impact of COVID-19 on Education in Illinois (SWI 2022) was the only report of its kind in the state to focus on COVID-19’s effect on Illinois school communities from birth to college during the 2020- 2021 school year — informing both advocates and decision makers about the work needed in the coming years to overcome the significant disruptions created by the pandemic. SWI 2022 explored student enrollment, access to instruction and student supports, academic progress, and social-emotional well-being by examining data across the b- 20 continuum according to region, ethnicity, language, household income, and education delivery style (remote or in- person). In doing so, it highlighted areas of opportunity for data-driven policy making and compelling and timely data points to inform ongoing advocacy for adequate and equitable resources to help every Illinois student recover from COVID’s far-reaching yet disparate impacts. For nationally-focused researchers and organizations, SWI 2022 provided insight into the challenges Illinois is facing and examples of strategies that leaders on the ground are using to support student success—contributing to a broader national knowledge base on COVID’s impacts on the country’s education sector and emerging solutions to its disruptions