Illinois Statutes Chapter 105. Schools § 30/2-2. Purpose

§ 2-2. Purpose. In the spirit of improving educational standards and providing alternative routes into teaching at public elementary and secondary schools, and in an effort to enhance and reform troubled public school systems, including but not limited to the public school systems within the City of Chicago and the City of East St. Louis, there is hereby created the Illinois Peace Corps Fellowship Program. The purpose of this program shall be: (i) to help reduce the shortage of qualified teachers at both inner-city and rural public schools by placing qualified United States Peace Corps veterans into salaried teacher aide and certificated teaching positions in underserved school districts, while at the same time providing fellowships to those former Peace Corps volunteers under cooperative agreements established between or among school districts, Illinois' public universities and colleges, the United States Peace Corps and the private sector; and (ii) to facilitate the collaboration required among such entities to effectively implement the provisions of this Article.