Nationally, researchers have found that people are less likely to end up back in the criminal justice system if they meet educational milestones, and that adults with higher levels of education have better employment rates, less incidence of homelessness and better health outcomes.

But a 2015 survey by the Council of State Governments Justice Center found that only 13 states provided educational services for kids inside juvenile justice facilities that were comparable to those provided for kids outside of them. Just eight states provided both comparable educational and comparable vocational services, the survey found.

Illinois’ effort to bring online learning to juvenile justice facility classrooms is rare nationwide. Lynette Tannis, author of a book about educating incarcerated youth and an adjunct professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, said she sees more examples of what shouldn’t be happening in juvenile justice facilities than examples to celebrate.

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