Quinn to sign tenure reform law; voucher bill dead
On Monday, Gov. Pat Quinn is scheduled to sign Senate Bill 7, the landmark bill that makes sweeping changes to teacher tenure and strike rights. On Monday, Gov. Pat Quinn is scheduled to sign Senate...
View ArticleTechnology boosts learning, but CPS behind curve
At North Lawndale College Prep Charter, students watch educational videos on YouTube. They upload their own work, which has included mini-documentaries on gun violence and bullying. Instead of raising...
View ArticleIllinois law on teacher tenure, union rights touted as model for other states
WASHINGTON—The new Illinois law that overhauls teacher tenure, collective bargaining, layoff procedures, and the right to strike took the stage in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, with several key...
View ArticleBoard updates student rules, responds to fired teachers
Revisions to the CPS Student Code of Conduct passed at Wednesday’s board meeting did not satisfy advocates for reforming school discipline procedures, though some said they were a step in the right...
View ArticleDuncan, Emanuel tout longer school day; legal experts say union challenge may...
Education Secretary Arne Duncan came back to Chicago on Friday to pat state and local leaders on the back for two things: passing state legislation on education and paving the way to accomplish one...
View ArticleState issues draft rules for new performance evaluations
Growth in student learning would count initially for at least 25 percent and eventually 30 percent of teacher and administrator evaluations, under new rules that won preliminary state approval on...
View ArticleChicago lawmakers file bills to rein in school closings, class sizes
SPRINGFIELD - When Chicago catches a cold, the Illinois General Assembly coughs. The state legislature has been hacking like a two-pack-a-day smoker over school actions in the Chicago Public...
View ArticleReforms won't work without trust
State Education Agencies (SEAs), school districts and teacher unions across the country have committed or will soon commit to making ambitious changes to their schools over the next several years in...
View ArticleChicago schools: 'tough year' in Springfield?
SPRINGFIELD--Halfway through his presentation of a bill to force the Chicago Public Schools to testify as to how it plans to spend block grant money it receives from the state, Rep. Luis Arroyo...
View ArticleLegislators grill Brizard on school closings, turnarounds
SPRINGFIELD -- Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and members of his staff were grilled for more than two hours by legislators who sharply questioned the district’s decision-making on...
View ArticleState funding for Chicago schools on lawmaker's agenda
SPRINGFIELD - The House Elementary and Secondary Education-Appropriations Committee meets Thursday in Chicago to take testimony on programs funded through the Illinois State Board of Education budget....
View ArticleWill recession hinder long-term gains?
For the casual visitor, it’s easy to miss that Southeast High School in rural Kansas—once among the lowest academic performers in the state—is in the midst of a profound transformation. Like so many...
View ArticleFederal program a work-in-progress
After two years, the federal program providing billions of dollars to help states and districts close or remake some of their worst-performing schools remains an ambitious work in progress, with...
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Students file civil rights complaints against school closings
Jorel Moore’s story could be told by any number of Chicago students. During his freshman year, school district officials announced plans to phase out his school. Each year, new schools moved into the...
View ArticleFor the Record: Democrats for Education Reform
Staff members at the Illinois branch of Democrats for Education Reform assert that, amid a contentious season of negotiations between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union, they’ve been mislabeled as...
View ArticleAldermen take CPS to task over school closings
New CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett has said that she wants to separate the discussion on closing under-utilized schools from the discussion about opening charter schools, but at a City Council committee...
View ArticleCommon Core tests a new starting point for Illinois schools
The Illinois State Board of Education recently signaled its intent to move toward a new generation of assessments - a move most educators would agree has been needed for years. This is a new starting...
View ArticleDon Moore: reform leader, LSC champion
In reporting for her insightful and engaging account of the birth of local school councils, Mary O’Connell asked her interviewees whom they thought was most responsible for the historic legislation...
View ArticleElected school board on Nov. 6 ballot
Residents in 327 precincts will have a chance Tuesday to weigh in on whether Chicago’s appointed school board should be replaced with elected members. The vote will be largely symbolic, as state...
View ArticleVoters approve referenda on elected board, teacher pensions
Two advisory ballot measures on education passed as voters went to the polls on Tuesday, but the measures aren’t binding. One, which was on the ballot citywide, asked if the state should pick up the...
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