As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.
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Race and Education: A Look at the Chicago Public Schools
Sep 20, 2011
In a forum on race and education, Terry Mazany, president of The Chicago Community Trust and former interim CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, talks about the need to raise achievement for all students for the United States can remain economically competitive. A panel then discusses promising programs for black and brown students: Terrence Carter, AUSL; Ernesto Mateas, Wells Community Academy High School; and Shelby Wyatt, Kenwood Academy Brotherhood. The Union League Club of Chicago co-sponsored the forum with Catalyst Chicago.
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Terry Mazany, interim CEO of CPS, on a new course
Dec 30, 2010
In an interview with journalist Bob Edwards, Terry Mazany, interim CEO of the Chicago Public Schools and president of the Chicago Community Trust, talks about a new direction for the schools. For one, he decries the "the tyranny of accountability" emerging from the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Chicago Schools Policy Luncheon, December 2010
Dec 01, 2010
Teacher evaluation and compensation: Getting it right -- Audrey Soglin, executive director of the Illinois Education Association and a member of the state's Performance Evaluation Advisory Council, provides an update on teacher evaluation reforms in Illinois. Alicia Winckler, chief human resources officer at CPS, and Andrew Broy, executive director of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, respond.
Chicago Schools Policy Luncheon, November 2010
Nov 01, 2010
Teacher evaluation and compensation: Getting it right -- Professor Susan Moore Johnson of Harvard University shares results of her research on the Next Generation of Teachers and raises a red flag about using student test scores to evaluate teachers. Karen Lewis, the new president of the Chicago Teachers Union, and Peter Martinez of the UIC Urban Education Leadership Program respond.
April 20, 2010: Reaching Black Boys Symposium with Pedro Noguera
Apr 20, 2010
Pedro Noguera, a New York University professor who is a national authority on minority males and the achievement gap, was the keynote speaker at a symposium on Reaching Black Boys, co-sponsored by Catalyst Chicago and sparked by the findings of the May/June 2009 issue of Catalyst In Depth. Listen to his full speech.
City Voices April 2009: Combating gun violence among youth
Apr 16, 2009
More than two dozen Chicago Public Schools students have been killed in gun violence this year, and hundreds of students were shot and injured last year. A recent report provided an in-depth analysis of the problem, and young people are organizing anti-violence efforts. Guests: Harold Pollack, University of Chicago Crime Lab; Ronnie Mosley, student leader at Simeon High.
City Voices March 2009: The state of education
Mar 15, 2009
School districts face a host of challenges to teaching children the skills they will need to succeed in the 21st Century. Illinois needs to improve its learning standards, develop better assessments and institute more after-school programs to augment what children learn in the classroom. Guests: Larry Joseph, Voices for Illinois Children; Robin Steans, Advance Illinois.
City Voices February 2009: Career Education
Feb 15, 2009
Finding a job is tougher than ever, with unemployment rate hovering near 8 percent and unemployment claims on the rise. For young people, especially those with few job skills and experience, finding work can be virtually impossible. In CPS, about one in four high school students takes a career or technical education course, but few complete coursework that could lead to a good job. Guests: Greg Darnieder, CPS Department of College and Career Preparation; Carrie Thomas, Chicago Jobs Council.
City Voices January 2009: Education in Austin
Jan 11, 2009
Activists say that the closure of Austin High School in 2004 is still having a ripple effect in the community, and the neighborhood needs a new, comprehensive high school. Austin has the largest gap in the city between the number of seats available in high-performing schools and the number of students who need them. What's happening at the schools affected by the closure and at the new schools that have opened since then? Guests: Jackie Reed, Virgil Crawford of the West Side Health Authority.
City Voices December 2008: School Choice
Dec 21, 2008
As the district seeks to expand school choice under Renaissance 2010, questions remain about how parents can navigate the system and find the best schools and whether communities have enough high-quality options. Guests: Katheryn Hayes of the Renaissance Schools Fund and Kim Ambrose of Parents for School Choice.
