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School districts across the country are facing pressure to improve classroom performance under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, but are giving short shrift to problems like bad lighting or poorly heated classrooms that can affect learning, says a spokesman for the American Federation of Teachers.

"It's a topic that doesn't get nearly enough discussion in the education dialogue," says spokesman George Jackson. "We don't talk about the [buildings] where we expect students to go and hit all these [legislated] benchmarks. It can't be a separate conversation."

Graduates of Chicago Public Schools who do not attend college have a hard time finding work, especially higher-paying work, and African-American students fare worst in the job market, according to a report from the Office of Post-Secondary Education.

Fewer than half of graduates from the Class of 2004 who did not go on to college were employed in the fall following graduation, the study found. Two-thirds of graduates worked at some point in the year after graduation, but slightly less than half worked the full year.

Three training programs for aspiring CPS principals have earned reputations and resources that put them ahead of the rest. But when it comes to getting jobs for those who graduate, one effort has an edge over the others.

Nearly two out of every three people who completed principal training with New Leaders for New Schools, a national program that launched in Chicago and New York five years ago and specializes in tapping career changers, have landed jobs as principals.