John Myers | catalyst-chicago.org

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Special Education

Even as CPS opens more new schools, children with special needs have a tougher time finding options. Placements in private therapeutic schools are scarce, and some charters are reluctant to enroll them.

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John Myers

In the News: summer learning shortfalls, budget misstep May 28, 2010 By: John Myers Chicago youth who violate curfew this summer will be sent to the park. (Tribune) "The park district buildings will be an easier place for young people to wait than a police station, and an easier place for us to communicate with the parents who come to pick up their own children," Daley said... * Former CTU President Deborah Lynch throws her support behind Karen Lewis in teacher union runoff. (WBEZ) * A new report from America After 3PM suggests that just one in four Illinois children will attend summer learning programs. Read More \| (1) Comments	In the News: Race to the Top support, salaries online May 27, 2010 By: John Myers Chicago Public Schools officials have posted salary information for all teachers and staff. (Gapers Block) Ben Joravsky notes that there are 133 administrators making more than $100,000 a year. (Chicago Reader) * Schools Chief Ron Huberman promised parents that funding for full-day kindergarten programs would be prioritized if extra state funds materialize. (Medill) * Huberman also provided a progress report on the district’s anti-violence initiative during yesterday’s Board meeting. Related: more from the Sun-Times on violence prevention and WBEZ has posted unfiltered audio. * CPS tells Gender JUST that it will establish a grievance procedure for students who have been threatened or attacked. (Windy City Times) * Funding restored for Barbara Vick Early Childhood Center. (Southtown Star) * Eric Zorn digs through Tribune archives to highlight promising strategies used by Urban Prep. (Tribune) Read More \| (12) Comments
In the News: borrowing approved, teachers march May 26, 2010 By: John Myers Teachers marched downtown yesterday to protest budget cuts. (Sun-Times) Related: Greg Hinz says it’s unclear which teachers devised the plan. * Perspectives says nearly all of its graduating class is headed to college. The charter will mark the milestone tomorrow with a celebration. * Urban Prep, which is sending every graduate to college in the fall, celebrated the feat with a mock signing day for seniors. (Tribune) * The House found key votes last night to approve Gov. Pat Quinn’s $4 billion borrowing plan and setup a convoluted budget. (Tribune) Read More \| (16) Comments	In the News: budget protests, new special ed administrator May 25, 2010 By: John Myers Chicago Public Schools has tapped Richard Smith to serve as the new head of the Office of Specialized Services. (Tribune) * Chicago students gathered in Daley Plaza to study and send lawmakers a clear message on school funding cuts. (Tribune) * Schools Chief Ron Huberman has been named Doctor of Humane Letters from the Institute for Clinical Social Work. (Press release) * A $1.2 million Walmart Foundation grant will put solar panels on 20 schools across the country, including four in Chicago. (Press release) Read More \| (5) Comments
In the News: funding data systems, punishing protests May 24, 2010 By: John Myers Jordan Norwood, a 14-year-old student at Dunbar Vocational, wants to be a neurosurgeon. But he faces long odds. (CNN) * Chicago students stage school walkout to demand immigration reforms, protest divisive Arizona laws. (WBEZ) * CTU President Marilyn Stewart, who faces a runoff election on June 11, will march to City Hall on Tuesday with various community and parent groups to protest budget cuts and proposed class size increases. More on the runoff from the Tribune, Sun-Times and WBEZ. * 5th graders perform in fifth annual Having a Ball dance competition. (Sun-Times) Read More \| (1) Comments	In the News: ballroom dancing, election day May 21, 2010 By: John Myers A 20-week ballroom dancing program that operates in 15 Chicago public schools faces extinction as federal and local funding sources dry up. (Chicago News Cooperative) * Today is election day for the Chicago Teachers Union and five candidates are vying for president. (WBEZ) Related: Eight Forty-Eight discussed the importance of the election with Susan Moore Johnson of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Results are expected early Saturday morning. If no candidate wins a clear majority of votes, a runoff will take place on June 11. * The Tribune offers more details on the budget transparency lawsuit filed by the union caucus CORE. * NAEP reading scores were released for 18 urban districts yesterday, including Chicago. The Sun-Times discussed Chicago's flat results with outgoing Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins. Read More \| (5) Comments
Chicago students lag behind other big cities on "nation's report card" May 20, 2010 By: John Myers Chicago posted flat reading scores in today’s release of the 2009 Trial Urban District Assessment, which stacks up 18 big-city districts based on results from last year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the “nation’s report card.” Chicago tied Baltimore and outscored six other districts on 4th-grade reading tests, but fell short of 10 other districts—including Atlanta, New York and Boston. Chicago performed somewhat better on 8th-grade tests, outscoring eight urban districts but lagging behind nine others. Chicago’s average 8th-grade score of 249 is three points lower than the average for all large-city districts and 13 points behind the national average. The city’s average 4th-grade score of 202 is eight points lower than the urban district average and 18 points behind the national average. These scores signal that Chicago’s students are performing behind many of their counterparts in other large cities, and more than a year behind students nationwide. NAEP officials estimate that a 10-point difference on the assessment’s 500-point scale is equal to a year’s worth of learning. Read More \| (7) Comments	In the News: health centers and prom May 20, 2010 By: John Myers Mayor Richard Daley, Ald. Toni Preckwinkle and others visited Reavis Elementary to celebrate a promising first year for five school-based health centers across Chicago. Physical and immunization rates topped 95 percent at all schools and, in some schools, discipline referrals are down 70 percent. Catalyst profiled the approach in its September 2008 issue. * The Caucus for Rank-and-File Educators, which has fielded candidates for tomorrow's Chicago Teachers Union election, is suing CPS to force greater budget transparency. Progress Illinois has the backstory. Related: CTU President Marilyn Stewart faces multiple opponents, dissatisfaction at the polls. (Medill) * The Peer Parent Education Network is surveying parents on the quality of the city's schools. Parents in Bronzeville are strongly encouraged to participate, but all school stakeholders are invited. * A Jones College Prep student is pushing for an eco-friendly prom. (Sun-Times) Related: making prom green, tackling prom pressure, highlighting prom glamour and creating prom safety. * Chicago Opera Theatre is celebrating 10 years of work with five Chicago schools. (Broadway World) Read More \| (0) Comments
In the News: preparing Instituto, eating healthy May 19, 2010 By: John Myers The Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy will open its doors this fall and the city's health care industry is hoping it will make a dent in workforce shortages. (Crain's) * Chicago schools explore the thin line between serving healthy food and making sure kids eat. (Southtown Star) * Walgreens and Chicago Public Schools are targeting sexually-transmitted diseases with a new public service announcement campaign. (Drug Store News) * Bogan High fight leads to 16 arrests. (Tribune) Read More \| (1) Comments

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