John Myers | catalyst-chicago.org

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Adolescent Literacy

A raft of past programs have failed to substantially improve the reading skills of middle grade and high school students. CPS is trying once again, as part of a federal project that aims to help teens learn how to analyze complex non-fiction.

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John Myers

In the News: Monday, April 5 April 05, 2010 By: John Myers Montefiore Special Elementary still faces an uncertain future. (Gazette) “Just do the math,” said Pollett, noting “we have 57 children in our population, and we’re going to lose 26 to graduation in August. That will leave us with 21 students. We won’t be getting those high school students until 2011 because our CAO [Chief Area Officer] Dick Smith said it’s going to take a year to hire the right teachers and put together a high school curriculum. He [Smith] told me to be prepared to lose ten to 12 of my staff, leaving us with seven teachers. * Brian Jacob tells The Economist that Chicago principals fire the worst teachers. * I missed this column from Greg Hinz last week, which adds to a Reader article on CPS bureaucrat pay hikes. * Eighth-grade special education student sues Hendricks Academy principal for allegedly slamming a locker door on his hand. (Tribune) * LSC elections set for April 21 and 22. (Gazette) * 16-year-old Youth Connections student fatally shot. (Sun-Times) Read More \| (1) Comments	In the News: Friday, April 2 April 02, 2010 By: John Myers City Council committee approves Gery Chico’s appointment to chair the City Colleges Board of Trustees. (WBEZ) * Dance and Hip Hop program offers alternatives for Uptown youth. (CNC) * Shooting kills teen enrolled at Academy of Communications and Technology charter. (Tribune) The shooting was one of 13 in a 19-hour span. (Sun-Times) * Gov. Pat Quinn’s staff prepare for a merger of the Illinois youth prison system and the Department of Children and Family Services. (WBEZ) Read More \| (2) Comments
In the News: Thursday, April 1 April 01, 2010 By: John Myers Despite competing claims, pay hikes for CPS administrators dot the district’s budget and evidence of Central Office cuts is scant. (Chicago Reader) There are 53 departments, bureaus, or offices in the central schools bureaucracy, and the top remaining officials in every one—as well as many of their assistants—received raises, according to the budget. [Spokesman Monique Bond] said that while it's true Huberman's budgeted pay went way up, he's voluntarily taking a pay cut in the form of unpaid furloughs. Therefore "he did not receive an increase," Bond wrote in an e-mail. * Gov. Quinn voices opposition to Chicago teacher residency bill. (WBEZ) * Skinner LSC candidates talk budget cuts and parent involvement. (Chicago Journal) * Cuts to sophomore sports breeds confusion and bitterness. (Defender) Read More \| (15) Comments	In the News: Wednesday, March 31 March 31, 2010 By: John Myers Greg Heinz takes note of the building momentum to free teachers from Chicago residency requirements. (Crain’s) * Noting the VIP list for selective schools, Matt Farmer recounts his frustrations trying to contact former Schools Chief Arne Duncan on a different matter. (Huffington) * The University of Chicago’s Urban Teacher Education Program wins $11.6 million grant from the US Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvements. * 105 Golden Apple scholars named. (PDF) * State Supt. Chris Koch talks Race to the Top on Eight Forty-Eight. Read More \| (3) Comments
In the News: Tuesday, March 30 March 30, 2010 By: John Myers Chicago officials vow to overhaul special education services, starting with changes at the top. (Tribune) District sources said the head of CPS' special education office, Deborah Duskey, will no longer fill that role, though officials would not confirm that any change had been made. Bond did say the reorganization would include changes that would make the $850-million-a-year special education program more "parent-friendly." * Cuts rip into CPS sports department, including a pink slip for former Marquette University basketball star Maurice "Bo" Ellis. (Sun-Times) * Stock Elementary local school council members campaign to keep their preschool open—one of only two Chicago early childhood programs serving students with disabilities. (Pioneer) * Illinois lost out to Delaware and Tennessee for first round Race to the Top grants. Read More \| (5) Comments	Illinois loses out in Race to the Top's first round March 29, 2010 By: John Myers Education Secretary Arne Duncan today announced two states, Delaware and Tennessee, have won nearly $600 million in first round Race to the Top grants. That leaves nearly $3.4 billion for what officials hope to be a spirited second round of vetting in June. "We set a very high bar for the first phase," Duncan said in a prepared statement. “Both states have statewide buy-in for comprehensive plans to reform their schools. They have written new laws to support their policies. And they have demonstrated the courage, capacity, and commitment to turn their ideas into practices that can improve outcomes for students.” Illinois, one of 16 first round finalists named earlier this month, placed fifth in the point totals awarded by judges; a ranking that should bolster state officials who wrote what many national observers labeled a surprisingly strong application. Read More \| (0) Comments
In the News: Monday, March 29 March 29, 2010 By: John Myers David Pickens, who managed a secret VIP list for CPS selective enrollment schools, has resigned. Meanwhile, budget cuts have claimed Greg Minniefield’s job; another aide who was questioned in the widening admissions scandal. (Sun-Times) It’s all part of the great lengths parents will go to get their kids into good schools. (Tribune) * Daley rails against a senate bill that would remove residency requirements for teachers, but remains mute on another bill that would grant 22,000 vouchers to CPS students in lowest performing schools. (Sun-Times) Related: Gov. Pat Quinn says he’s generally opposed to vouchers. (WBEZ) * A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against CPS, freeing up teachers union campaigning on school grounds. The request was made by former Chicago Teachers Union President Deborah Lynch, who is seeking reelection. (WBEZ) * Illinois officials find out today if they are winners in the first round of Race to the Top vetting. (Statehouse News) Read More \| (1) Comments	In the News: Thursday, March 25 March 25, 2010 By: John Myers Pension reforms sailed through the General Assembly yesterday, offering Chicago Public Schools a $400 million break in payments for each of the next three years. (Crain’s) * Two controversial school bills have passed legislative hurdles and now go before the full state Senate for consideration: State Sen. Heather Steans push to free Chicago teachers from the city’s residency requirement and Sen. James Meeks ambitious school voucher plan. (Daily Herald/Publius Forum) * Officials say their call for abuse to be reported accounts for a near doubling of corporal punishment accusations. (CBS2) * Students demanded better lunches at yesterday’s Board meeting; CEO Ron Huberman promised a major overhaul of the food distribution system. (Tribune) * Interest is high in local school council elections at South Loop Elementary and other Near Loop schools. (Chicago Journal) * Mayor Daley’s nephew appears on the city’s VIP list for selective schools. (Tribune) * Some young men diverted: promising stories in WBEZ’s Inside and Out series on Illinois youth prisons. Read More \| (4) Comments
ASPIRA charter teachers launch union drive, want more transparency March 24, 2010 By: John Myers Teachers at four charter schools run by ASPIRA, a national organization focused on Latino youth development, turned in union cards this week—the second Chicago charter to launch a union drive. For at least one ASPIRA teacher, the move has little to do with paychecks and more to do with boosting transparency about school operations. Read More \| (2) Comments