catalyst-chicago.org

Residency requirements for Chicago teachers are back on the Springfield agenda, this time with an unlikely sponsor.

State Sen. Heather Steans says she was able to convince Sen. President John Cullerton to extend the deadline for SB 3522, a bill that would scrap the rule requiring teachers in traditional Chicago public schools to live within the city limits. Mayor Richard M. Daley has long defended the requirement, established in 1996, as a way to try and beef up the city housing market and keep teachers close to the communities they serve.

Should Steans successfully move the bill out of the Senate Executive Committee next week, she believes it could reach a vote on the Senate floor—the first time a residency bill has done so.

Draft academic standards in math and English—the bedrock of the national common standards movement, of which Illinois has played a central role—were released yesterday. (NYT)

The new standards are likely to touch off a vast effort to rewrite textbooks, train teachers and produce appropriate tests, if a critical mass of states adopts them in coming months, as seems likely. But there could be opposition in some states, like Massachusetts, which already has high standards that advocates may want to keep.

“Many states have too many expectations in their academic standards that force teachers to cover too much in a superficial way,” said Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers. “We said: ‘Let’s keep these very understandable and at a number that is manageable. Let’s not put on teachers more requirements than they can deliver.’ ”

* Schools Inspector General launchs investigations into 30 Chicago high schools where grade-changing may be rampant; Mayor Daley lashes out. (Sun-Times)

* Undocumented Chicago youth come out to press for immigration overhaul. (WBEZ)

* CEO Ron Huberman’s performance management highlighted on All Things Considered.

* Hundreds protest cuts to Chicago sophomore sports programs. (ABC7)

The US Department of Education has released final rules for the $650 million Investing in Innovation grant, a stimulus-funded competitive grant aimed at school districts and nonprofits. (Ed Week)

* While the Supreme Court considers Chicago’s handgun ban, Mayor Richard Daley pushes statewide gun restrictions. (Tribune)

More from WBEZ.

* Students are filing college financial aid requests at a fast clip as state funding lags. Nearly 45 percent of CPS seniors have already done so. (Huffington)

* The Tribune Editorial Board applauds Urban Prep for its 100-percent college acceptance rate.