Lorraine Forte | catalyst-chicago.org

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School closings

As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.

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Lorraine Forte

Tough choices for turnarounds October 13, 2011 By: Lorraine Forte Tamoura Hayes started high school with big dreams for college that she already knew would be tough to reach. “C’mon,” she said. “I go to Marshall High School.” Obviously, Marshall’s long-standing academic failings weren’t lost on Tamoura, who went on to say that she “wasn’t even supposed to be here.” Marshall was her last option. Her family couldn’t afford the private school that was her first choice, and she wasn’t offered a slot at Raby, one of the newer high schools sprouting up on the West Side. Read More \| (1) Comments	For smooth school closings, CPS has many promises to keep April 03, 2013 By: Lorraine Forte As the saying goes, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Unfortunately, that saying does not bode well for the thousands of children who will be displaced when 54 schools shut down this year. It’s also a bad omen for communities. The last thing Englewood, Austin or any of the neighborhoods—most of them poor and black—that stand to lose schools need is another boarded-up vacant building. (CPS says it is “working with community and city departments on a comprehensive planning process to determine the best use for unused buildings.”) Read More \| (3) Comments
Closing the opportunity gap February 04, 2013 By: Lorraine Forte Every year, a high-stakes gamble begins. Read More \| (0) Comments	Leadership from top to bottom October 23, 2012 By: Lorraine Forte By the time this issue of Catalyst In Depth reaches our readers, the dust will have settled on the city’s first teachers strike in 25 years. Daily picketing will be over, children will be back in school, misleading radio and TV ads will be off the airwaves and the overheated bluster and rhetoric about lazy teachers and greedy unions will, with any luck, be replaced by more rational discourse from cooler heads. Read More \| (0) Comments
For the Record: Details on fact-finder's report July 19, 2012 By: Lorraine Forte Now that CPS and the CTU have both rejected an outside fact-finder’s recommendations for a settlement in teacher contract negotiations, a resolution will have to come at the bargaining table. The report offers a glimpse into the issues at play--and sounds a clear warning of a looming strike. Read More \| (9) Comments	Schools should provide help for traumatized children June 18, 2012 By: Lorraine Forte On the surface, the two stories are unrelated: the appalling upsurge in shootings and homicides in Chicago this year and the Chicago Teachers Union’s announcement of plans for a strike authorization vote. Read More \| (0) Comments
Failing Illinois high schools improve with federal cash: study April 18, 2012 By: Lorraine Forte Illinois high schools that are part of the multi- billion federal School Improvement Grant program showed improvement in student attendance, truancy and mobility but have yet to make major inroads in improving academics, according to a report released Wednesday. Read More \| (3) Comments	In Illinois, failing high schools improve with federal cash April 18, 2012 By: Lorraine Forte Illinois high schools that are part of the multi- billion federal School Improvement Grant program showed improvement in student attendance, truancy and mobility but have yet to make major inroads in improving academics, according to a report released Wednesday. Read More \| (0) Comments
Ensuring equity for children who have special needs April 04, 2012 By: Lorraine Forte To paraphrase a common saying, sometimes a statistic is worth a thousand words. As reporting for this issue of Catalyst In Depth unfolded, a telling statistic emerged (shown in the accompanying graphic). Its point: Racial disparity in CPS reaches down even into small-scale programs that fly under the radar. Read More \| (2) Comments