Rebecca Harris | catalyst-chicago.org

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Rebecca Harris

Early childhood programs dispute low ratings on teacher prep November 22, 2010 By: Rebecca Harris The National Council on Teacher Quality recently issued a report evaluating teacher education programs in Illinois. The vast majority received poor rankings. But nowhere were the ratings more abysmal than among the six early-childhood education programs listed in the report. Read More \| (1) Comments	Peer jury takes hold at Hay Elementary November 22, 2010 By: Rebecca Harris Peer juries, the most common restorative justice practice in Chicago Public Schools, have existed in high schools since at least the 1990s. Now, Hay Elementary has a promising peer jury program launched with the help of the district’s pilot restorative justice program. Principal Wayne Williams says the peer jury began with strong teacher training and student recruitment. Read More \| (0) Comments
How restorative justice came--and quickly left November 22, 2010 By: Rebecca Harris Monroe Elementary Principal Edwin Rivera was excited to learn in fall 2008 that his school would receive grant money to start a restorative justice program. As a former counselor, Rivera is a strong believer in strategies that give schools an alternative to solve conflict and avoid suspensions. Read More \| (0) Comments	Bilingual preschool has growing pains November 19, 2010 By: Rebecca Harris On Monday afternoon, Tania Miranda’s class of 3- and 4-year-olds sat on the rug at her feet, as their teacher read “Honey, I Love,” a picture book of poems, to herself in English, translated it in her mind and then read out loud each sentence into Spanish. Read More \| (0) Comments
Q&A with National Council on Teacher Quality November 15, 2010 By: Rebecca Harris In a controversial report released last week, the National Council on Teacher Quality slammed the majority of Illinois’ schools of education for what it sees as weak program design. Read More \| (0) Comments	More subject knowledge, better teaching? Chicago policy suggests "yes" October 18, 2010 By: Rebecca Harris Three-fourths of math and science teachers in grades 6 through 8 – as well as about one-half of language arts teachers and one-quarter of social studies teachers – are still working to earn endorsements that the district says they must have by next year. Read More \| (0) Comments
Teacher prep programs face more scrutiny to win ISBE recognition October 14, 2010 By: Rebecca Harris By the end of this decade, teacher and principal preparation programs could be judged in part by how well their graduates do in raising the standardized test scores of their students. The state is seeking public comment on a new set of rules for state recognition of programs, and one of them would link students’ test scores to the universities their teachers and principals attended. Read More \| (2) Comments	In the News: The costs of college dropouts; magnet admissions continue October 12, 2010 By: Rebecca Harris Chicago News Cooperative offers highlights from a panel discussion including topics such as magnet and preschool admissions. The discussion features Bonnie Roelle from CPS' Office of Early Childhood Education and Angela Washington from the Office of Academic Enhancement. Read More \| (0) Comments
State issues draft of new rules for principal preparation programs October 08, 2010 By: Rebecca Harris In late September, the Illinois State Board of Education released draft rules raising the standards for principal and assistant principal preparation. Now, the rules face public comment, and some universities have pledged to oppose them. Read More \| (4) Comments