catalyst-chicago.org

The Center for American Progress released a report recently, “Teacher Diversity Matters,” detailing the “teacher diversity gap” state-by-state.

The findings paint a sobering picture of minority under-representation, statewide, in the teaching profession: Just 54 percent of Illinois students are white, but 89 percent of teachers are.

The marquee outside of Beidler Elementary School in East Garfield Park makes the bold statement: We are off of probation.

But when parents trucked into the school last week to pick up first-quarter report cards, they got some sobering news from the district’s colorful new school progress report: Beidler is categorized as a mid-level school in terms of performance on state tests, but less than a quarter of students scored at or above grade level on a different, more rigorous test and only 7.5 percent of 8th-graders met college readiness benchmarks.

On a steamy Chicago summer morning, 11 teenage boys sit quietly in a college classroom listening to 17-year-old Aaron Knight read his short story, titled “Red Light.” Next up is Brandon Wilson, who reads his untitled story, which builds on a family’s mealtime discussion. After each young author finishes reading, the attentive audience offers up comments about the stories’ timing, dialogue and structure. One teen says, “I like the play on words.” Another calls what he just heard “intriguing, authentic.”