catalyst-chicago.org

In recent years, Chicago Public Schools has rolled out bonus pay for administrators and teachers.

Now, the district is considering merit pay for principals; specifically, tying a portion of their salaries to student test scores, attendance and, for high schools, freshman on-track rates.

Also on the table is a proposal to scrap principals’ graduated pay scale, which is based on school size and can range from $118,000 to $160,000, and replace it with a flat salary of $125,000 a year.

Who should be the next U.S. Secretary of Education?

Among national education leaders, Schools CEO Arne Duncan emerged as a leading contender for the job should Sen. Barack Obama win the Nov. 4 presidential election. While Duncan has previously said in interviews that he has no interest in leaving his current post, he has already served twice as long as the average urban superintendent and is an education adviser (and friend) to Obama, so the time may be ripe for him to make the leap onto the national stage.

Nearly four years ago, parents on the Northwest Side were clamoring for more preschool, but coming up empty-handed.

Lack of classroom space was the main problem. At one school, according to the Northwest Neighborhood Federation, 250 to 300 families were on the waiting list for a preschool slot.  

So the federation and a former state senator came up with a plan: Create a “third shift” that would take advantage of existing space by tacking on another program at the end of the regular school day.