catalyst-chicago.org

In Massachusetts, the public can easily find financial information for charters, including how much money they bring in, where that money comes from—including private sources—and how much the schools spend on teacher salaries and other expenses.

In Illinois, it is nearly impossible to get a good read on similar financial information from charters. Doing so, however, could help direct policy, serve as a guide for future charter schools and give authorizers specific information about which charter schools are in financial trouble.

Since January 2009, principal candidates have had to pass a multiple-choice “scenario exam” that gauges their ability to handle real-life situations. Here is a sample question.

After School Matters focuses on providing teens with paid work experience in various areas of career interest. But another of the city’s largest teen program has a vastly different philosophy: building relationships.

Teen REACH (Responsibility, Education, Achievement, Caring, and Hope) is offered at 107 locations in the Chicago metropolitan area and served nearly 26,000 youth statewide in the 2008-09 fiscal year.