A raft of past programs have failed to substantially improve the reading skills of middle grade and high school students. CPS is trying once again, as part of a federal project that aims to help teens learn how to analyze complex non-fiction.
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 Summer 2013
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 Spring 2013
As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question. |
 Winter 2013
A special diversity initiative has given promising black students from the worst elementary schools a seat in top high schools. But the program’s success won’t close the gap for poorer students who need better prospects for a good education. |
 Fall 2012
Chicago Public Schools is seizing the reins on principal preparation and is considered by some observers to be a national model for its $10 million Chicago Leadership Collaborative. The big question: Will the effort dramatically improve the quality of principals at failing schools that need strong leadership the most? |
 Summer 2012
District leaders understand that children who have witnessed violence or other traumatic events often have trouble in school. But without extra resources or staff, schools are hard-pressed to offer the mental health support that would help students cope with their experience. |
 Spring 2012
Even as CPS opens more new schools, children with special needs have a tougher time finding options. Placements in private therapeutic schools are scarce, and some charters are reluctant to enroll them. |
 Winter 2012
Research shows that Latinos who remain in bilingual programs long term risk falling behind in the middle grades and failing once they reach high school. CPS is taking long-awaited steps to launch dual-language programs, a strategy that is gaining steam nationally to help students become proficient in their native language and in English. |
 Fall 2011
Marshall High and other turnaround high schools, in Chicago and nationally, face a thorny dilemma. Higher-performing students are being siphoned off through competition, driving down enrollment and raising tough policy questions about the future of these schools. |
 Summer 2011
CPS has no policy requiring full-day kindergarten, no cohesive literacy curriculum and no comprehensive plan to transition children from preschool to kindergarten. Some children have a rich experience, while others get a bare-bones start. This issue on kindergarten, the critical year in which students make the transition to formal schooling, was made possible by a grant from the McCormick Foundation. For more about the foundation, go to www.mccormickfoundation.org. |
 Spring 2011
Mayor Richard M. Daley got tough on students with a strict promotion policy, making them pass a standardized test before moving to the next grade. Today, the test is less of an obstacle and few students fail, prompting some to ask whether social promotion has returned. |
 Winter 2011
A Catalyst Chicago analysis found that the demographics of the CPS teaching force has shifted in the last 10 years: 62 percent of teachers with five years of experience or less are white, compared to 48 percent in 2000. Schools of education are seeking to do more to help teacher candidates understand their minority students. |
 Fall 2010
After 15 years under Mayor Daley’s control, a regime change is in the works for Chicago Public Schools. Here’s what the next mayor and schools chief need to know about where schools stand and what direction they need to take. |
