Prescriptions for improved LSCs Mario Ortiz Besides taking the political pulse of local school councils, Catalyst asked local leaders to review council structure and policy and suggest ways to make councils more effective partners in school improvement. The following is what they came up with.
Council structure: No need to rebuild
Majority opinion: The original model—six parents, two teachers, two community members, the principal and, at high schools, one student—can work better than it now does; there is no need to change it. In particular, reducing the number of parents would undercut the intent of...
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Two schools, two councils, one dynamic personality Debra Williams Tireless. Knowledgeable. Passionate. Two months ago, Catalyst Associate Editor Debra Williams set out to find a local school council member with these qualities who would let us into his or her busy life. Carol Johnson fit the bill.
Johnson, 46, is married and has five children—three sons, ages 24, 11 and 8, and two daughters, 17 and 21. The energetic Austin resident chairs two local school councils, Spencer Elementary and Westinghouse High School—she has been on the council at Westinghouse for two years, Spencer for four. Johnson also works full time as an organizer for...
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Five ways LSCs can fail— and how to fix them Alexander Russo Nearly everyone involved with Chicago schools has heard about "bad" local school councils. They may be apathetic, they may be embattled or they may lack information and resources. Whatever they are, their problems aren't unique to local school councils, experts in organizational behavior say.
"Individuals in groups [charged with making decisions] operate in pretty much the same way," says Jasmine Martirossian, author of "Decision Making in Communities: Why groups of smart people sometimes make bad decisions." Condominium boards, juries, blue ribbon panels and school boards can also...
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Catalyst survey results Catalyst Catalyst conducted a survey of 70 local school council members from a representative sample of 20 elementary schools and five high schools across the city.
Participants were asked for their views on LSC structure, mandatory training and principal selection and evaluation. We also asked for their ideas on how to improve schools and boost interest in LSC elections. Of those who responded:
36 were parents
19 were teachers
12 were community members
3 were principals
Note: Some tallies do not add up to 100% due to non-responses.
...
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Principal turns to 'authentic' lessons, new teachers Jody Temkin During his first week as principal of Corliss High School, Anthony Spivey made the evening news.
Large numbers of students were arriving late for school and hanging outside the building. Spivey ordered them to come inside. When they refused, he locked them out.
Students went home and told their parents, who called the media. In front of television cameras, Spivey explained why he locked the doors, and said he would stick by his decision.
That was two and a half years ago. These days, fewer students are tardy, and those who are caught hanging around outside the school...
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Candidate recruitment off to (typically) slow start Mario G. Ortiz Another LSC election looms May 1 and 2, and by the end of February, 3,486 people had signed up to run for available 5,613 seats.
Three days before the registration deadline, CPS extended it to April 3.
Low candidate sign-ups, though, are not unusual and the board has extended deadlines in the last two elections. The number of people running for LSCs has declined each election since the first one in 1989, when 17,256 candidates ran. When elections were last held two years ago, 7,095 people ran, roughly the same ran as in 1998.
"I'm not sure anybody's figured out how to...
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CTU backs stronger role for teachers Catalyst Chicago Teachers Union President Deborah Lynch is looking to give teachers a bigger role in how their schools are run and, for starters, is backing a bill that takes a small step in that direction.
Under the bill, the purpose of Professional Personnel Advisory Committees (PPACs) would be "to reach optimal decisions jointly with the principal and local school council on matters of educational program." PPACs would become Professional Personnel Leadership Committees.
Currently, PPACs are given only an advisory role "on matters of educational program." The committees, one per...
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Growing up Mario G. Ortiz Local school councils have had a troubled childhood. Adored at birth 13 years ago, they quickly fell into neglect as the school system struggled for financial stability and common purpose. Then a stern stepfather, former schools chief Paul Vallas, clipped their wings by imposing more centralized control.
Now councils have entered their teens, and many in Chicago's broad-based school reform community believe it's time for them to grow up.
"It's a pivotal time for the system ... to embrace LSCs and work with them and for LSCs to embrace the system," says Paul Goren, vice...
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