A joint board-union committee on teacher evaluation has returned to the teachers' contract, following a four-year absence. It will pick up from an initiative launched last summer by Leadership for Quality Education, a business-backed nonprofit, to revise a process that no one finds useful.
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Archives: 2003
 December, 2003
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 November, 2003
With 39 percent of teachers new to Chicago resigning within five years, top administrators under Schools CEO Arne Duncan know the district has a problem with teacher turnover. More money and staff are being devoted to mentoring new teachers, but local and national experts say the program falls short of what's needed. |
 October, 2003
Schools CEO Arne Duncan has put education-to-careers on the drafting board once again. In April, he hired Jill Wine-Banks, a lawyer and former business executive, and charged her with ensuring that every CPS career education graduate walk out of high school with the credentials that employers are seeking for entry-level jobs. |
 September, 2003
CPS organizes schools into 24 areas and hires instructional teams to support—and pressure—principals to raise the quality of teaching. A Catalyst survey finds school leaders are responding favorably, but some wonder how much difference it will make. |
 July, 2003
Summer updates from Catalyst found exclusively online. |
 June, 2003
After two years of being relatively laid-back, the courteous Schools CEO Arne Duncan (“You doin’ OK?” is a frequent opening line) is forcefully raising his profile and reshaping central office with unexpected new hires who are poised to execute the far-reaching vision that he and Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins have brought forth. |
 May, 2003
The Chicago Public Schools is looking to attract and retain better teachers by partnering with local universities and training them in the system. So far, three professional development schools, each with a distinct mission, are operating in the district. The effort parallels a growing national trend where school districts and universities collaborate to provide teacher-training programs that showcase best instructional practices used by master teachers who mentor student teachers. |
 April, 2003
Two years ago, a task force of educators, advocates and legislators crafted a plan for universal-access preschool that would be high quality and staffed by certified teachers. The plan calls for 202,000 3- and 4-year-old children to be served by 2012. Fully implementing a universal preschool program would cost an estimated $441 million a year. However, a state budget crunch—projected revenues are expected to fall $5 billion short—and a tough economic climate limit the outlook. |
 March, 2003
High school guidance counselors are in short supply, and those on the job struggle to serve an overwhelming number of students while keeping up with a host of administrative tasks. As a result, many CPS students do not get enough guidance to succeed in high school and move on to college or the workforce. |
 February, 2003
The stakes are high for both CTU President Deborah Lynch and Schools Chief Arne Duncan. Duncan’s predecessor, Paul Vallas, staked a large chunk of his claim to fame on having brought labor peace to a system that had endured decades of turmoil. Lynch was elected union president in 2001, largely by promising to be tougher on management than her predecessor, Thomas Reece, was. The current talks will be her only chance to bring in a contract victory before she stands for re-election in 2004. |
