Public education took an understandable backseat to the war in Iraq and the struggling economy in this year's presidential campaign, as neither candidate gave the issue serious attention, though both articulated on paper visions for how to improve it.
Still, the man who takes the oath of office in January must return to this foundational issue.
Public education took an understandable backseat to the war in Iraq and the struggling economy in this year's presidential campaign, as neither candidate gave the issue serious attention, though both...
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When it opened in the 1940s, Altgeld Gardens, a public housing development on the far Southeast Side, attracted young African-American industrial workers and post-World War II military employees who needed to save money until they could afford to buy their own homes.
Not so today. The 157-acre area now is home to 3,400 low-income families whose prospects of moving out and up the economic ladder are dim.
When it opened in the 1940s, Altgeld Gardens, a public housing development on the far Southeast Side, attracted young African-American industrial workers and post-World War II military employees who...
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When Carver High School was converted into a military academy four years ago, Curtis Murphy, then the school's principal, predicted it would become as prestigious as the Chicago Military Academy in Bronzeville, the district's first.
"We'll be like Bronzeville, but a little different," Murphy said as he gave a visitor a tour of the school in the summer of 2000. "We will be an elite school."
That prediction, however, has yet to be fulfilled.
When Carver High School was converted into a military academy four years ago, Curtis Murphy, then the school's principal, predicted it would become as prestigious as the Chicago Military Academy in...
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When Judge Michael Stuttley, an alumnus of Carver Middle School, returned to his alma mater three years ago to deliver the commencement address, Principal Ida Stewart tossed him a challenge.
Don't be like others who say they'll come back to help, then don't. Come back, get involved with students and show them that they can be successful, she urged.
Not only did he accept, he promised more. "I told her I'd bring back other former students and residents of [Altgeld Gardens], too," says Stuttley, a juvenile court judge in south suburban Markham.
When Judge Michael Stuttley, an alumnus of Carver Middle School, returned to his alma mater three years ago to deliver the commencement address, Principal Ida Stewart tossed him a challenge.
Don't be...
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A couple of years ago, Carver Primary School Principal Linda Randolph began to get a little winded climbing stairs and walking to and from the three primary buildings that she oversees. At first, she suspected it might be because she'd gained a little weight. When the problem persisted, she went to the doctor, who told her that she had developed a respiratory problem and suggested she use an inhaler.
A couple of years ago, Carver Primary School Principal Linda Randolph began to get a little winded climbing stairs and walking to and from the three primary buildings that she oversees. At first, she...
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Tennessee: Grading policy
About 75 percent of high schools would have to change their grading policy under a state plan to require a standardized system, according to the Oct. 17 Memphis Commercial Appeal. The proposed policy would primarily affect how schools give out grades of A and B. Students would have to receive scores of 94-100 on assignments to receive an A and scores of 85-93 to receive a B. Currently, only 25 percent of school districts set grading standards that high. Any score of 69 or below would count as an F.
Detroit: Achievement gap
Tennessee: Grading policy
About 75 percent of high schools would have to change their grading policy under a state plan to require a standardized system, according to the Oct. 17 Memphis...
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In June, the School Board closed Suder Elementary on the gentrifying Near West Side. Sandra Stone, who spent 19 years teaching preschool and kindergarten at Suder, says the decision was a big blow to faculty. Teachers had been working hard to improve academics and were hopeful that plans to transform the blighted community into a mixed-income mecca would help the school, which got public notice through author Alex Kotlowitz's 1991 bestseller "There Are No Children Here" and an NBC documentary on children experiencing trauma.
In June, the School Board closed Suder Elementary on the gentrifying Near West Side. Sandra Stone, who spent 19 years teaching preschool and kindergarten at Suder, says the decision was a big blow to...
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Some months ago, in my role as The Piton Foundation's education program officer, I read "All Together Now—Creating Middle-class Schools Through Public School Choice," by Richard Kahlenberg. The book's thesis—that economically integrated schools have significantly greater success educating low-income children than do high-poverty schools—made immediate intuitive sense.
Some months ago, in my role as The Piton Foundation's education program officer, I read "All Together Now—Creating Middle-class Schools Through Public School Choice," by Richard Kahlenberg. The book'...
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MOVING IN / ON Elizabeth Evans, former director of government and community affairs at the Illinois Facilities Fund, a nonprofit real estate corporation, has been named executive director of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. ...The Steans Family Foundation has hired two new education program officers: Chris Brown, previously director of schools and communities for Cross City Campaign; and Mariame Kaba, formerly of Friends of Battered Women and Their Children.
MOVING IN / ON Elizabeth Evans, former director of government and community affairs at the Illinois Facilities Fund, a nonprofit real estate corporation, has been named executive director of...
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Después de años de negligencia mientras los oficiales buscaban mejorar lectura y matemáticas, el logro cientÃfico está recibiendo la atención de CPS.
En las secundarias, cuyas puntuaciones están por el suelo, la atención llega a tiempo. En 37 escuelas, el porcentaje de estudiantes de undécimo grado que cumplen o exceden con los estándares en ciencia es menos de 10, según los resultados preliminares del Examen Estatal Prairie del 2004. A través de la ciudad, solo el 27% cumple con los estándares.
Después de años de negligencia mientras los oficiales buscaban mejorar lectura y matemáticas, el logro cientÃfico está recibiendo la atención de CPS.
En las secundarias, cuyas puntuaciones están por...
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El pobre estado de los laboratorios de ciencia en muchas de las secundarias de Chicago es evidente en la Secundaria Senn de Edgewater.
Diez de los once laboratorios de Senn muestran el paso del tiempo (cuatro décadas) con sus lavabos inservibles, lÃneas de gas tapadas, techos dañados por la humedad, y paredes con la pintura descascarada. Solo un laboratorio está en buenas condiciones al haber sido rehabilitado en el 2000.
El pobre estado de los laboratorios de ciencia en muchas de las secundarias de Chicago es evidente en la Secundaria Senn de Edgewater.
Diez de los once laboratorios de Senn muestran el paso del...
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Hace un par de años, casi nadie en la Academia Columbia Explorers disfrutaba la ciencia, ni siquiera los maestros.
"Los tenÃa memorizando datos. No habÃa experimentos," dice el maestro de octavo grado Andrew Cosme, quien como la mayorÃa de sus colegas, seguia un texto estándar. "los niños estaban aburridos."
La maestra de cuarto grado, Maria Janik, añade de acuerdo, "Si un maestro está aburrido, los estudiantes también lo estarán."
Hace un par de años, casi nadie en la Academia Columbia Explorers disfrutaba la ciencia, ni siquiera los maestros.
"Los tenÃa memorizando datos. No habÃa experimentos," dice el maestro de octavo...
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To keep tabs on the physical condition of high school laboratories, CPS rates them on a scale of 1 to 7. A 1 means there are life-threatening conditions; a 7 means a lab needs basic maintenance only.
To keep tabs on the physical condition of high school laboratories, CPS rates them on a scale of 1 to 7. A 1 means there are life-threatening conditions; a 7 means a lab needs basic maintenance only...
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The science labs at Walter Payton College Prep, a Near North magnet school, are among the best in the district; on par, the staff says, with those at the state's premier science school, the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora.
Each of the eight Payton labs has 28 laptop computers, a costly fume hood to accommodate chemistry experiments and workstations with hookups for gas, water, electricity and the Internet. The school also has a greenhouse and planetarium, extras that other schools will likely never see.
The science labs at Walter Payton College Prep, a Near North magnet school, are among the best in the district; on par, the staff says, with those at the state's premier science school, the Illinois...
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Chicago Public Schools has all but erased a longtime shortage of science teachers, largely because of policy changes by the state that have raised concerns about the quality of the science teaching pool.
As Catalyst goes to print, the district's human resources website shows only 18 vacant slots for science teachers, compared to 43 for math teachers and 260 for special education teachers.
Chicago Public Schools has all but erased a longtime shortage of science teachers, largely because of policy changes by the state that have raised concerns about the quality of the science teaching...
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