While students who were shut out by school closings show some signs of academic progress, most land in schools that are not much better than the ones they left.
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Back Issues
 March, 2006
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 February, 2006
Chicago was the first big-city school system to come under the authority of the mayor in 1995. Since then, central office has handed down a host of directives. But the key question is: What’s happening to students as a result? |
 December, 2005
Arne Duncan recently outlined a series of reform projects to the city's civic leaders. First up: hiring outsiders to bring in new and improved curricula and intensive coaching for teachers. But those working in schools are skeptical, fearing that the board’s plan will end up as a passing fad. |
 November, 2005
The more a student misses class, the more likely he is to fail the course. The more courses she fails, the less likely she is to graduate on time. But freshmen don’t know those equations. In spring 2004, 49 percent of freshmen missed more than two weeks of school in a major subject, according to research by the Consortium on Chicago School Research. Some were officially absent, but others were simply cutting class. Schools have few resources to solve this problem. |
 October, 2005
The push for more academic content in preschool already has led to questionable testing of Head Start pre-kindergarteners. Chicago is taking a closer look at its own preschool programs with an eye for improvement. Another test to measure what youngsters learn over time may be next. |
 September, 2005
Two reports show that while most Chicago Public Schools graduates plan to continue their education at a 4-year college, many of them land instead at City Colleges, taking remedial courses. |
 June, 2005
Higher standards for special education teachers and pressure to identify learning-disabled children early and provide intensive help are two key provisions schools will face under the renewed Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act. |
 May, 2005
CPS has spent hundreds of millions to build new schools and additions, but almost one in three neighborhoods has a significant school overcrowding problem. Capital funds are scarce, but critics say the district could have done a better job of planning new construction and projecting enrollment shifts. |
 April, 2005
Councils across the district are feeling financially squeezed this year, and those at schools on probation find themselves squeezed out entirely. The percentage of state and federal dollars going into schools’ discretionary pots is shrinking, and the purchasing power of those dollars has diminished significantly, a Catalyst analysis has found. |
 March, 2005
Nutrition, health and exercise all affect academic achievement, yet these factors are often neglected in Chicago Public Schools. |
 February, 2005
Chicago Public Schools has only begun to push for per-pupil budgeting, a system that could more equitably distribute funds to schools and give principals more control over how those funds are spent, and some already are pushing back. Concerns center on whether schools would get more or less money under the new system. "We've looked at this from every angle, and no one wants it," says one principal. |
 December, 2004
Elementary school educators say more students are posing serious discipline problems and disrupting the learning environment. “If school climate is bad, kids can’t focus on achievement,” says one violence prevention expert. More resources—social workers, counselors and teacher training—and parental support are needed to handle troublemakers. |
