Potholes swallow seniorsby Sarah KarpMarch, 2008
Tripped up along the road to college, many CPS grads never apply or wind up going to schools beneath their qualifications. A new report by the University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research follows a 2006 study that showed low grades and less-than-rigorous classes led to only 35 percent of CPS graduates getting a college degree within six years of leaving high school. ...Read Full Story
Less stress, higher performanceby Debra WilliamsMay, 2007
A research project on school readiness tests a theory: Addressing young children’s—and their teachers’—social and emotional needs would pay off down the road in higher academic performance. ...Read Full Story
What makes a good teacher?by Elizabeth DuffrinDecember, 2006
Which teacher credentials make a difference in the classroom? It’s a research question with significance for districts who recruit teachers, for the principals who hire them and for a public concerned with teacher quality. Here is a round-up of local and national research on the characteristics that make a difference to student achievement. ...Read Full Story
WebExtra: Poor kids in Chicago, elsewhere likely to get least qualified teachersby Elizabeth DuffrinJune, 2006
A new study of teacher quality validates a well-known fact: That poor and minority children are more likely to be taught by teachers who lack experience, are uncertified or have flunked basic skills tests. States and districts have a long way to go to meet a No Child Left Behind deadline next month to submit plans for ensuring that their low-income and minority students have equal access to qualified teachers. ...Read Full Story
Improving teaching is a low priority at small high schoolsby Alexander RussoApril, 2006
Creating small public high schools was supposed to cure much of what ailed Chicago’s large, failing ones. Breaking through the isolation and anonymity common in large buildings, small schools staff would band together around an essential mission: improving classroom instruction. But reality fell short of expectations, a new study finds. ...Read Full Story