Note: As of April 15, comings and goings items will be published
in the Notebook blog.

• Math & Science Academy comes to Chicago; Kellogg teacher wins national award Apr 9, 2009

  ACADEMY COMES TO CPS  The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy is slated to open a Chicago field office at Doolittle Middle School, as early as this summer or early fall. The office will offer programs for middle and high school students interested in math and science, including family and community-based programs, as well as programs for teachers. Keshia Osley, an Academy staffer who works as a liaison with the Illinois Virtual High School, will become the full-time coordinator for the satellite office. Two other staffers, Michelle Kolar, executive director for professional field services, and Kazi Joshua, coordinator of enrollment management for multicultural development, will work part-time at Doolittle. The venture is funded by the state and private organizations, including the Polk Bros. Foundation. The Academy will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 4 and an open house on May 23.

  AMBASSADORS IN EDUCATION AWARD  Pat Jonikaitis, a teacher at Kellogg Elementary, is one of 25 national winners of the 2009 MetLife Foundation Ambassadors in Education award. The award is given to teachers who build partnerships between families and community organizations, promote conflict resolution and participate in community service work through their school. Jonikaitis brought a debate program to the school, oversees the school’s garden and coordinates after-school activities that include classes in cooking, ceramics, and yoga. She will receive a $5,000 grant for the school. Winners of the award are selected by a national panel of education and civic experts.
  

  
  
• Early Learning Council in the works with Obama Administration Apr 8, 2009 A Presidential Early Learning Council, much like the Illinois Early Learning Council here, is in the works with the Obama Administration. The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services have been selected to form the council. Illinois’ group was created in 2003 by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the General Assembly to advise the state on improving and expanding early childhood programs and services, and is made up of 46 appointees from governmental agencies, schools, child care centers, businesses, law enforcement and private foundations, as well as parents. Barbara Bowman, head of the CPS Department of Early Childhood Education and a co-founder and former head of the Erikson Institute, is reportedly in the running to chair the presidential council.
  
  
• New Mason High to be modeled on Spry Community Links Apr 7, 2009 Beginning this summer, Mason School in North Lawndale will begin a new high school program modeled on the Spry Community Links High School in Pilsen. At Spry, the goal is to foster better connections between the school and outside institutions that can have a positive impact on student achievement. Spry high school students attend school for three years and three summers, have classes that start later in the day to accommodate teenagers’ body clocks, and participate in internships and college bridge programs to encourage post-secondary education. Former CPS principal and administrator Carlos Azcoitia, who launched Spry Community Links, will help launch Mason’s new program in the current building, which is underutilized. The first 9th-grade class will be capped at about 35 students, and current Mason Principal Tonya Tolbert will expand her role to oversee the high school as well. For more on the Community Links model, see Azcoitia’s essay.
  
• Principals yanked from 2 schools Apr 3, 2009 Clifton Hunt, principal of Oglesby Elementary in Auburn Gresham and Darreyl Young-Gibson, principal of Julian High School in Washington Heights were removed from their posts and, according to a district press release, will be reassigned to other administrative duties. Schools CEO Huberman cited shortfalls in student performance and safety concerns among the reasons for removing the two principals. Careda Taylor, chief of staff in the Office of High School Programs, was tapped as interim at Julian. Principal Rebecca Watson of Reed Elementary will take over at Oglesby. The announcement was made after 5 p.m. Friday, as spring break got under way. 
  
  
• Easton leaving Consortium for Washington Apr 3, 2009

  John Q. Easton, executive director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research, will be nominated by President Barack Obama to head the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. The Institute was created in 2002 to provide rigorous research and evaluation on education programs and policies and to report a wide variety of data, including data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Easton will oversee four national research centers. Easton's successor at the Consortium has not been named.

  Easton has been associated with the Consortium since its inception in 1990. He became deputy director in 1997 and executive director in 2002. He also served two stints as research director for the Chicago Public Schools, first from 1994 to 1997 and most recently from 2001 to 2002. From 1989 to 1994 he was director of research at the Chicago Panel on School Policy, where he led a study of the effects of decentralization on CPS.

   

  
  
• Early childhood teaching awards Mar 31, 2009 Four CPS educators have been named recipients of the 2009 Kohl McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Award for teachers who work with children from preschool through 3rd grade in the Chicago metropolitan area. This year’s winners are: Dayna Darby, a preschool teacher at Talcott Fine Arts; Elizabeth Gross, a 2nd-grade teacher at Legacy Charter School; Camia Hoard, a 1st-grade teacher at Frazier Preparatory; and Lourdes Molina, a preschool teacher at the Belmont-Cragin Early Childhood Center. (Patricia Twymon, a home care provider at Wee are the World Day Care in Calumet City, was also a winner.) The finalists were selected from among 200 nominees and will be inducted into the Kohl McCormick Academy of Outstanding Educators. They will also receive a classroom visit from the Kohl’s StoryBus, a museum on wheels; a classroom field trip and professional development from the Kohl Children’s Museum; a graduate-level course at Chicago’s Erikson Institute; and a $5,000 cash prize. Their school will receive a $1,000 prize. The winners will be honored at a luncheon on June 2 at the Westin Chicago River North.
  
• College access expert leaves CPS for DC Mar 27, 2009 Greg Darnieder, the longtime head of the CPS Office of College and Careers, left the district this week to become special assistant on college access to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. While at CPS, Darnieder was credited with establishing a relationship with the National Student Clearinghouse that provided the district with specific information on college enrollment for CPS graduates. He also implemented a pilot program that put college coaches into high schools, with the sole job of boosting college enrollment. Darnieder had recently begun working to retool career and technical education in the district. Before joining CPS, Darnieder was executive director of the Steans Family Foundation and also headed up a youth program in Cabrini-Green called CYCLE. … Monica Rosen, formerly the district’s talent management officer, is now the acting chief of the Office of Principal Preparation and Development. Alicia Haller, the previous interim chief, is no longer with the district.
  
• Where new schools will be located Mar 26, 2009 Seven new Renaissance 2010 schools will share space with existing CPS schools this fall, and four more new schools will move into buildings that now house schools slated to close, district officials announced at the March 25 School Board meeting. The seven schools that will share space are: Alcott Liberal Arts High with Schneider Elementary in North Center; Garfield Park Prep Academy with Faraday Elementary in East Garfield Park; Noble Street College Prep (campus yet to be named) in the Cregier Multiplex on the Near West Side; Betty Shabazz Charter Elementary—Barbara Sizemore campus, with Johns Elementary in North Lawndale; South Shore Fine Arts Academy with Fermi Elementary in Woodlawn; Chicago Talent Development High with Tilton Elementary in West Garfield Park; and Urban Prep Academy for Young Men—Garfield Park with Cather Elementary, East Garfield Park. … The four schools that will take over buildings are: Air Force Academy High and the Chicago Academy for Advanced Technology, in the Medill Elementary building, Near West Side; Epic Academy High, in the South Chicago Elementary building; Ogden International High, taking over the Carpenter Elementary campus in West Town.
  
• Top CPS official heading to national nonprofit; turnaround principals selected Mar 16, 2009

  Carmita Vaughan, chief of staff for the CPS Office of High School Programs, has been named chief strategy officer for America’s Promise Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based organization focused on improving education, health care and other facets of children’s lives. Vaughan will oversee the Alliance’s major new initiative, a series of Dropout Prevention Summits slated to be held across the country. The Alliance was founded by former Gen. Colin Powell and includes representatives of corporations, foundations, nonprofit groups and other institutions. Vaughan, who worked on dropout prevention efforts at CPS, will join the Alliance on Apr. 1. ... William Johnson will stay on as principal at Fenger High in Roseland, one of four turnaround schools for the 2009-2010 school year. Johnson has been the principal of Fenger since 2004. Donald Fraynd, head of the CPS Office of High School Turnarounds, says he and Johnson are in the midst of interviewing teachers to fill positions at Fenger. Fraynd has reached out to Mikva Challenge, an organization that works to develop civic leadership in high school students, to form a student group that will interview teachers candidates and make hiring recommendations. …The Academy for Urban School Leadership has hired new principals for the three elementary schools it will operate as turnarounds this fall. Zipporah Hightower, former principal at Kellogg, will become principal at Bethune; Pamela Creed, former director at the Washington Park Campus of Chicago International Charter School, will become principal at Dulles; and A. Felice Henry, former principal at Summers Prep, an alternative school operated by the Human Resources Development Institute, will become principal at Johnson.

  
  
• New Latino advocacy group meets with CEO Mar 12, 2009 A newly launched advocacy group, Latinos United for Priorities in Education, is the brainchild of former CPS principal Carlos Azcoitia, now a faculty member at National- Louis University. The group’s members include 12th Ward Ald. George Cardenas; Ana Maria Soto, director of Latino initiatives at National-Louis University; Milly Santiago, head of Hispanic media for Gov. Pat Quinn; and local school council members, parents and staff from Spry Community School, Telpochcalli, Edwards, Peck, and Amundsen. The group met recently with CEO Ron Huberman to discuss issues including dropout prevention, post-secondary access and early childhood education. In February, Latino clergy and civic leaders met with Huberman to discuss Latino educational concerns.
  
  
• Top CTA officials move to CPS Mar 10, 2009

  Adam Case, former chief of customer communications for the Chicago Transit Authority, is now deputy chief of staff to CEO Ron Huberman; Denise Turner, former senior project consultant in performance management at the CTA, is reportedly slated to join the CPS Department of Strategy and Planning; her appointment is not yet official. 

  
  
• Former CTA vice-president joins CPS Mar 6, 2009 Sarah Kremsner, former vice-president of performance management of the Chicago Transit Authority, has joined new CEO Ron Huberman’s team of top officials as performance management officer in the CPS Department of Strategy and Planning.
  
• March contracts for principals Mar 6, 2009 Interim principals Patricia Surgeon at Herzl, and Beverly Jordan at Pope, have been awarded full four-year contracts. The following principals have had their contracts renewed: Scott Ahlman, Hibbard; Jill Besenjak, Stockton;  Carol Briggs, Kohn; Michael Durr, Hope; Elias Estrada, Oriole Park; Mary Ann Folino, Schurz; Carol Friedman, Franklin; Kathleen Hagstrom, Disney; Deborah Heath, Fernwood; Sabrina Jackson, Turner-Drew; Elizabeth Kirby, Kenwood; Susan Kukielka, Decatur; Rebecca McDaniel, Cook; Michelle Miller, Garvey; Joyce Nakamura, Stone; Donna Newton-Holland, Lovett; Richard Norman, Senn; Philip Salemi, Shields; Judith Sauri, Edwards; Anthony Spivey, Corliss; Philistine Tweedle, Beasley; Minnie Watson, De Priest; Ginger Bryant, Sexton; Leticia Gonzalez, Saucedo; Andrew Manno, Hubbard; Aida Munoz, Carpenter; and Rita Ortiz, Dever.
  
• Catalyst report on High School Transformation wins national award Mar 5, 2009
  Catalyst Chicago has won a national Education Writers Association award for Class of 2011, our report on Marshall High and its rollout of the district’s High School Transformation project. Associate Editor Sarah Karp and Data & Research Editor John Myers won second prize in the category of special interest/trade publications.
  
  
• CPEF chief joins national principal certification team Mar 4, 2009 Janet M. Knupp, founder and chief executive officer of The Chicago Public Education Fund, has joined a national group of business and civic leaders that is developing standards for an advanced certification for principals and teacher leaders. The group is an initiative of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which currently offers master certifications for classroom teachers. The new school leader certification is slated to debut in 2011. Recently, The Chicago Public Education Fund awarded the National Board a $1 million, multi-year grant to develop the certification. Chicago principals will be included in the first group to pursue the credential. A recent National Board study found that 83 percent of school leaders and 69 percent of district leaders surveyed expressed interest in earning an advanced credential focused on instructional improvement.  For more information, visit http://www.nbpts.org/
  
• CPS lawyer nominated for federal post Mar 2, 2009 Charles Rose, the former lead negotiator for CPS in its contract negotiations with employee unions, including the Chicago Teachers Union, has been nominated as general counsel for the U.S. Department of Education under Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. President Barack Obama nominated Rose last week for the post. Rose was founding partner of Franczek Radelet & Rose P.C. and is a graduate of DePaul University School of Law.
  
• Finalists for early childhood award Feb 26, 2009 Thirteen CPS teachers are finalists for the 2009 Kohl McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Award, given to outstanding educators who work in preschool through 3rd-grade classrooms in the metropolitan Chicago area. Five winners will be chosen from among the 19 finalists; the winners will be announced in April and honored at a luncheon in June. Winners will receive a $5,000 cash award; $1,000 cash for their school; professional development, including a free graduate course at the Erikson Institute; and a classroom field trip to the Kohl Children’s Museum. The CPS teachers who made the finalist list are: Dayna Darby, Talcott; Alejandra De La Pena, Lloyd; Arinda Feiwell and Sabrina Silverstein, de Dominguez; Nicole Gaynor, Harte; Elizabeth Goss, Legacy Charter; Petrina Haynes, Poe; Camia Hoard, Frazier; Jenna Jung, Oriole Park; Donna Kaufman, Alcott; Lourdes Molina, Belmont-Cragin Early Childhood Center; Karen Sebaka, Telpochcalli; and Xiaodong Zhang, James Ward. The award is given by the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation and the McCormick Foundation.
  
• Sixteen schools approved for closing, turnaround Feb 25, 2009

  Following nearly four hours of public comment, most of it against school closings, the School Board voted today to approve 16 closings and turnarounds. Speakers at the standing-room-only meeting included students and others from more than 25 schools, as well as educators and representatives of community organizations. Schools that will close are Nia, Foundations, Princeton, South Chicago, Abbott, Davis Developmental, Medill, Schiller, Carpenter, Lathrop, Reed and Best Practices; schools that will undergo turnarounds are Fenger, Dulles, Johnson and Bethune. Six schools proposed for closing or turnarounds were spared earlier this week by CEO Ron Huberman. One of the six was Peabody, located in state Rep. Cynthia Soto’s district. Soto has proposed legislation, backed by community groups and the Chicago Teachers Union, calling for a one-year moratorium on school closings and for development of a comprehensive school facilities plan.

  
  

  
  
• Fellowship in early childhood education Feb 25, 2009

  
  The Illinois Early Childhood Fellowship Program, a project of the Evanston Community Foundation, is seeking candidates for its two-year program designed to give participants expertise and leadership skills in early childhood education policy. Fellows will work for leading Illinois nonprofit groups that work on behalf of young children, where they will develop and manage projects, undergo mentoring and attend seminars. Candidates should have two to 10 years of relevant work experience and, preferably, a graduate degree (those without a graduate degree must have at least four years of experience). Minority candidates are encouraged to apply.  Fellows will be paid a salary of $55,000. The deadline to apply is May 15, 2009 and three fellows will be chosen in July. For more information and an application, go to http://www.ilearlychildhoodfellowship.org/

  
  

  
  
• Schools win closings reprieve; another 'franchise' in the works Feb 24, 2009

  Six schools have been taken off the district’s list of 22 schools slated for closure or turnaround: Peabody, Yale, Las Casas, Holmes, Global Visions and Hamilton. Peabody was slated to close for under-enrollment, but parents and activists rallied on the school’s behalf and argued that the district's calculation of the school's space utilization did not take into account the space used for special programs. Peabody is located in state Rep. Cynthia Soto’s district in West Town; Soto is chief sponsor of proposed legislation that would place a one-year moratorium on school closings. Hamilton was also slated to close for under-enrollment, but the school’s high test scores helped it to win a reprieve. Yale and Holmes were slated for turnarounds, but supporters argued that test scores are on the rise and the schools deserved more time to improve. Las Casas, a vocational school for special needs students, was taken off the list to give parents more time to find alternatives for their children. Global Visions was removed from the list because it posted the highest test scores among the four small schools on the Bowen campus. In January, activists scored an earlier victory on closings when four schools that had been on an unofficial closings list given to community groups were spared. The School Board will vote on the remaining 16 closings and turnarounds at its regular public meeting on Wednesday, with reinstated Board President Michael Scott presiding. In all, 40 schools have closed or undergone turnarounds since Mayor Daley launched Renaissance 2010 in 2004.

  ANOTHER FRANCHISE  CPS is moving ahead with its school franchise strategy and is planning to open a second branch of Hyde Park’s Murray Language Academy. Officials have not confirmed where the new Murray would open, although a meeting on the proposal was held last week at Price Elementary in Kenwood. This year, CPS opened branches of two other popular magnet schools, Disney Magnet II in Irving Park and LaSalle Language Academy II in West Town. The district hatched the franchise strategy last year as a way to use the branding power of sought-after magnets to draw families to new schools created under Renaissance 2010.

   

  
  
• Williams stepping down from board Feb 20, 2009

  School Board President Rufus Williams says he will resign today following conversations with Mayor Richard Daley, who is reportedly set to reinstate former President Michael Scott. Scott was recently appointed as co-chair of the expanded Chicago 2016 Outreach Advisory Council, the city’s official Olympic bid organization. School Board member Tariq Butt was also selected as a member of one of the council’s five subcommittees. Scott, a politically connected real estate developer and business leader with deep roots on the West Side, served as board president from 2001 to 2005 and was director of the Department of Special Events under the late Mayor Harold Washington. As board president, Scott earned a reputation as a mediator and good listener to community concerns. Williams has often clashed with community members and activists during board meetings.

  
  
• Lawmakers pass school closings proposal Feb 19, 2009

  Proposed legislation that would place a one-year moratorium on school closings and turnarounds passed unanimously Thursday in the Illinois House Elementary & Secondary Education Committee. Teachers and members of grassroots groups deluged committee members with phone calls in support of the proposal, sponsored by state Rep. Cynthia Soto and 19 other lawmakers. The proposal would also require CPS to craft a facilities plan. For more, see the Notebook Blog.

   

  
  
• Latino leaders raise concerns with Huberman Feb 12, 2009

  
  Latino clergy and civic leaders met with new Schools CEO Ron Huberman today to discuss their concerns about issues affecting Latino students. About 15 pastors and leaders discussed the lack of Latino teachers and principals, as well as the high Latino dropout rate, the lack of Internet access at schools that serve Latino children, and the need for more early childhood education. Latinos comprise 39 percent of the CPS student population, but just 13 percent of teachers and principals; the dropout rate for Latinos is 40 percent. The group plans to meet with Huberman again in six to eight weeks. A Latino education summit is in the works, says Rev. Wilfredo de Jesus of New Life Covenant Ministries, who organized the Feb. 12 meeting.

  
  
• Change in turnaround plans, engineering at Harlan Feb 6, 2009

  ChicagoRise, a subsidiary of Chicago International Charter Schools, will not oversee turnarounds at Dulles and Johnson elementary schools this fall. Instead, CPS is turning to the Academy for Urban School Leadership, already committed to new turnarounds at two other schools this year. For more, go to our Notebook blog.

  TRAINING ENGINEERS  Harlan High in Roseland will launch a new engineering magnet program this coming fall, featuring courses in robotics, manufacturing and mechanics. Applications will be accepted citywide for this year’s freshman class of 60 students; 30 percent of students will be selected from Harlan’s attendance area. Applications are due by Mar. 13. To obtain an application, visit www.cpsmagnet.org or call the Office of Academic Enhancement at (773) 553-2060.

   

  
  
• Erikson to offer online degree Feb 5, 2009 The Erikson Institute plans to launch an online learning initiative offering a master’s degree program and expanded professional development courses. Chip Donohue, former director of the Center for Early Childhood Professional Development and Leadership at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will direct Erikson’s initiative. The master's program will target experienced early childhood teachers.
  
• State board member joins national dropout panel Feb 3, 2009

  Vinni Hall, a member of the Illinois State Board of Education and a former CPS administrator, will serve on a National Association of State Boards of Education panel on the dropout crisis. Hall will be one of 17 members of state boards of education from across the country who will spend one year studying the causes of dropping out and identifying solutions. The group will present its findings in October 2009 at NASBE’s annual conference and distribute its report to policymakers and education groups nationally.

  PRINCIPAL CONTRACTS  Cynthia J. Miller, principal at Fiske, has had her four-year contract renewed.
  

  
  
• Huberman tapped as next CEO Jan 27, 2009

  Mayor Richard Daley has tapped Chicago Transit Authority President Ron Huberman to take over as Chicago Public Schools CEO, replacing Arne Duncan, the nation’s newest Secretary of Education. Huberman, who has no educational experience, skips over Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins, a popular former principal who was rumored for weeks to be Duncan’s replacement.

  Chicago schools face severe belt tightening this year as enrollment continues to fall and the economy worsens—tight financial conditions that will be similar to those Huberman faced as CTA president. Billed as an effective manager, Huberman is expected to continue the district’s push to use data analysis in its decision making. While working for the Chicago Police Department, Huberman helped craft an information system that shares crime data across dozens of state and federal law enforcement agencies. CTA has also developed bus tracking systems under his leadership.

  
  
• Fellowships awarded Jan 27, 2009 Three nonprofit leaders who have made strides in education have received fellowships from The Chicago Community Trust. They are: Sylvia Puente, executive director of the Latino Policy Forum, which advocates for better education and housing for Latinos; Gabrielle Lyon, co-founder and executive director of Project Exploration, a science education program aimed at girls and minority communities; and Jaime de Leonof Enlace Chicago, previously known as Little Village Community Development Corporation, which organized a hunger strike that prompted CPS to build a new high school.
  
  
• From CNN to Advance Illinois Jan 21, 2009 Fuzz Hogan, former Chicago bureau chief for CNN, is now the communications director for Advance Illinois, a new statewide policy advocacy organization that has a board of heavy hitters but promises to gather widespread input. Jim Edgar, former governor of Illinois, and William Daley, chairman of the Midwest region of JPMorgan Chase & Co., are co-chairs of the group. The other board members are: Ellen Alberding, president of the Joyce Foundation; James Bell, president and CFO of the Boeing Company; Lew Collens, law professor and president emeritus at Illinois Institute of Technology; Miguel del Valle, city clerk of Chicago and former chair of the Illinois Senate Education Committee; John Edwardson, chairman, president and CEO of CDW Corporation; Joseph Fatheree, Illinois Teacher of the Year 2006-2007 at Effingham High School; Dennis Hastert, former speaker of the House and Illinois State Representative; Timothy Knowles, director of the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago; Sylvia Puente, director of the Center for Metropolitan Chicago Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame Institute for Latino Studies; Charles Rose, founding partner of Franczek Radelet & Rose; Edward Rust, Jr., chairman and CEO of State Farm Insurance Co.; and Patricia Watkins, executive director of TARGET Area Development Corporation.
  
• Little Village CDO renamed Jan 21, 2009 The Little Village Community Development Organization has changed its name to Enlace, which is Spanish for “link.” The old name tied the organization to one community and didn’t accurately reflect the aims of the organization, explains Enlace's director of education,  Katya Nuques. “Holistic development doesn’t have to just do with brick and mortar,” said Nuques. “We try to create linkages between schools, people and resources.” The development corporation got into the education business in 2000 and backed the parent hunger strike that led to the construction of a long-promised new high school in its community.
  
• New principal for arts high school, pennies for charity Jan 7, 2009

  ARTS HIGH PRINCIPAL   Terri Milsap, the former co-pincipal at ACT Charter School who left that post to become director of student services for the new Chicago High School for the Arts, has been selected as the school’s principal. The new contract school, slated to open this fall, will be the first public fine arts high school in Chicago and will offer a college prep curriculum, a longer school day and 15 hours of arts instruction each week. The school held a series of workshops across the city in December to help prospective students prepare for auditions that will be held through February.

  PENNIES FOR CHARITY   Three CPS elementary schools have raised over $4,700 through the Penny Harvest, a nationwide campaign that aims to teach students about community service by having them collect pennies and give grants to local charities. Budlong in Lincoln Square raised $1,489, Belding in Irving Park raised $1,720, and Stone in West Ridge collected just over $1,500. Students will meet at their schools to select a charity or organization to receive the donations.

   

  
  
• New hurdles for principal candidates Jan 6, 2009

  Effective Jan. 1, candidates applying for a new principal position in CPS must pass a revised eligibility process to be placed in the district’s pool of candidates, even if they are currently a principal at another school or have been a principal in the past. Under the School Board’s new guidelines, no prospective candidates will be grandfathered in. Those now in the district’s candidate pool have until Sept. 1 to secure a principal contract; if they do not, they must go through the new process as well.  The new requirements include a more rigorous interview process and a background check.

  “Our membership is mortified. ” says Clarice Berry, who heads the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association.  “Under this new guideline, you’d have experienced, veteran principals going through an entry process. Under the policy, I am no longer eligible to serve as a principal unless I go through this process and neither is [Chief Education Officer] Barbara Eason-Watkins.”
   
  Interested candidates must submit a statement of interest by Jan. 16 and an application by Jan. 30.

  NEW PRINCIPAL CONTRACTS   Valesta Cobbs, interim principal at Bond, has been awarded a four-year contract. … The following principals have had their contracts renewed: Elsa Carmona, Little Village Academy; Carlos Munoz, Amundsen High; Marilyn Strojny, Northwest Middle.
  

   

  
  

  
  
• Latino Policy Forum to get new director Dec 18, 2008 Sylvia Puente, a policy analyst on Latino issues and vice-president of the board of directors of the Latino Policy Forum, will take over as executive director of the Forum on Jan. 1. Maricela Garcia, who currently holds the post, is resigning and will join the board. Puente is the current director of the Center for Metropolitan Chicago Initiatives for the Institute for Latino Studies at Notre Dame University and has previously worked for the Latino Institute and the Resurrection Project.
  
• IIT to offer new teaching degree Dec 17, 2008

  The Illinois Institute of Technology is recruiting candidates for a new master’s degree program in mathematics or science education. IIT will offer reduced tuition and give preference to candidates who apply as a team with other math and science teachers on their school’s faculty. A minimum of three years teaching math or science in grades 6-12 is preferred. The program will begin next July. The application deadline is March 15, 2009. An application can be downloaded here.

   

  
  
• Gates grant to provide better college access for young parents Dec 11, 2008

  COLLEGE FOR YOUNG PARENTS   The Ounce of Prevention Fund has received a $300,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study the barriers to college attendance for young, low-income parents and to create a pilot program to support their efforts to further their education. The study will include young African-American parents in Chicago and young Hispanic parents in Denver and Miami. Researchers at Northwestern University and Columbia University will help conduct in the study. The pilot support program will operate out of early childhood education centers, including one in Grand Boulevard. … Also at Ounce of Prevention: Jelene Britten, former public affairs associate at Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, is now communications and media manager.

  
  
• New clinic opens at Spry Dec 10, 2008

  MEETING HEALTH NEEDS  Through a partnership with Alivio Medical Center, Spry School has opened a health clinic to serve both Spry students and the school's Pilsen neighborhood. The clinic opened last week in the renovated basement of Spry and will provide basic non-emergency health services, such as preventative care, physicals and district-mandated exams for students, counseling, testing and treatment for sexually-transmitted diseases, and immunizations, says registered nurse Maria Sauerzapf of Alivio, who is overseeing the clinic. Sauerzapf is also reaching out to children from nearby Telpochcalli and Saucedo elementary schools who need health services as well. State and private funding paid for the venture.

  
  
• Making progress in math Dec 9, 2008

  HOW U.S. STACKS UP IN MATH  The latest international comparisons show U.S. students compare favorably with their peers in other countries in math performance, scoring about the international average, according to the just-released Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study 2007. Black students still perform below the TIMSS average, but their achievement is rising at a faster pace than for whites or other groups. Black 4th-graders raised their scores 25 points since 1995, the first year TIMMS was administered, and scores for black 8th-graders have risen 38 points. For Latino 4th-graders, scores are up 11 points; for 8th-graders, 32 points. White students raised their scores just 9 points and 17 points, respectively.

  
  
• Grants for classroom projects, reading and arts study Dec 4, 2008

  FUNDS FOR CLASSROOM PROJECTS   The Oppenheimer Family Foundation is awarding small grants of up to $2,000 to 350 CPS teachers who designed hands-on and community-based classroom projects for students. The foundation has awarded its Teacher Incentive Grants for 26 years; this year’s total is $207,000. For more information, visit the foundation’s website.

  BETTER READING THROUGH ARTS   Children who participated in a music- and drama-based reading program posted higher reading scores and improved their reading skills more than their peers who did not participate in the program, according to a study that tracked children from kindergarten through 3rd grade. Children at two Chicago schools that participated in a Reading in Motion program were more likely to meet 3rd-grade reading benchmarks and scored higher on DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) than peers in two comparable schools who did not participate in the program. For more information, visit Reading in Motion's website.

  
  
• Research shows dropping out can start at age 11 Dec 2, 2008 ELSEWHERE   To stem the dropout tide early on, Chicago is paying significant attention to the transition from 8th grade to high school. New research from Colorado echoes other studies on the importance of better middle-grades education and lends weight to CPS efforts on that front as well. The study on dropouts in Denver and four other Colorado districts that together produced almost half the state’s dropouts found that middle-schoolers who failed just one math or reading class were more likely to quit school, according to the Dec. 2 Denver Post. Interventions need to begin with students as young as 11, researchers said. “If a student gives off a warning sign, you make it someone’s job that they notice that,” said Martha Abele McIver of Johns Hopkins University, which is now finalizing the research examining school behavior, attendance and grades. “I don’t think it takes that many more resources. It’s a commitment to do things differently.”
  
• Schools chief to serve on transition task force Nov 25, 2008

  TRANSITION TASK FORCE   Christopher A. Koch, Illinois’ state superintendent of education, will serve on a new task force that will identify high-priority issues for the next secretary of education to address in his or her first 100 days under incoming President Barack Obama. The group will hold its initial meeting Dec. 1 in Washington, D.C. Koch is one of seven state schools chief to serve on the group.

  
  
• New middle school for Southwest Side Nov 24, 2008

  OVERCROWDING RELIEF   A new Southwest Side middle school, slated to open this fall at 53rd Street and South St. Louis, will take in 6th- through 8th-graders from overcrowded Sandoval and Tonti elementary schools. The new school has not yet been named. Teachers from Sandoval and Tonti can reapply to teach at the new school, but are not guaranteed jobs. Sandoval and Tonti will restructure to serve kindergarten through 5th-graders.
  
  PRINCIPAL CONTRACTS   Granzlee Banks, interim principal at Bass, has received a full four-year contract. …Jo Easterling-Hood of McDowell and Yvonne E. Jones of Drake have had their contracts renewed.

  ELSEWHERE   Electronic surveillance cameras to curb violence in high schools, an end to out-of-school suspensions to help keep kids engaged in school, and a “Parent Academy” are among the ideas proposed by Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, according to the Washington Post. Rhee’s proposal for a Parent Academy, which could be launched as a joint venture with community groups, includes adult literacy classes, parenting skills training and other programs to teach parents how to participate in their child’s education.

  
  
• Choir Academy charter closing Nov 20, 2008

  Choir Academy of Chicago, which has struggled with low enrollment and sluggish fundraising, will not renew its charter and, subsequently, will close next June. The school, which has been open for five years, provides students in grades 2 through 8 with an eight-hour school day packed with music and performance study. The longer school day costs the charter extra money, putting it in financial straits. Two years ago, ChoirAcademy relocated to a CPS facility at 3630 S. Wells, where it shares space with Abbott Elementary, a traditional public school that is also struggling to keep its doors open.

  
  
• Heavy hitters convene to launch statewide education group Nov 18, 2008 Crystal Room A at the Hyatt Regency Hotel was pulsing with power Tuesday morning as Advance Illinois made its formal debut. The new non-profit organization aims to create a consensus around new policies to improve student achievement in Illinois. Speakers were former Gov. Jim Edgar and former U.S. Commerce Sec. William Daley -- co chairs -- and CDW Corporation President John Edwardson, Chicago City Clerk Miguel del Valle, Joyce Foundation President Ellen Alberding, 2006-07 Illinois Teacher of the Year Joseph Fatheree and former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert. Bringing up the rear, the former congressman got the only laugh when he said that at this point in the program, “Everything has been said, but not everyone has said it.”  Other board members are Boeing Co. President James Bell, Illinois Institute of Technology Professor Lew Collens, Urban Education Institute Director Timothy Knowles, Sylvia Puente, Chicago director of the University of Notre Dame Institute of Latino Studies, attorney Charles Rose; State Farm Insurance Chairman Edward B. Rust Jr. and Patricia Watkins, TARGET Area Community Development Corporation. Robin Steans of the Steans Family Foundation is executive director.
  
• NYC research group takes cue from Chicago Nov 5, 2008 The Research Alliance for New York City Schools at New York University announced its first executive director: James Kemple, former director of K-12 education policy at MDRC, a nonprofit social policy research group in New York. The Alliance is modeled on the Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago. (An influential report on the Chicago experience, penned by the Consortium’s Melissa Roderick and John Easton, can be downloaded at the Alliance website.) Like the Consortium, the Alliance has worked out a data-sharing arrangement with New York City public schools that will enable researchers to better study the effectiveness of reform initiatives. Compared to the Consortium, the Alliance has evolved slowly, taking nearly three years to establish agreements with district and union leaders. Columbia University and New York University also wrestled over where the group would be located. The new venture is backed by a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation.
  
  
• State standards for 8th grade miss the mark for college Oct 31, 2008

  Even as CPS officials celebrate record numbers of students meeting state standards on the ISAT, a new study indicates that only about one in 10 8th-graders has any chance of hitting the district’s target of 20 or higher on the ACT. A Consortium on Chicago School Research report released today finds that only those 8th-graders who exceed state standards are likely to score a 20 or higher. (The consensus among experts is that students must score at least 21 to be admitted to a selective college.) In the most recent round of testing, only 10.9 percent of 8th-graders exceeded standards; another 62.3 percent just met standards.

  Further, the study finds that freshmen who score low on 9th-grade standardized tests rarely gain enough ground academically to score 20 on the ACT. Yet researchers note that the quality of academics and climate in a high school does matter. Students who earn high grades at strong schools see the biggest improvements, according to the study.
  

  
  
• Merit pay for turnaround principals Oct 28, 2008

  MERIT PAY AT TURNAROUNDS   As the district considers a citywide merit pay program for principals, the School Board has approved a program for principals at four turnaround schools: Fulton, Copernicus and Earle elementary schools and Harper High. In addition to their regular salaries, principals at the four schools will receive a one-time assignment bonus of $10,000 and, at the end of the year, a performance bonus of up to $10,000 if they meet certain performance standards. To receive the extra bonus, principals need to meet at least two out of four measures. Measures for the elementary principals are: meeting or exceeding citywide standards on their individual performance review; whether their school makes adequate progress toward No Child Left Behind achievement targets; and reducing by 10 percent the number of students who fail to meet state standards in reading and in math. High school principals must do the same, as well as reduce the number of students who fail to meet state standards in science. For story on citywide merit proposal, go here.

  PRINCIPAL CONTRACTS   Pamela Glynn, assistant principal at Hancock, has been selected as principal. … Rigo Hernandez at Pickard, Maria Cabrera at Belmont-Cragin, Felicia Hooker at Pullman, Julie McGlade at Garvy, Gladys Rivera at Lowell and William Truesdale at Taylor have had their contracts renewed.

  AT CLARK STREET  David Pickens, deputy to the CEO, is now public relations and internal communications officer. … Deborah Duskey, interim head of the Office of Specialized Services, has been promoted to executive officer. … GregDarnieder, director of post-secondary education, has been promoted to college and career preparation officer.

   

   

  
  
• New Leaders gets a new leader, schools make progress under NCLB Oct 22, 2008

  MOVING IN, ON  Maggie Blinn, former deputy chief officer of CPS’ Office of Principal Preparation and Development, has replaced April Ervin as executive director of New Leaders for New Schools in Chicago.

  MAKING PROGRESS   This year, more schools across Illinois failed to meet achievement targets set by the federal No Child Left Behind Act: 31 percent, compared to 24 percent last year. The following nine CPS schools are among 35 statewide that bucked the trend, however, making significant improvement for each of the past two years: Agassiz Elementary, Brentano Math & Science Academy, Caldwell Academy of Math & Science, Cleveland Elementary, Columbus Elementary, Peabody Elementary, Sumner Math & Science Academy, J.N. Thorp Elementary, and Twain Elementary.

  
  

More Headlines