catalyst-chicago.org

Last year, the Chicago New Teacher Center provided training and mentoring for all new CPS teachers. But the $3.5 million program collapsed in June after the School Board laid off its 54 teacher coaches to help balance the CPS budget. Now, the Center may be coming back but with a scaled-down program. With funding from five foundations — The Boeing Company Charitable Trust, Crown Family Philanthropies, Finnegan Family Foundation, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation and The Joyce Foundation — the Center has re-hired seven coaches, who have provided two two-day-long orientation sessions open to all new teachers in CPS.

 

Last year, the Chicago New Teacher Center provided training and mentoring for all new CPS teachers. But the $3.5 million program collapsed in June after the School Board laid off its 54 teacher coaches to help balance the CPS budget.

Now, the Center may be coming back but with a scaled-down program. With funding from five foundations — The Boeing Company Charitable Trust, Crown Family Philanthropies, Finnegan Family Foundation, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation and The Joyce Foundation — the Center has re-hired seven coaches, who have provided two two-day-long orientation sessions open to all new teachers in CPS. (The second orientation winds down today). The program’s trademark intensive mentoring will likely re-start in some CPS areas.

It isn’t clear yet where or when. Chicago New Teacher Center spokeswoman Tracy Kremer says the group is still working with CPS and likely will have its plans firmed up by early October.

The Chicago New Teacher Center has also started to provide new principal mentoring in Chicago for the first time, with funding from the Pritzker-Traubert Family Foundation and the national Wallace Foundation.  One focus of the program: “data-driven analysis of student achievement.” The group hosted five days of activities for new principals in July. It has hired 18 coaches, who will work with about 84 principals. — Rebecca Harris, Catalyst

City Colleges closing nursing programs at Olive Harvey and Kennedy-King Colleges. (Sun-Times)

Chicago Now blogger Alexander Russo has obtained a copy of Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman's PowerPoint presentation, given during the principals' meeting at the UIC Forum last week.

In the state

Oak Park Elementary District 97's ambitious plans for special education hinge on funding. (Trib Local)

In the nation

National and local teachers unions criticized the Los Angeles Times for publishing a "value-added" database of about 6,000 third- through fifth-grade city school teachers ranked by their effectiveness in raising student test scores. (Los Angeles Times)

Award-winning teachers dole out advice on fixing public schools. (CNN)

Public schools get creative with their budgets. (San Francisco Chronicle)

The education film "Waiting for Superman" draws praise, controversy and a level of attention that could make it one of the year's most-watched documentaries. (Education Week)

CNN offers an opinion piece by Kathleen McCartney, dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, on why school reform is urgent.

Los Angeles Unified School District moves to close charter school over alleged misuse of $2.7 million by the school's founding principal. (Los Angeles Times)