A raft of past programs have failed to substantially improve the reading skills of middle grade and high school students. CPS is trying once again, as part of a federal project that aims to help teens learn how to analyze complex non-fiction.
Join the conversation
We encourage our readers to leave comments and engage in dialogue about our stories. But before you do, please check out our "rules of the road."
Recent Notebook Entries
Right Now On Notebook
By:
By:
Subscribe to catalyst-chicago.org by e-mail
Other Blogs
catalyst-chicago.org feeds
Current Issue
In the News: 3 Chicago charter management groups get $18.8 million in federal grants
By: Cassandra West / September 30, 2010
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Wednesday announced 12 charter school grants totaling $50 million for charter management organizations to replicate and expand high-quality charter schools that have demonstrated success. In Chicago, three groups received grants: Kipp Foundation ($14,550,084); Learn ($1,025,750) and Noble ($3,269,766).
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Wednesday announced 12 charter school grants totaling $50 million for charter management organizations to replicate and expand high-quality charter schools that have demonstrated success. The Charter School Grant Program competition represents the first time the Department has specifically sought out to replicate and expand the nation's highest-performing charter management organizations. In Chicago, three groups received grants: Kipp Foundation ($14,550,084); Learn ($1,025,750) and Noble ($3,269,766). The grants will serve 76,000 students in 127 new and 31 expanded charter schools over the next five years. (press release)
Based on state test scores and graduation rate, one South Side public high school with a predominately black student population is among the best performing in Chicago: Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy High School, in the Roseland community. (Chicago Defender)
The Global Citizenship Experience School, a private, for-profit high school that opened with 15 students this month in Lakeview, integrates subjects to focus on "things that matter in the real world." GCE is the project of teacher turned educational consultant and entrepreneur Eric Davis, 35. After a six-student, 18-month pilot program that ended last year, Davis opened the doors Sept. 7 to a group of mostly freshmen and juniors. The school rents the basement and coach house of a Lakeview mansion owned by the Menomonee Club. Tuition is $22,000 a year. (Tribune)
In the state
The Illinois School for the Visually Impaired and Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville need to function more like schools than state agencies, says Marybeth Lauderdale, who recently became interim superintendent of both schools. (State Journal Register)
Elmhurst Unit District 205 is continuing to look at future budget allocations, and residents will have the opportunity to provide input as to what educational and operational areas should and should not be cut. (Elmhurst Patch)
In the nation
The D.C. public school system, which laid off more than 200 teachers last October to close what Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee said was a budget gap, is facing potential new financial problems in the fiscal year that begins Friday because of a projected $30 million in overspending on special education. (The Washington Post)
Newark hopes $100 million gift from Facebook founder results in real changes for its public schools. (Tri-city Herald)
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has called for taking away tenure from ineffective teachers, saying that “tenure should be granted and maintained for those who show they know how to teach.” (The New York Times)
The Oxnard school district in California charged the state and federal governments at least $5.6 million for distributing school meals that never existed, according to a two-year investigation triggered by district officials. (Los Angeles Times)
In the News: 3 Chicago charter management groups get $18.8 milli
The money from DOE to charters could be a poisoned pill. Let me explain. The bigger charter networks become the greater their fiscal risk when school districts cut back tuition to these schools. Arne Duncan seems to be operating in Never-Never land. The J. M. Barrie character Peter Pan says of this fictional place "I have a place where dreams are born, And time is never planned. It's not on any chart, You must find it with your heart. Never Never Land."
But what is even more remarkable than the distance of the DOE from the fiscal realities in state's like Illinois is that Superintendent and CEO Michael Milkie of the Noble Network went for this expansion grant. My general impression of Mr. Milkie is that he is very intelligent and operates one of the very best charter schools in Chicago. Possibly Mr. Milkie did not hear what Senator Brady, who is currently leading in the Governor's race, had to say yesterday at the Union League Club of Chicago and what Republicans and even some Democrats in the General Assembly have quietly agreed with. Sen. Brady said education would not be exempted from a 10% across the board budget reduction. Quinn claimed this would come to $1.2 billion, Senator Brady would not put a number on the projected cut. Brady also supports the complete elimination of the Illinois State Board of Education.
But if the number is $1.2 billion for education at the K-12 level, Mike Milkie might want to think for a second that not all areas of the ISBE budget can be cut because of federal maintance of effort provisions. One of those areas is special education. Senator Brady also mentioned sort of in passing the possiblity of Illinois not accepting some federal dollars in order to avoid dependence, which ones I do not know. The cuts proposed by Senator Brady could incredibly impact general state aide which is used by CPS to help pay tuition to charter schools.
As Ms. Karp has reported in Catalyst, Charter schools are already using fund raising and private grants to cover basic operational expenses, so the situation is likely to only get worse over the next few years. Moreover all of the stimulus dollars will be gone next year. While Senator Brady supports the expansion of charter schools in the abstract he has no interest in funding these schools with additional state funds.
The only way CPS can even in part offset these cuts would be to raise property taxes. Excess TIF money could also help offset these cuts, but really only for one year. Next year the property tax cap for CPS will be 2.3%. I wonder if any of the candidates for Mayor would support CPS raising property taxes in their first year in office? The lack of fiscal foresight on the part of charter operators on the coming fiscal tsunami is amazing. Charter operators should be consoldating operations in fewer schools where ever possible and preparing for future funding cuts, not taking money to expand.
Rod Estvan
Add your comment