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Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s choice for Schools CEO — Jean-Claude Brizard — is expected to be appointed by existing school board members during their monthly meeting Wednesday, CPS Communications chief Becky Carroll said. (Sun-Times)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s choice for Schools CEO — Jean-Claude Brizard — is expected to be appointed by existing school board members during their monthly meeting Wednesday, CPS Communications chief Becky Carroll said. (Sun-Times)

Regarding Brizard's contract, the Tribune reported Monday evening that it's still not done because lawyers representing Brizard and lawyers representing CPS are still talking. The mayor's office referred calls to CPS. Brizard's last day as superintendent of Rochester's public school system was May 13. Since May 17, he has been working on transition matters in CPS for free.

A school planning bill that has been widely and repeatedly declared dead is scheduled for a hearing in the House executive committee on Wednesday. SB 620, which passed the Senate by a wide margin in March, would require facilities and capital planning by CPS and guarantee advance notification and community consultation in school closings. (Newtips)

The Pritzker Family Foundation is committing $2.5 million to support the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. "The Pritzker gift will support UEI in building a scalable model of schooling for pre-kindergarten to 12th grade here in Chicago, and help the Urban Education Institute share evidence-based tools with school systems and states nationwide,” Timothy Knowles, the John Dewey Director of UEI said. (Press release)

In the state

Illinois saves up to $530 million each year from its investments in preschool programs for children ages three to five, according to a new study commissioned jointly by the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Voices for Illinois Children and Illinois Action for Children, and conducted by the Minnesota-based Wilder Research Group. One example of the savings includes $172 million to $259 million annually in reduced government spending and increased tax revenues resulting from fewer juvenile arrest and cases of child abuse, reduced costs in adult criminal justice and improved employment outcomes.

Hinsdale Central Principal Mike McGrory reflects on his first year.  (Trib Local)

Naperville School District 203 plans to provide each preschool classroom in the Early Childhood Center with two iPads this fall. And Chicago Public Schools outfitted nearly two dozen schools with the tablets this year in a $450,000 pilot program that attracted 200 applications. District officials are considering whether to expand the iPad grant next year, said Technology Education Director John Connolly.(Education Week)

In the nation

For years, Bill Gates focused his education philanthropy on overhauling large schools and opening small ones. His new strategy is more ambitious: overhauling the nation’s education policies. To that end, the foundation is financing educators to pose alternatives to union orthodoxies on issues like the seniority system and the use of student test scores to evaluate teachers.  (The New York Times)

On Monday the nonprofit organization Teach Plus, which was highlighted in the New York Times story about the influence of Bill Gates in education reform, changed its “Why We Exist” statement on its Web site in regard to the importance of teachers in student success, the Washington Post's Answer Sheet reports.

The Los Angeles teachers' union sought a court order Friday to try to block a voluntary pilot program to evaluate teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District. (Los Angeles Times)

Michelle Rhee, former Washington, D.C., school chancellor has named her one-time foe George Packer, president of the local teachers' union, as the first senior fellow of Students First, the national group she formed after stepping down last fall. (The New York Times)

Advocates with Latino Memphis asked the Shelby County school board to reword the district's student enrollment policy to avoid discrimination. (The Commercial Appeal)

Iowa proudly proclaims its tradition of educational excellence, but Gov. Terry Branstad, concerned that image is getting worn and tarnished, plans to hold a special summit with national experts to help fashion a major reform initiative that he expects will be the main focus of the 2012 legislative session. (Sioux City Journal)

The California Assembly approved a bill that would limit the number of charter schools in the state to 1,450 by 2017. There were 815 charters during the 2009-10 school year, with total enrollment of 323,000. Assembly Bill 401 also would ban nepotism in the hiring practices of charter schools. (San Jose Mercury News) 

A massive tornado plowed through the southwest Missouri city of Joplin on Sunday evening, killing at least 116 people and significantly damaging several school buildings. (Education Week)