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.
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In the News: School district spending gap remains vast
By: Cassandra West / November 07, 2011
A Tribune data analysis found the gap in spending between rich and poor school districts is no narrower than it was 10 years ago. In both 2002 and 2011, the 10 poorest schools on average spent 30 percent of what the 10 richest schools spent on average to educate each student, according to the analysis.
A Tribune editorial on a deal to halt the legal battle between the CTU and Chicago Public Schools over adding 90 minutes of classroom time at 13 elementary schools, says: "Teachers can't be relegated to the sidelines as the schools add classroom time next year. They know what students need."
IN THE NATION
The number of California teachers who have been accused of cheating, lesser misconduct or mistakes on standardized achievement tests has raised alarms about the pressure to improve scores. (Los Angeles Times)
In Ohio, a little over half of charter school students live in the "Big 8" urban districts, which include Cleveland and Akron. But a surprising — and growing — number are coming from suburban districts that have earned high rankings from the state. (The Plain Dealer)
Winning a Race to the Top grant brought unexpected consequences for Tennessee's schools in the form of hastily introduced rules on teacher evaluations. (The New York Times)
California would need to spend up to $3.1 billion to implement teacher evaluations, adopt new learning standards, purchase new textbooks and other costs before the state can qualify for a waiver from much-criticized No Child Left Behind testing rules, according to a state report. (Orange County Register)
Advocates filed a lawsuit alleging that the Los Angeles Unified School District has failed to comply with state laws requiring that teachers and principals should be evaluated, in part, on student academic progress. The suit, filed by the Barnes & Thornburg law firm in conjunction with the Sacramento-based advocacy group EdVoice, asserts that L.A. Unified must comply immediately with the Stull Act, which established guidelines for assessing teachers and principals after its passage in 1971. (Los Angeles Times)
Teacher-blogger Will Richardson sees an urgency now for educators to redefine their value or they will risk of "losing much of what is meaningful and important about the school experience" for students. (Blog)
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