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Community groups around Chicago have begun revving up for what likely will be a fierce battle to keep neighborhood schools open as CPS prepares to announce this year's list of school closings and consolidations. (Tribune)

All prospective Chicago Public Schools students would have to go through an application process to enroll in classes under a Chicago Board of Education resolution made public Tuesday, Chicago News Cooperative reports.

Sun-Times education reporter Rosalind Rossi warns that the new CPS "progress reports" could confuse parents. The reports are "an alphabet-soup of acronyms and some 30 different, often unfamiliar, measures for assessing schools," she writes.

Tribune columnist Mary Schmich offers her take on CTU President Karen Lewis' now viral speech in Seattle last month in which she joked about Education Secretary and herself.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has accepted an apology from the president of the Chicago Teachers Union for a joke she made about him having a lisp. (AP)

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis will hold a news conference this morning to address concerns about comments she made during a presentation at a teachers conference in Seattle last month, according to a media advisory sent out late Tuesday afternoon. Lewis' remarks were featured in a viral video created by a conservative blogger. The news conference will take place at the union's headquarters at the Merchandise Mart.

IN THE STATE

Federally funded after-school programs will be added to nine Springfield public schools within the next couple of months as part of what has become a statewide effort to improve such offerings. (State Journal-Register)

IN THE NATION

The Walton Family Foundation announced Tuesday that it is investing $25.5 million in the KIPP Foundation over the next five years. The grant will help the families of 59,000 students choose high-performing KIPP public charter schools and assist the KIPP network to increase its college completion rate. The Walton Family Foundation, based in Bentonville, Ark., invests in programs and organizations that expand parental choice and equal opportunity in education, according to a press release.

Earning a bachelor's degree is still the best path to middle-class employment and wages, says a report from Georgetown University. The report outlines the different industry clusters expected to offer the best prospects for employment and wages for those with a high-school diploma, an associate degree and a bachelor's degree. The study also concludes that women need education beyond high school to earn the same wages as men with only a high-school diploma. For example, a man can earn $35,000 annually with a high-school diploma in the manufacturing sector, while a woman must obtain a postsecondary credential and work in health care to earn as much, the report concludes. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

The Florida Department of Education and the Charter School Growth Fund, a Colorado-based nonprofit that supports high-quality charter schools, are rolling out a $30 million fund to help grow high-performing charter schools in Florida. The fund will award grants to top charter schools that serve low-income students. (Miami Herald)

A group of Los Angeles teachers plans to force a vote among the district's teaching corps that, if passed, would require their union to advocate for "teacher-led" changes to the teacher-evaluation system—and for a moratorium on layoffs while it's implemented. (Education Week blog)