catalyst-chicago.org

After staging a sit in on the fifth floor of Chicago City Hall over several days, a group of Bronzeville students, parents and community activists met with members of the mayor's staff Monday in an attempt to get Rahm Emanuel's school leadership to back down from its plans for three near South Side Schools.

But they left the meeting unsatisfied and promising further action. "If we have to go to the Supreme Court, we will," said Pastor Krista Alson, who also has children at Price and works with the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization. CPS has proposed closing down Price Elementary School and Dyett High School and undertaking turnaround at Fuller and Woodson elementary schools. Instead, KOCO and a group of community members want CPS to transform four elementary schools, including Price and Fuller, into schools with specific specialities, such as math and science or performing arts. They then want to align the curriculum at the elementary schools with that of Dyett High School.  KOCO Lead Organizer Shannon Bennett said the mayor's chief of staffs for education and public safety did little more than promise that they would look at the plans. The CPS Board of Education is set to vote on school closings and turnarounds at their February meeting. This week and next week are public hearings on the closings.

The activists also addressed their concerns about paid supporters of school closings being bused into community hearings on Jan. 6 and last Friday. Catalyst first reported the presence of paid supporters last month and, since then, a state legislative task force, passed a resolution taking CPS to task for what they called "irregularities."  Bennett said that the mayor's staff told activists they were aware of these paid supporters and were investigating whether the efforts were coordinated. (Sarah Karp, Catalyst)

Even though Chicago Public Schools reports spending about $40 million a year on technology, schools such as Bronzeville Scholastic on the South Side lag behind its peers and exemplifies a dangerous disparity that exists in the United States. (Tribune)

Chicago Public Schools is planning to start stocking epinephrine injectors at schools to treat life-threatening allergic reactions. (Tribune)

WBEZ’s education reporter Linda Lutton and Sarah Karp—deputy editor of Catalyst Chicago joined "Eight Forty-Eight" to fill listeners in on recent developments regarding Chicago Public Schools closings.

IN THE NATION

Florida parents are taking sides over a controversial piece of legislation known as the parent trigger. A coalition of parent groups that includes the Florida PTA says the bill is really aimed at promoting charter schools and for-profit school management companies. (The Miami Herald)

The number of Maryland students who are homeless has more than doubled in the past five years, outpacing the increase in homeless children nationally. (Washington Examiner)

President Obama's education program leaves a New York school district pondering how band teachers can be statistically evaluated. (The New York Times)

Educators say it will take more than dollars to lure effective teachers to struggling D.C. schools. (The Washington Post)

Hollywood High, a school almost as old as Hollywood itself and with a history nearly as illustrious, will join the National Register of Historic Places this month, the National Park Service announced. Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney and Lana Turner are among the alums; Carol Burnett was an editor for the school's newspaper. (Los Angeles Times)