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In an impressive show of force and fighting spirit, the Chicago Teachers Union staged what it called a "historic" rally Wednesday at the Auditorium Theatre that was followed by a 6,500-strong march to CPS headquarters.

Here are media reports on the rally:

To read Catalyst's tweets from the CTU rally on Storify, click here.

CTU has a striking photo from the rally on its Facebook page. Taken from the stage, it shows CTU President Karen Lewis looking out onto a sea of red-shirted union members.

Thousands of Chicago Public Schools teachers jammed the streets of downtown Chicago Wednesday afternoon, where their union held a rousing rally. The show of force comes as the Chicago Teachers Union and school district are locked in contract negotiations, and as a vote authorizing a strike seems increasingly likely. (WBEZ)

Thousands of Chicago Teachers Union members held a boisterous rally at the Auditorium Theatre on Wednesday afternoon, with many teachers showing support for a possible strike in the fall. (Catalyst)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel bore the brunt of criticism from angry teachers who filled the Auditorium Theatre on Wednesday to make clear their unhappiness with the administration's efforts to overhaul public education in Chicago. (Tribune)

Board of Education members granted the wishes of two organized community groups in making polar opposite decisions about newly-built schools. South Shore International College Prep will have no neighborhood boundaries, starting in September. Meanwhile, a new elementary school at 48th and Rockwell will be reserved for attendance-area students. (Catalyst)

Barbara Byrd-Bennett, former Cleveland public schools CEO, was hired Wednesday to act as “chief education advisor” to Chicago Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and to temporarily fill the gap left by the  resignation of Chief Education Officer Noemi Donoso. (Sun-Times)

DePaul and Loyola universities to partner with two Chicago high schools to provide high-caliber choices designed to stop middle-class families from fleeing to the suburbs. DePaul will join forces with Microsoft to help Lake View High School make the conversion to one of five so-called STEM high schools specializing in science, technology, engineering and math. Loyola University will help Senn High School make the leap to one of five neighborhood high schools devoted exclusively to the rigorous International Baccalaureate diploma program tailor-made to prepare students for college. (Sun-Times)

IN THE STATE
Oak Park School District 97 appointed Sam LeDeaux as the new principal of Horace Mann Elementary, where the current principal is stepping down following allegations of improper ISAT testing procedures. (Trib Local)

The number of minority teachers in Rockford Public Schools is below the national average while District 205 has a large minority student population. (WIFR.com)

IN THE NATION
Mitt Romney said Tuesday that under a K-12 education plan that he's proposing, federal education funds will follow every low-income or disabled American child so that he or she can attend any school in the state, including private ones. (ABS News)

The economic downturn seems to have worsened an already vast gap between the numbers of men and women teachers, particularly in the early grades. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2011 Current Population Survey, men make up only 18.3 percent of elementary and middle school teachers and 2.3 percent of preschool and kindergarten instructors—a dip from the 2007 prerecession proportions of 19.1 percent in grades 1 to 8 and 2.7 percent in preschool and kindergarten. (Education Week)

Academic outcomes improve for quiet students when there's less pressure to speak up, according to experts. (Education Week)