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CPS science fair will feature budding scientists who experiment with everyday technology. (Sun-Times)
Forget the old plaster of Paris volcanoes and hobby-kit models of the human heart. These junior scientists experiment on everything from cell phones to video games to music.
Their projects bear titles such as "Effects of Acid Rain in Chicago River," "If Worms Had Elbows," "The Effect of Temperature on Pitch of Guitar Strings" and "Is Beauty Measurable?"
* State budget cuts create headaches for Chicago groups like Metropolitan Family Services. (SW News-Herald)
* Cuts to Chicago sophomore sports put a wrinkle in scheduling with suburban schools and overload varsity squads. (Sun-Times)
* Citywide chess championships held tomorrow at King High. (Press release)
* Guard, teacher charged with smuggling drugs into youth prison school. (Sun-Times)
In state news
* Supt. Chris Koch says state budget cuts could impact Illinois’ bid for Race to the Top funds. (Illinois Issues)
“My understanding … is that all the states are being hit hard on [capacity and sustainability],” Koch said. “Keep in mind, some of the states that are hemorrhaging the worst – California, Michigan – aren’t even in the running for these funds. So I do think there could be an implication with reductions to our budget.”
More from WBEZ.
* Schools face tough personnel decisions in the weeks ahead, as an estimated 17,000 layoffs are in the works. (Statehouse News)
Related red-ink: Westville schools draw up tentative list of cuts (Commercial-News); Huntley budget cuts spare teachers, for now (Daily Herald)
* Illinois Arts week draws to close with poster contest awards. (Copyline)
* New racial-ethnic surveys launched in Illinois schools; some officials worry the two-part questionnaire may confuse Latino families. (PJ Star)
In national news
* Early childhood funding scrapped in federal student loan legislation. (Ed Week)
Lawmakers originally had hoped to use a portion of the savings from the change—estimated by the Congressional Budget Office last year at $87 billion over 10 years—to help cover the cost of new investments in early-childhood education, school facilities, and community colleges.
But, in part because of the expanded need for Pell Grants and in part because more schools joined the Direct Loan program over the past year, the CBO’s savings estimate is now much lower; one recent estimate was about $67 billion. That would leave much less money for other initiatives, including the early-childhood program.
* Concerns over President Obama’s proposed NCLB rewrite breakdown largely along traditional party lines. (CS Monitor)
Related: with teachers unions railing against Obama’s blueprint, Ed. Sec. Arne Duncan calls for shared responsibility. (ABC)
* Montana to submit second-round bid in Race to the Top. (Billings Gazette)
* Alabama refines its R2T application. (Tuscaloosa News)
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