Catalyst Notebook

Join the conversation

We encourage our readers to leave comments and engage in dialogue about our stories. But before you do, please check out our "rules of the road."

Recent Notebook Entries

Right Now On Notebook

Hey! Let's gate the city and not allow anyone but city residents to work in the city....that'll work to attract the best and the brightest just as the CPS residency requirement is now attracting...

By: Veteran

In: In the News: A new moment of CPS parent activism?

1 hour 32 min ago

Who are the "Stakeholders" Barker mentions?

Are there any plans for public design/planning participation?

By: Josh

In: Proposed school ratings: Scrap ISAT, close achievement gap

2 hours 40 min ago

why don't we compare the CPS per-pupil funding to our neighboring cities and towns? It's appalling!

By: bekelulu

In: Budgets given to principals, CPS taps 'reserves'

4 hours 54 min ago

Subscribe to catalyst-chicago.org by e-mail

Other Blogs

catalyst-chicago.org feeds

notebook/rss.xml

Current Issue

Adolescent Literacy

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.

Tuesday, May 7, 2013 - 5:05am

For the Record: Capital savings from closings in question

By: Sarah Karp

Tags: facilities, finance and budgets

On the day CPS announced its list of school closings, students at schools slated to shut down received folders with letters to their parents stating that their school had lost enrollment, was partially empty and needed anywhere from $4 million to $37 million in repairs and maintenance.

In the News: Teacher evaluations: tool or time drain?

By: Cassandra West

Tags: teacher evaluations

The Consortium on Chicago School Research surveyed 700 principals and assistant principals and 900 teachers in December about CPS' new teacher evaluation process and will do so again in May. CPS, however, would not authorize the organization to release preliminary findings. A district spokesman said the data are "too preliminary to be of any value."

Comings & Goings: Chou, Vahey

By: Debra Williams

Tags: Comings and Goings

Victoria Chou, the dean of the College of the Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago is retiring in August. Chou has been dean of the college for the past 17 years. She is also currently an interim executive associate chancellor for external and government relations. Chou has been a co-chair of the Steering Committee of the Consortium on Chicago School Research, chair of the Governing Board of the National Teachers Academy-Professional Development School in Chicago, and co-chair of the Council of Chicago Area Deans of Education.

In the News: Money said to drive virtual schools' growth

Profits, rather than student outcomes, is clearly the main driver behind the rapid growth of virtual schools, says a report from the National Education Policy Center, with funding from the Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice. And although virtual schools have expanded rapidly in the last decade, there is little data to justify their growth.

CPS releases draft 10-year capital plan

By: Sarah Karp

Tags: facilities, finance and budgets, school closings

On page 36 of the long-awaited draft of the district’s 10-year master facilities plan is this revelation: The district will only save $437 million in capital costs by closing schools, significantly less than the original figure of $560 million.

The updated figure is the result of new assessments being done to prepare the final version of the 10-year master facilities plan, says CPS spokeswoman Kelley Quinn. Also, the $560 million figure included some mistakes that district officials have now corrected.

In the News: Emanuel vows casino funds for CPS

By: Cassandra West

Tags: Rahm Emanuel

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is amping up support for a Chicago casino by vowing that all revenue would go to city schools. Emanuel released a video Wednesday showing footage of students and teachers and ending with a promise that 100 percent of revenue would go to education. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

catalyst-chicago.org

Our Network

Search

Catalyst Extras

Follow catalyst-chicago.org on:

Primary links