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Letter From the Editor Tough choices for turnarounds October 13, 2011 By: Lorraine Forte Tamoura Hayes started high school with big dreams for college that she already knew would be tough to reach. “C’mon,” she said. “I go to Marshall High School.” Obviously, Marshall’s long-standing academic failings weren’t lost on Tamoura, who went on to say that she “wasn’t even supposed to be here.” Marshall was her last option. Her family couldn’t afford the private school that was her first choice, and she wasn’t offered a slot at Raby, one of the newer high schools sprouting up on the West Side. Read More \| (0) Comments	Guest Column Cloud computing raises student privacy concerns May 14, 2012 By: Jon Bernstein Chicago Public Schools (CPS) recently made a critical decision that many schools systems are making around the country: to move massive amounts of student data to a more cost-effective storage system of computer servers often referred to by technology experts as the “cloud.” On its surface, the decision seems rather benign. Cost savings…check. Ease of use…check. Streamlined services…check. Read More \| (4) Comments
Guest Column Equity still a question mark with selective schools April 27, 2012 By: Zarinah Ali My name is Zarinah Ali and I’m writing to bring to light an ongoing issue of equity within CPS regarding admission to the district’s top selective schools. The courts threw out a 30-year-old desegregation decree which used race as a factor for maintaining racial balance in the schools. The public schools vowed to maintain balance along economic lines in place of the old decree. Read More \| (18) Comments	Letter From the Editor Ensuring equity for children who have special needs April 04, 2012 By: Lorraine Forte To paraphrase a common saying, sometimes a statistic is worth a thousand words. As reporting for this issue of Catalyst In Depth unfolded, a telling statistic emerged (shown in the accompanying graphic). Its point: Racial disparity in CPS reaches down even into small-scale programs that fly under the radar. Read More \| (1) Comments
Guest Column Noble Street discipline 'striking, systemic problem' March 30, 2012 By: Congressman Danny K. Davis When I read the news that Noble Street Charter Schools profited almost $400,000 from fining its low-income students under the guise of discipline, I could hardly believe it. When I learned that Noble suspended 51 percent of all its students, 88 percent of its African American students, and 68 percent of its students with disabilities at least once in one year, I became very concerned. Read More \| (36) Comments	Guest Column A principal gives thumbs-up to Danielson framework March 29, 2012 By: Lauren Norwood As principals, one of our many duties is to build teacher practice as well as evaluate it. Read More \| (8) Comments
Guest Column Testing and the Common Core March 19, 2012 By: Paul Zavitkovsky Everybody agrees: We need Common Core standards because “many 17-year-olds do not possess the higher order intellectual skills we should expect of them.” Read More \| (8) Comments	Guest Column Give teachers 'green light' to become leaders March 12, 2012 By: Cheryl Watkins We run a lean operation at John J. Pershing West Middle School. The administration consists of just two people – me and my assistant principal, who also doubles as the high school algebra teacher. As the principal, I’m the person teachers go to when they have a question. I’m also the person they go to when they have an idea. So when Chris Hennessy, the physical education and health teacher, told me that it was obvious I had too much to do and he was willing to take over some of my workload, I was thrilled to have the help. His leadership has proved invaluable. Read More \| (9) Comments
Guest Column Debate skills help students prepare for Common Core February 24, 2012 By: Les Lynn and Edie Canter The Republican debates—21 so far this presidential primary season—have captured the attention of Americans. As the New York Times reported on October 16, the television audience for these intense verbal clashes has been record-breaking, nearly doubling the ratings for the 2008 primary debates. Read More \| (4) Comments

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