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Guest Column Teachers' stories need to be heard March 04, 2013 By: Steve Zemelman Chicago is a scrappy place for education these days. Teacher strikes, school closings, new standards, new standardized tests, new teacher evaluations, too much testing, unequal resources between neighborhoods, charters vs. traditional school advocates, increasing childhood poverty, lack of recognition for schools that are doing well, reduced resources overall--so where are teacher voices in all of this? Read More \| (2) Comments	Guest Column UNO Charter teachers and students deserve better February 27, 2013 By: Brian Harris As a special education teacher at a charter school, I’ve followed with great concern over the past few weeks as the Chicago Sun-Times has exposed how the management of the United Neighborhood Organization directed millions of dollars of public funds to political supporters, family members and well-connected businesses. Every dollar of waste or graft is a dollar siphoned from a student’s education. No Chicago teacher can stand the idea of this. Read More \| (11) Comments
Letter From the Editor Closing the opportunity gap February 04, 2013 By: Lorraine Forte Every year, a high-stakes gamble begins. Read More \| (0) Comments	Guest Column Illinois must make early learning a priority January 18, 2013 By: Robin M. Steans The cornerstone of Illinois’ educational strength lies in providing all children a strong, early start in school and in life. How Illinois develops, educates and supports its young children bears directly on the future of the state. Several national measures suggest Illinois ranks as a leading state in providing children, particularly children in need, a strong foundation. Yet when Advance Illinois recently released its 2012 report card on Illinois public education, early education received for the second time an Incomplete. Read More \| (5) Comments
Guest Column Arts education should focus on academics January 09, 2013 By: Bruce Taylor In the ongoing fermentation that represents CPS’ efforts at transformation, one ingredient ardently stirred into the mix is the role of the arts in public education. As a catalyst for discussion and debate, I’d like to offer some thoughts and observations informed by 30-plus years of dealing with this issue. Read More \| (14) Comments	Guest Column For students' sake, Chicago must address poverty, violence January 03, 2013 By: Jesse Sharkey Recent tragedies related to gun violence have led to increased calls for more stringent gun control nationwide, but here in Chicago, atrocities occur daily. For some, it may be easier to obtain a gun than it is to get an education. More than 500 Chicagoans were killed due to gun violence in 2012. Of these deaths, 62 victims were children, and more than 440 children suffered gunshot wounds, according to various media outlets. We are a city in crisis—because we are a city of poverty. Read More \| (12) Comments
Guest Column In push for elected School Board, don't forget local school councils December 12, 2012 By: Kylene Young This year, I helped hire my boss. I had the unusual opportunity to play a crucial role in deciding who would evaluate my job performance and ultimately decide whether or not I would keep my job as a teacher in Chicago Public Schools. Read More \| (24) Comments	Guest Column Getting the questions right on Chicago schools November 05, 2012 By: Charles M. Payne, PhD The awkward departure of Jean-Claude Brizard from Chicago Public Schools seemed to surprise no one. Many figured the deed was already done when the Chicago Tribune (on August 31) started speculating about his future. Given the ending of the teachers’ strike, given the looming fights over school actions, given new leadership untarnished by old fights, it would be wonderful if Chicagoans could take a step back and think for a moment about the larger issues of how the education debate is being framed in our city. Read More \| (12) Comments
Guest Column Sparking a conversation to get the best teachers November 01, 2012 By: Ellen Behrstock-Sherratt and Allison Rizzolo Chicago Public Schools teachers recently took to the streets for the first time in a quarter-century to protest the new teacher evaluation system alongside more traditional bread-and-butter issues. But amidst the polarizing debate as to whether striking was the right thing to do, we lost sight of the big picture. Read More \| (67) Comments

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