Staff of Catalyst Chicago Topics in Education from Catatlyst Chicago.org http://www.catalyst-chicago.org <![CDATA[CTU files strike notice]]> The Chicago Teachers Union has filed an official 10-day strike notice with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, union leaders announced.

No date for a strike has been set. The earliest teachers could walk out is Sept. 10. The union’s House of Delegates will meet tomorrow evening to discuss next steps, the union said in a press release.

Earlier today, anticipating the filing, CPS spokeswoman Becky Carroll issued this statement: “If the Chicago Teachers Union chooses to strike, we'll be prepared to serve our kids. Students can't afford to be removed from their classroom at a time when they're starting to make progress with the Full School Day. They belong in school with their teachers, which is why we need to stay at the table and keep negotiating, every day if needed, until we reach a fair resolution as a strike would only hurt our kids.”

A strike would be the first in Chicago since 1987.  “This is a difficult decision for all of us to make,” said union President Karen Lewis. “But this is the only way to get the Board’s attention and show them we are serious about getting a fair contract which will give our students the resources they deserve.”

More to come.

]]> http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/notebook/2012/08/29/20382/ctu-files-strike-notice Staff of Catalyst Chicago http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/notebook/2012/08/29/20382/ctu-files-strike-notice Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:38:40 -0500 <![CDATA[Timeline: Emanuel and Brizard’s First Year]]> Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s first year in office was a rocky one for Chicago Public Schools. As it wrapped up, schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard used a citywide meeting of Community Action Councils to outline his year-one highlights. Catalyst Chicago’s timeline of the first year of Brizard and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s school leadership is below.

Before he came to Chicago, Brizard said, friends told him the district was a hodge-podge of reforms. To make sense of it all, he’s ventured into the community to listen to teachers, principals and parents.

Brizard touted the new science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) schools where students can attend for six years and graduate with associate degrees. In addition, the district is opening more International Baccalaureate programs.   “Why is this important?” he says. “Rigor aligns with college persistence. It makes a huge, huge difference.”

He counts his top accomplishment as planning the district’s “fuller” school day, and also pointed to the development of a new teacher evaluation system.

In a fact sheet, CPS notes that the district has revamped its school progress reports and has developed new scorecards for principals that will be used to award bonuses.

The district has also approved 12 new charter school campuses, taken steps to equalize funding between charter and neighborhood schools, created five parent support centers, and put a community outreach position in every school network office.

Brizard