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TIMELINE

April 4: Write on
Chicago Public Schools 8th-graders posted the fourth-highest average writing scores among 10 big-city school districts tested on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Education experts hailed it as “the best news yet for Chicago.” Illinois State Board of Education officials attributed the state’s No. 7 showing to a history of testing writing annually for most of the last 15 years. Illinois 8th-graders averaged 160 on the 300-point test, while Chicago students averaged 146, up from 136 in 2002.

April 8: Bad picks
CPS has an “abysmal” record of picking principals to invigorate high schools, according to Designs for Change. The group reviewed state test scores at the 20 schools in which CPS chose the principal and found that fewer than 23 percent of students passed reading in 2007 and fewer than 13 percent passed math. CPS said junior-level test scores might not be a fair measure of principal effectiveness; freshman scores and other indicators might be better.

April 23: New schools
CPS approved plans to spend $455 million over the next five years to build two new high schools and six elementary schools. A $100.5 million school would relieve Southwest Side overcrowding at Kelly, Curie and Gage Park high schools, while a $90.35 million building would replace the aging South Shore High. The six elementaries—to replace Hughes and Powell and relieve overcrowding—would cost between $39 million and $50 million each. 

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Connecticut: Teaching reading
Prospective early childhood and elementary teachers now have to pass a test that proves they know how to teach reading before receiving certification, according to the May 8 Hartford Courant. Experts recommended the new policy at a summit held by the state’s board of education last year because of concerns about declining or stagnant reading scores. The new policy goes into effect next year. Neighboring Massachusetts already requires such a test for its prospective teachers.

New Mexico: Driving, learning
Teenagers will have to pass state tests and have 90 percent attendance or better to obtain a driver’s license under a plan announced by Gov. Bill Richardson, according to the April 24 Santa Fe New Mexican. Students would have to wait six months to get their license if they fail to reach one of the benchmarks, or a year if they missed both benchmarks or dropped out before 16. State officials say the requirement will give students another incentive to raise or maintain high academic performance. The proposal is expected to launch next spring.

Mississippi: School discipline
Hurricane Katrina appears to have triggered a sharp rise in serious school discipline problems throughout Mississippi for students who were displaced by the 2005 storm, compared to those who weren’t, according to the April 30 USA Today. Schools suspended and expelled children who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina at a higher rate than those who were not displaced more than a year after the storm. Suspension and expulsion rates for Mississippi students not directly affected rose steadily from 2004 to 2006.

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IN SHORT

“Teacher contracts do not make systems dysfunctional. Contracts are there to replace the trust that is not there.”

Tim Daly, executive director, The New Teacher Project, speaking at the Education Writers Association annual meeting in Chicago in late April.

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ASK CATALYST

My school is considering setting up a 501(c)(3) organization for fundraising. Is this necessary?

Troy Lair, parent, Kellogg Elementary

Not really. Over the years, many schools have created nonprofits separate from the affiliated Parent Teacher Associations, with the express purpose of raising money to fund additional teachers, computers or other extras. The advantage of forming a separate nonprofit fund-raising arm is that leaders of these organizations can maintain control of how the money is spent and don’t have to deal with CPS spending restrictions. For example, they can pay vendors directly for small expenses, such as hiring a bus for a field trip.

There are disadvantages, however. Creating a nonprofit requires professional audits and tax returns, making it labor-intensive, says Albert Sanchez, director of the CPS Department of External Resources. And it is not necessary. Schools already are free to raise funds and accept charitable donations with few restrictions. And foundations and individuals can funnel money to the Children First Fund, an umbrella nonprofit affiliated with CPS. The donor can specify which school they want to benefit from the donation, but CPS guidelines for bidding and vendors must be followed when the money is spent.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

Safety measures at CPS outpace those at schools across the country. Nationwide, 73% of schools lock or monitor entrance doors, 7% require students to wear badges, 27% require staff to wear badges, 39% use security cameras to monitor the school, and 17% of high schools use metal detectors, according to the federal Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2006. CPS does not collect hard data on all the safety indicators, but the Office of School Safety and Security reports that all 599 schools are required to lock entrance doors, and every teacher and school staffer must wear a badge; 53% of schools have security cameras, and nearly all of the 116 high schools use metal detectors.

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TIMELINE

March 6: Power limits
A bill that would strip Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s power over the Illinois State Board of Education sails through a House committee and awaits the vote of the full House. The bill, sponsored by perennial Blagojevich critic Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), would take away the governor’s right to choose the state superintendent and members of the board and give the Legislature more control. The bill must also pass the Senate, which is controlled by Blagojevich ally Emil Jones (D-Chicago).

March 13: Pension suit
CPS sues the state, charging it has failed to meet its funding goals for the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund. As a result, Chicagoans are taxed twice, once to pay the pensions of teachers across the state and again to pay the pensions of CPS teachers. A 1994 law set a state goal for contributing to the Chicago fund at a rate that is 20 to 30 percent of the contribution to the statewide teacher pension fund. In FY08, the state contributed just 5.3 percent, the suit says

March 14: Boarding
CEO Arne Duncan announces he wants to create public boarding schools for students who are homeless or who “should not go home at night.” A pilot residential program for 15 to 20 students could start as early as September 2009, although it’s unclear how the expensive program would be funded or who would care for the kids. Josh Edelman, head of the Office of New Schools, spent four years as principal of The SEED School in Washington, D.C., the nation’s longest-running urban residential school.

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Washington, D.C.: Intervention
Troubled families of struggling students will get counseling and assistance through a new pilot program that brings social agencies together to solve problems that hurt students’ academic progress and school behavior, according to the March 19 Washington Post. The program will offer substance abuse counseling and job training for families, help with solving public aid problems and other assistance. The initiative will be in place in two schools this spring and five next fall.

New York: No tenure link
The New York Legislature passed a bill barring local school districts from setting additional requirements on teacher tenure, such as linking tenure to students’ test scores, according to the March 18 New York Times. It could impact an ambitious experiment to measure 2,500 New York City teachers on how much their students improve on standardized tests. While the city has not said it would link test scores to tenure, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has promised to fight the state ban.

Pennsylvania: Defining success
Pennsylvania schools are using a new tool, the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System, to track student growth year-to-year rather than relying solely on the performance snapshot provided by standardized tests, according to the March 10 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The data system has been tested since 2002 and became available to all school districts last fall. Measuring growth helps administrators distinguish which low-performing schools are making improvements and which high-performing schools have stopped making progress.

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IN SHORT

“You never say never.”

Former CEO Paul Vallas in the March 29 Philadelphia Inquirer, which reported that Vallas will stay for two years as head of the New Orleans Recovery School District but then may return to Chicago, where his wife and children still live, and may make another run for governor of Illinois.

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ASK CATALYST

How much is the deposit for CPS’ tuition-based preschool? Is it uniform among different preschools? Why is it so expensive? Why doesn’t CPS return the deposit if a parent decides to send their children to a different preschool?

Falona Joy, mother of prospective preschooler

Parents who apply to tuition-based preschools must put down two deposits of $225 ($250 with meals). One holds the child’s spot, the second pre-pays the first week’s tuition. Deposits are nonrefundable unless a preschool does not open because it cannot fill its slots, or is overbooked and cannot accommodate the child, says Bonnie Roelle, director of tuition-based preschool. Preschools generally won’t accept deposits if there are no openings. Roelle says parents sometimes submit deposits to more than one preschool. When the child gets into a school, CPS will work with the parent to apply the other deposit toward tuition at the school the child will attend. Tuition preschools operate for 10 hours a day, five days a week, for an hourly cost of about $4, Roelle says.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

A snapshot look at the CPS budget for the 2007-2008 school year shows 16 high schools earmarked a total of $1.6 million from their discretionary budgets for the High School Transformation Project. Although the cost to participate in the project went up, these schools had extra cash in their discretionary budgets, which increased to $18 million in 2007, up from $15.6 million the year before Transformation. The increase came largely from federal Title 1 funds, which accounted for 80% of the hike. (This year, the district required schools that joined the Transformation Project to pony up $300 for each participating student, up from $250 in 2007.)

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TIMELINE

Feb. 4: Free lunches

CPS has lost as much as $3.5 million a year by handing out free meals to students who were not eligible, or had not been certified, for the federal free lunch program. The latest annual report from CPS Inspector General James Sullivan shows that one school failed to collect as much as $18,000 in lunch money in October and November 2005. Some students who got the free lunches qualified, but never filled out the paperwork, so CPS cannot be reimbursed for the cost.

Feb. 13: English only

Parents of non-English-speaking students protested a plan from state education officials that requires their children to take the regular state achievement test. Parents threatened to keep their children home on test day if the plan did not change. Previously, students still learning English took an alternative test with simpler English. But federal education officials said that test did not meet No Child Left Behind standards. Students will be given extra time, have some directions read in their native language, and be given other accommodations.

Feb. 27: Hand-picked

The School Board has approved a plan that would allow principals of CPS’ “elite eight” college prep high schools to hand-pick up to 5 percent of incoming freshmen. The change, proposed in the wake of an admissions scandal at Sabin Magnet, would give principals flexibility to let in students who don’t meet strict admissions standards but who meet one of four other criteria, such as leadership ability. Principals would have to prove the students could succeed in a tough academic environment.

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N.C., MD.: Dropouts

Faced with a rising number of dropouts, North Carolina and Maryland want to raise the age of mandatory school attendance from 16 to 18, according to the Feb. 8 Raleigh News-Observer and the Feb. 11 Baltimore Sun. In North Carolina, the number of dropouts increased 6 percent between 2006 and 2007. Two committees of business leaders, educators and legislators have awarded dropout prevention grants and will evaluate prevention programs. In Maryland, a new state task force report says raising the dropout age to 18 would cost $200 million a year. Among the task force proposals are adding a fifth year of high school for struggling students and creating “truancy courts” to keep kids in school.

Los Angeles: Charter facilities

The L.A. Unified School District will have to inventory space in its school buildings and do more to help charters find facilities, potentially forcing some teachers to give up their classrooms and become roving teachers, according to the Feb. 13 Los Angeles Times. The agreement was made in the district’s settlement of two lawsuits filed by the California Charter Schools Association under a state law that requires school campuses to be “shared fairly.” Overcrowding has already forced some teachers to move from classroom to classroom as space permits. Board opponents of the settlement said charters can move into storefronts and other facilities, and that forcing charters into campuses would aggravate overcrowding and hinder school improvement efforts.

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IN SHORT

“The unfortunate thing is, [ineffective teachers] will go somewhere else and teach someone else’s children.”

Jarvis Sanford, principal of Dodge Elementary, explaining that he has created a school culture focused on high performance that drives out unproductive teachers. Sanford spoke at his school during a Feb. 20 tour organized for Sen. Dick Durbin and other top officials.

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ASK CATALYST

I believe that our neighborhood school is a “failing school” under No Child Left Behind. Does that mean I can enroll my children in another neighborhood school?

Anonymous parent, Northside Parent Network

The federal No Child Left Behind law allows children to transfer out of schools designated as “in need of improvement.” But the majority of schools in Chicago are struggling, so there are not enough good options for transferring.

“Our first priority is to get the lowest performers out of the lowest-performing schools,” says Ginger Reynolds, chief officer of research, evaluation and accountability. In the past, the district has given priority to students whose schools were closed for poor performance, but Reynolds is not sure what will happen this year.

Last year, only about 400 students transferred out of underperforming schools although at least 10,000 students were eligible. Designations are based on the standardized test scores and parents are sent letters, usually in August, notifying them their child has the option of transferring, Reynolds says. The best way to find out whether your local school has been characterized as a “failing school” is to go to the Interactive Illinois Report Card which has a searchable data base of schools at www.niu.edu/iirc/default.html.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org
or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,
IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

This year, 157 CPS principals are new to their schools. This is what they look like: Nearly 70% have previous experience as an assistant principal and 5% have held positions as principals previously. About 30% are men; of those, 46% are African American and 27% are Hispanic. Their average age is 46. Only 11% are from the district’s principal preparation program, while 22% are from outside programs and 3 are from outside the district.

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TIMELINE

Nov. 10: Test troubles

A decline in scores on high school tests prompts Illinois State Board of Education officials to say they plan to hire an independent consultant to look into the results. CEO Arne Duncan suggests that too many juniors blew off the second day of the two-day Prairie State exam. Day two includes a test of workplace skills; day one includes the ACT, which is needed for college admission. Overall scores declined in CPS, from 31.2 percent to 29.7 percent meeting or exceeding standards.

Nov. 12: Certification

Just two months after passage of a new teachers contract that ensures a $1,750 annual salary boost to National Board certified teachers, the district announces that more than 660 teachers are on track to obtain certification. They would join 652 teachers who already are certified and another 400 who are waiting on their scores. The process can require as many as 400 hours of work over three years. Board certified teachers also get $3,000 from the Chicago Public Education Fund.

Nov. 14: Opt-outs

The School Board declines to vote on a proposal to limit military recruiting in schools. The previous week, parents of high school students were given military opt-out forms on report card pick-up day, allowing parents to refuse access to their child's contact information. CPS says activists have complained about aggressive recruiting, and says 11,767 students have returned the forms, up from 8,018 earlier this year—but still just 17 percent of students in grades 10 through 12. (See Updates, April 2007.)

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Missouri: Merit pay

The Missouri State Teachers Association and Missouri National Education Association—the state's two major teachers organizations—might consider linking salaries to performance evaluations, according to the Nov. 8 Columbia Tribune. But first, the state must boost the minimum starting salary for teachers, give teachers a key role in developing the evaluation used to determine performance and ensure teachers have the right to bargain collectively, the organizations say.

Ohio: Online shame

The Ohio Department of Education now posts online the names of more than 1,700 teachers, coaches, administrators and other licensed educators who have been reprimanded for misconduct since the Office of Professional Conduct was created in 1999, the Nov. 2 Columbus Dispatch reports. The Web listing follows a 10-month Dispatch investigation which found the state did not always notify school districts about reprimanded teachers, so some superintendents had unknowingly hired teachers with histories of misconduct.

Washington D.C.: Student input

Mayor Adrian Fenty and Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee are asking students to help solve problems such as school violence, crumbling facilities and unqualified teachers, the Nov. 4 Washington Post reports. In response to student suggestions at a series of youth forums, Rhee promised safer and cleaner schools, better-qualified teachers, more extracurricular activities and tastier lunches. Rhee says she attends student events because "when you want to find out what's happening in a school or classroom, you have to push the adults aside and ask the kids."

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IN SHORT

"It's an easily game-able system."

Thomas Cook, education and social policy professor at Northwestern University, on testing standards under No Child Left Behind. States can make tests easier, lower passing scores and do other things to make it easier for schools to improve under NCLB. Cook, a member of the Independent Review Panel for NCLB, spoke at a Nov. 7 breakfast sponsored by Northwestern's Institute for Policy Research.

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ASK CATALYST

Why does Chicago Public Schools continue to push for better computers and software while virtually ignoring art, music, phys ed and extracurricular activities?

Jill Allison White, parent, Murray Language Academy

Others share your concern. In 2005, a Chicago Community Trust report called attention to uneven arts programming in CPS. In response, the Arts Education Initiative was created and CPS created a new Office of Fine and Performing Arts. Currently, the office is developing a Web site showcasing arts organizations that want to work with CPS schools. Emily Hooper Lansana, CPS theater and literary arts curriculum supervisor, says the office merely offers opportunities to schools—it doesn't provide the art programs. In CPS, principals and local school councils decide whether their school has arts programs, a lab full of new computers, or both. The district provides some money for resources, which principals can use to purchase technology, and pays for staff to teach art, music and physical education. Principals typically use discretionary money to augment arts programs.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

The lack of a high school diploma has a lifelong negative effect on earnings, a report by economists at Northeastern University in Boston says. Working-age high school dropouts fare worse in the Illinois labor market than their credentialed peers: 55% of those without a diploma have jobs versus 69% of high school grads and 82% of college grads. Statewide, some 55% of 16- to 19-year-old dropouts are employed, but just 24% of their Chicago counterparts have found work. The average dropout will earn $355,000 less in his lifetime than a high school graduate in Illinois, and cost the government nearly 35% more for services.

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TIMELINE

Oct. 9: New schools
CEO Arne Duncan unveils plans for 15 new Renaissance schools in the fall of 2008 and four more in the fall of 2009, including six high schools, three combined middle-high schools, one middle school and nine elementary schools. The elementary schools will include two franchise schools. Disney Magnet II will offer intensive art projects, Chinese classes, monthly teacher training and Disney animation technology. Burroughs II will offer cooking, English classes for parents, drama, sports and longer school days.

Oct. 14: Julian protest
Students rally against the dismissal of 10 teachers at Julian High following a drop in student enrollment of more than 200 students. Some students blamed the decline on negative publicity following violence that touched the school last year, when three students and one teacher were killed in incidents that occurred blocks from the school. Several programs at the school were axed and student schedules had to be reworked because of the cuts. The school's projected enrollment was about 1,900, but just 1,688 students showed up.

Oct. 15: Recruiting?
CPS dedicates its Marine Military Academy on the Near West Side a few days after officials announce plans to open an Air Force Academy high school in 2009. The news causes critics to charge that the district, which has five military academies serving 11,000 students, is becoming a recruiting center targeting poor and minority teenagers. Although Chicago has the largest Junior ROTC program in the country, Mayor Daley says, "This is not a [military] recruitment effort." Students are not required to enlist after graduation.

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ELSEWHERE

Minnesota: Teacher mentoring
A public policy think tank wants school districts to beef up their efforts to provide mentoring for new teachers, according to the Oct. 15 Minneapolis Star Tribune. Minnesota 2020 says districts must find a way to hold on to newcomers because of teacher shortages in rural areas and in subjects such as chemistry, physics and special education. State education officials say they are addressing the problem with a performance pay program and a new initiative to help mid-career professionals become teachers. They also want legislators to renew funding for a new teacher induction program and are considering a program that would provide tuition-free education courses to college students studying math and science who might want to become teachers.

New York: Teacher housing
The city is helping finance two apartment buildings in the Bronx that will provide lower-cost housing for public school teachers and other educators, according to the Oct. 5 New York Times. The project is being funded with $28 million in bonds sold by the teachers pension fund and $20 million in loans from the city. The apartments will be made available through a lottery, but many teachers may earn too much to be eligible: Applicants can't earn more than 110 percent of the area's median income of $76,000 for a family of four, and starting salaries for teachers are now $42,512. The apartments will also be available to teacher aides, as well as teachers in private and parochial schools.

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IN SHORT

"The reason why black youth feel they receive a poorer education is because they do."

Stephanie Posey, a student at Chicago Military Academy-Bronzeville, at an Oct. 9 panel hosted by the Chicago Urban League, explaining why most black teens surveyed by The Black Youth Project said blacks receive an inferior education compared to whites. Posey says her textbooks are old, while those at premier schools such as Northside are new.

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ASK CATALYST

This year, 1st -, 2nd- and 3rd-graders at Bell will get a report card with letter grades instead of symbols to show whether they meet, exceed or are still developing toward meeting standards. Why?

Ross Hyman, parent, Bell Elementary

Principal Robert A. Guercio says the school made the change because of IMPACT, the district's new student information software, which requires schools to assign letter grades that follow students throughout their school years. The school's former report card was used because teachers and administrators believed it better reflected the fact that young children learn at different rates, Guercio says. Bell's old card also gave teachers plenty of space for comments, while IMPACT requires teachers to choose one of 20 standard comments. Teachers do not have to use the IMPACT report card, says Antonio Acevado, senior assistant to the chief of elementary education. But schools that stick with symbols must figure out how to translate those into letter grades that can be entered into IMPACT at the end of the year.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

Some bright spots appeared in the 2007 National Assessment of Education Progress report, including shrinking achievement gaps between black and white students. But the gender gap is proving stubborn. Girls outperform boys by large margins on reading tests, scoring an average 7 points higher in 4th grade and 10 points higher in 8th grade. The gaps have narrowed slightly since 1992: 1 point smaller in 4th grade and 3 points smaller in 8th grade. In Illinois, the gap is smaller. Here, girls scored 5 points higher than boys in 4th grade and 8 points higher in 8th grade.

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TIMELINE

Sept. 4: IMPACT falters

CPS' new $60 million computer information system, Instructional Management Program and Academic Communication Tool, causes chaos on the first day of school. Students miss classes and disappear from rosters. M. Hill Hammock, the district's chief administrative officer, says the system simply is overwhelmed, a problem that may recur on a few "peak demand" days each year, such as the last day of school. Despite the system crash, CPS later claims a 93 percent first-day attendance, up slightly from last year.

Sept. 8: Home visits

CEO Arne Duncan, School Board President Rufus Williams, other district officials and community volunteers go door-to-door in the Englewood community encouraging students who did not show up during the first week of class to enroll in school. Students who did not show up at Clemente, Crane, Farragut, Harper, Hubbard, Kelly, Phillips, Schurz and Senn high schools also get visits. Each of those schools reported high numbers of dropouts and poor attendance in the 2006-07 school year.

Sept. 11: Payroll glitch

PeopleSoft, CPS' new $17 million payroll system, wreaks havoc on checks for employees and retirees. Some retirees are being underpaid by $800 a month while more than 1,600 recent retirees are receiving estimated pension payments and may not get actual pension payments until November. No retirees have been paid for their unused sick days, and about 1,200 June retirees are owed a total of more than $35 million. CPS acknowledges the snafu and blames it on technical issues related to the start-up of a new system.

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ELSEWHERE

Texas: Recovering dropouts

A new law will give school districts an incentive to re-enroll young adult dropouts by helping to defray the costs of educating them, according to the Sept. 14 Houston Chronicle. Districts will receive $30 per day for every student between the ages of 21 and 26 who re-enrolls in school. The state now provides that same level of funding for students under 21. Texas now has the highest upper age limit in the country for public schools students. In Chicago, the limit is 21.

Utah: Online testing

The state may scrap the use of standardized tests, including the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, in favor of online, so-called "adaptive" tests that would be designed to better gauge students' progress and learning needs, according to the Sept. 8 Salt Lake Tribune. Students in grades 2 through 12 would take the tests at least three times a year, and teachers would get test results more rapidly through the online system. Students would also have to take the ACT and college and career readiness tests. The plan was developed by the state schools superintendent and a group of state educators.

New Orleans: Battling truancy

The Recovery School District has hired 10 truancy officers and opened a truancy center to help get children back into school and keep their attendance up, according to the Sept. 8 Times-Picayune. Police will sweep neighborhoods to pick up children who skip school and take them to the new center, which is staffed with a social worker, counselor and youth advocates from the juvenile court system. Children who are not registered at any school will be automatically added to the enrollment rolls. Just 60 percent of students attended the first day of classes; since then, attendance has increased to about 70 percent.

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IN SHORT

"I know you are working hard, but what you are doing is not working."

David Gilligan, chief officer for high schools, to high school principals at an Aug. 24 meeting at Kenwood. On the same day, newspapers reported high school test scores had declined from last year.

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ASK CATALYST

Why are there such differences between the libraries in schools and why do some not have librarians?

Anonymous parent, North Side Parents Network

There is no dedicated funding in the CPS budget for libraries. CPS uses a staffing formula to allocate staff positions that can be split between a part-time physical education teacher and part-time librarian, says CPS Library Director Paul Whitsitt. It is up to the principal to decide how much discretionary money to commit to the library and how much time a staff member will spend running it. Many principals rely on parent organizations to raise money for the library, while others expect librarians to apply for outside grants. The district offers a matching grant of up to $5,000 for schools that spend some discretionary money or raise funds, but requests for grants far outstrip the money available, Whitsitt says. Last year, about 200 schools split $850,000 in grant funds, and Whitsitt expects funding will be about the same this year. The district is about to invest in a centrally automated library system, he adds, to let officials know which libraries need more books and eventually allow libraries to share their resources.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

The United States ranks last in preschool enrollment among all other G-8 countries, according to a recent report by the National Center for Education Statistics that used data from 2004. Nearly 100% of 3- and 4-year olds were enrolled in preschool in France and Italy, and 75% or more in Germany, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom. In the U.S., the percentage of youngsters enrolled in preschool was only 53%. (NCES did not obtain early childhood data for the Russian Federation, another G-8 member.) Not until children reached the age of 6 in the U.S. were more than 90% enrolled in formal education.

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TIMELINE

Aug. 6: School aid

Gov. Rod Blagojevich directs the Illinois Finance Authority to make $175 million in no-interest loans available to school districts if lawmakers don't come up with a budget, now almost six weeks late. Money would be allocated based on the state aid a district received last year. Meanwhile, CPS releases a $5.8 billion budget that includes an expected $98 million in state aid, and legislative leaders continue to debate expanded gambling—specifically, a land-based casino in Chicago—to provide more money for schools.

Aug 7: Union pacts

Six unions representing 8,000 non-teaching employees, from custodians to special education aides, reach a new agreement with CPS for raises totaling 15.75 percent over five years. The annual raises are in line with the 3 percent raise for teachers that CPS included in its $5.8 billion budget for 2008. CPS is still negotiating with the Chicago Teachers Union, which received 4 percent raises in the last round of negotiations for the current contract. The labor agreement puts pressure on the CTU to reach a settlement.

Aug. 8: Freshman help

Citing the need for "a laser-like focus" to keep freshmen from eventually dropping out, CEO Arne Duncan and Mayor Richard Daley announce a new program to get them into school by making personal connections. Counselors and other school staff will call and make home visits to help them prepare for the first day of school and principals will prepare transition plans for incoming 9th-graders. Freshmen's grades will be checked after the first three weeks of school; students who are struggling will get extra help.

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ELSEWHERE

Colorado: Diploma options

High school students would be able to choose one of three options for their education under a proposal from Gov. Bill Ritter, according to the Aug. 6 Denver Post. College-bound students could choose to aim for a so-called "governor's diploma," while those wanting to enter the workforce could opt to receive a diploma with a "workforce-ready" distinction or a trade certificate, such as in plumbing or mechanics. A task force will consider the proposal as it studies ways to reform education.

Texas: Teacher bonuses

Fewer than half of the 1,150 schools that received bonuses during the first year of the state's new $100 million performance-pay plan will be eligible again this school year, according to the Aug. 6 Dallas Morning News. Most of the schools failed to maintain their performance ratings as the standards for passing state tests rose. Teachers received bonuses of $3,000 to $10,000. Critics say it will be difficult to determine the program's effectiveness if eligibility changes significantly from year to year. Earlier this year, the Texas House voted to scrap the plan and use the money to raise teacher salaries across the board, but negotiations with the Senate led to the program's restoration. Some eligible schools turned down the grants because of teachers' opposition.

Tennessee: School takeovers

Seventeen struggling Memphis schools will have a 30-minute longer school day and must come up with a merit-pay plan as a result of a state takeover, according to the Aug. 1 Memphis Commercial Appeal. The schools failed to meet state standards for the past six years. The district must consult with the state before changing principals, and the superintendent must designate a new manager solely to monitor performance at the schools.

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IN SHORT

"You have to start thinking it right now: College."

Peggy Korellis, principal of new Team Englewood High, on the importance of focusing on college readiness as early as 9th grade. Korellis spoke at freshman orientation on Aug. 14, held at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

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ASK CATALYST

Does school funding vary by size, location and type of school, such as magnet, classical or gifted?

Conswaila Syndor-Davis, Murray Language Academy

Funding is not based on a school's location or size. But other factors do come into play, says Jeff Donoghue, a finance analyst for the Office of Management and Budget. The district's staffing formula uses enrollment, class size limits and caseloads (such as those for social workers) to determine how many teachers and auxiliary staff a school is entitled to. A school with 30 veteran teachers, for instance, would receive more money than a school with the same number of less-experienced teachers, because veteran teachers earn more. Magnet, classical and gifted schools do get more cash to pay for special programs, Donoghue says. A language school like Murray, for instance, gets extra money to pay for foreign language teachers. To see a specific school's funding, go to the budget page of the CPS website and click on "School Segment Reports."

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

A report from the Food Research and Action Center found that CPS would reap an additional $25 million in federal funding if it increased the percentage of students who get a free breakfast. Nearly 80% of CPS students qualify for free or reduced-priced meals, but just 29% of those who get a free lunch also take a free breakfast. CPS would gain the additional federal funds if it increased participation to 70%. The federal government pays the district $1.27 for each free breakfast served, $0.97 for each reduced-price breakfast served and an additional $0.24 for each breakfast served at those schools where at least 40% of students qualify for subsidized meals.

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TIMELINE

June 29: Magnet admissions

For now, CPS magnet schools will not be affected by the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling that severely limits the use of race in school assignments. CPS magnet schools operate under a federally mandated desegregation consent decree, while the court ruling applies only to schools covered by voluntary integration programs. The decision will affect CPS if a federal judge frees the district from the mandatory decree, which has been in place since 1980. If the decree is lifted, students would likely not be affected until next year, when they begin applying for school admissions in 2009.

July 1: Principal ouster

Harper High Principal Ronn Gibbs is removed from his job and transferred to central office. Gibbs was hand-picked in 2003 to turn around the failing Englewood school, which got building repairs, new computers and other resources after Rev. Jesse Jackson used it to illustrate the impact of school funding inequity among Illinois school districts. But test scores declined and fewer than 4 percent of students passed state tests last year. Attendance and graduation rates also fell. Kenyatta Butler-Stansberry, assistant principal of Dyett , takes over at Harper. Nate Mason, a former Harper principal, will serve as her mentor.

July 6: School closings

The school year is over and the last class of seniors graduated in June, but the district still holds a final round of public hearings on the phase-outs of Austin, Calumet and Westinghouse high schools. All three stopped accepting freshmen in 2004. Late last month, Ald. Isaac Carothers and community leaders demanded that CPS open a new state-of-the-art high school to replace Austin, which is slated to open a second small school this fall, Austin Polytechnical Academy; a third will open in 2008. Calumet will open two additional Perspectives charter schools; one is already housed there. A new building is under construction for Westinghouse.

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ELSEWHERE

Arizona: Learning English

This fall, English-language learners will have to spend at least four hours each day in courses that teach English grammar, phonics, conversation, reading and writing, according to the July 14 Arizona Republic. The new requirement is based on a law passed last summer. Arizona eliminated bilingual education in 2000, banning instruction and the use of textbooks in any language other than English. Most districts then began offering English instruction for an hour a day during the summer or after school, putting ELL students in regular classrooms during the regular school day. Supporters say the new model will provide more structure for students who are learning English, while critics warn that it segregates non-English speakers and limits their instruction in core subjects such as math and science.

Los Angeles: Reforms OK'd

A new School Board dominated by mayoral allies has passed a reform package with new accountability initiatives, including tracking school performance, cutting the dropout rate, training principals and increasing parent involvement, according to the July 11 Los Angeles Times. The reform package originated with the office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who lost his bid to take substantial control of the L.A. Unified School District when legislation setting up the takeover was thrown out by the courts. The mayor then raised money to help elect political allies to the board, including the new board president and three other newly elected members.

New Orleans: Teachers wanted

The state-run Recovery School District has launched a national campaign to find teachers to fill up to 500 teaching jobs this fall, according to the July 3 New Orleans Times-Picayune. New hires will earn a $5,000 bonus for the first two years they teach, a monthly $400 housing stipend for a year and $2,500 to help cover moving expenses. Current teachers and auxiliary staff, such as nurses, who return to the district and receive a positive performance evaluation will receive a $5,000 bonus. The recruitment campaign includes outreach to former teachers who have retired or who relocated after Hurricane Katrina; and newspaper ads in cities across the country. The district operated 22 schools this year and plans to reopen about a dozen this fall.

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ASK CATALYST

What do prospective kindergarteners need to know to test into a gifted program? Can children who are admitted to a gifted program swap places with another child to gain entry to a school in a preferred location?

Collins Yearwood, vice president, Hyde Park Parent Cooperative for Early Learning

According to Denise Gallucci, CPS director of gifted and enriched academic programs, there's no way to actually 'teach' children to do well on the test. Tests for gifted programs measure verbal and non-verbal thinking, reasoning and problem-solving. For example, children will be asked to solve a riddle or to tell the similarities and differences between objects.

In Gallucci's view, a child's skills in these areas are either highly developed at an early age, or not.

However, prior experience with similar tests may well make a difference because children who take such tests on multiple occasions invariably improve their performance, says George Peternel, associate director of Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development. He concedes that practice tests are hard to come by, since assessments for gifted programs are proprietary.

Peternel suggests conducting a Google search on "instrumental enrichment," a method for building intelligence by improving cognitive abilities. Activities associated with this method might be helpful, Peternel says. One example: Teaching children shapes by having them touch figures, draw them, and then learn to differentiate between them by sight.

As for the second question, Gallucci says it's difficult to imagine a scenario where a swap of seats would work, given the admissions process for gifted schools. Admission to gifted, magnet and classical schools is governed by the desegregation consent decree as well as test scores, so a swap would have to be with children of the same race and ethnicity and similar test scores. It's unlikely that two families of the same ethnic and racial background would get each other's first choice of schools, says Gallucci.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

The cost to replace each of the 4,844 teachers who left Chicago Public Schools in 2003 was $17,872, or $86 million, according to a June report from the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, which analyzed turnover in Chicago and four other districts across the country. At the 119 CPS schools with the highest turnover, nearly half of the new teachers hired in 2002 quit by the following summer. A high-quality induction program in those schools, at a price tag of $6,000 per teacher, would have cost CPS less than $3 million and would have largely have paid for itself. Cutting turnover in half at those schools—a legitimate target, according to the commission—would have retained 109 teachers and saved the district $1.9 million.

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TIMELINE

May 23: Easier closings

Under a new school closings policy, the district will be required to report the impact of schools closings on kids and provide a support team to assist children as they transition to new schools. In addition, school closings must be announced four months before the school year ends. This year, only one school, Harvard Elementary, is being shuttered under the district's "turnaround" strategy. The school will reopen in the fall with new staff and programs, under the management of the Academy of Urban School Leadership. The approach keeps kids in the same school while fixing educational problems, say district officials.

June 18: Budget delay

CPS announces that it will delay its 2008 budget for 60 days, in the hopes that legislators in Springfield will enact education funding reform. The state Legislature failed to put together a budget by the May 31 deadline, sending the session into overtime. Usually, CPS' budget is approved at the end of June. School officials are hoping that the district receives an additional $300 million from the state. Last year, the district received $100 million more.

June 26: Test scores up

For the second year in a row, CPS officials tout rising scores on the ISAT, which was revamped last year. Almost two-thirds of elementary students passed reading and math tests, but the improvement is smaller than the gains last year. However, Mayor Daley urges the district to put more emphasis on science, for which scores declined slightly citywide. The ISAT was retooled last year, prompting some experts to question whether the gains students made were legitimate. The retooled test allows kids more time and includes a more colorful format considered easier for students to read.

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ELSEWHERE

Washington, D.C.: New leader

The head of the non-profit New Teacher Project is slated to become the next head of the D.C. schools system, according to the June 12 Washington Post. Michelle Rhee would be the first schools chief without superintendent experience in nearly a decade, and the first who is not African American (Rhee is Korean-American) in nearly four decades. Mayor Adrian Fenty, who recently won substantial control over the schools and said he did not want to hire a "career superintendent" who had moved from district to district, said he chose Rhee because the failing system needs "radical change. ...We did not want to pick someone to tinker around the edges." Rhee founded the New Teacher Project to train teachers to work in urban districts. The City Council must approve the selection.

North Carolina: Charter caps

A policy research group recommends that the state keep its current cap on charter schools because student achievement at charters has been uneven and the schools are often racially segregated, according to a study in the June 6 Raleigh News & Observer. The state now caps the number of charters at 100, and legislative proposals to lift the cap have failed. Some charters are also experiencing financial troubles, according to the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, the policy group that made the recommendation. The group's report found that charter students performed the same or slightly worse than regular public schools, and that 39 of 99 charters had higher-than-average minority enrollment.

Massachusetts: Free college

As part of a major education reform proposal, Gov. Deval Patrick plans to make community college free to all students within 10 years, according to the June 1 New York Times. Massachusetts would be the only state with no-cost community colleges. Patrick's reforms include universal preschool, full-day kindergarten, a longer school day and longer school year and two years of community college or vocational training for all students. Patrick says he will appoint a committee of business, education and civic leaders to determine how to implement his reforms and to put a price tag on them. The average student now pays about $3,000 per year in tuition and fees, about $1,000 more than the national average, according to a community college official.

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ASK CATALYST

Which Chicago public schools are peanut-free and how is that decision made?

Anonymous parent, North Side Parents Network

These schools are currently peanut-free: Bell, Hedges, Burley, Casals, Oriole Park, Edison, Bontemps, Brunson, Hawthorne, Blaine, South Loop, Ray and Chicago Academy. For many schools, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are menu staples for lunch. But for parents, like you, whose children have potentially life-threatening allergies, officials understand the need to keep threatening food away. Parents can ask their principal to make the campus peanut-free, says Jennifer Malchow, regional dietitian for Chartwell-Thompson, the food service and hospitality firm that provides meals and after-school snacks to CPS students. The principal has to agree and then put in the official request to central office officials, who will inform the food service firm.

The company also can identify which menu items are peanut-free and made in peanut-free factories, Malchow says.

Some 4.3 million children in the U.S. have food allergies and the number of those with peanut allergies has doubled in the past five years, according to the Food Allergy Project, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group. But it is unlikely that all schools will become peanut-free any time soon. Peanuts are one of the commodities donated to public schools through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

A new report by the Illinois Education Research Council finds fewer Illinois teachers leave the profession than is widely believed, just 27%. But some troubling numbers also emerged from that report: While Chicago has recruited new teachers with strong academic backgrounds in recent years, those recruits are less diverse. In 2006, 30% of all new teachers scored a 25 or higher on the ACT compared to 21% in 2001 and just 16% in 1997. But only 17% of new recruits were African-American in 2006 and 12% were Hispanic, while 64% were white. In 2001, those figures were 24%, 18% and 53%, respectively. Nationwide, fewer high-achieving minority students have chosen education as a career, research has found.

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TIMELINE

April 9: Laptops stolen

Chicago Teachers Union President Marilyn Stewart calls for the firing of CEO Arne Duncan because of the theft of two laptops containing the Social Security numbers of teachers and principals. Duncan calls Stewart's remarks "silly." The laptops were taken from a conference room at CPS' main office. The district is offering affected employees credit and identity-theft protection upon request. Officials also say computer systems were recently updated to avoid the routine use of Social Security numbers for identification.

April 13: Ramos case

The chief witness in an ethics case against Curie High LSC Chair Thomas Ramos fails to show up at a hearing in the case. However, CPS attorneys present testimony from three people about conversations they had with the witness about kickbacks Ramos allegedly took from her. Ramos, a parent member and chair of the LSC that recently fired Principal Jerryelyn Jones and ignited a public controversy, could be removed if the allegations are substantiated. A tip from Jones led to the Ramos investigation, news reports stated.

April 20: Pay problem

For the second time in two days, reports surface about payroll problems when teachers complain they were shorted on their paychecks. CPS blames technical problems with new software. Previously, 15 teachers at Williams Elementary reported waiting three years for back pay of $3,000 to $11,000. CPS had paid the teachers via direct deposit but took the money back, then paid by check but said teachers could only receive $2,500. The teachers were paid the full amounts after they called reporters.

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ELSEWHERE

Los Angeles: Sweeping reforms

Following the release of a report that harshly criticized the L.A. school system, Supt. David L. Brewer plans to hire a team of outside experts to help the district begin instituting reforms, according to the April 21 Los Angeles Times. Brewer will present a five-year strategic reform plan by June 30, and says he also plans to hire two new top-level administrators to oversee instruction and professional development. Brewer, a retired Navy vice admiral, invited Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to "make an offer" of how he would like to be involved in the reform efforts.

Washington, D.C.: Fenty takes over

The City Council gave Mayor Adrian Fenty control over the schools, including the power to hire and fire the superintendent and oversee the budget and capital improvement program, according to the April 20 Washington Post. The School Board will control administrative functions such as testing. As a council member, Fenty opposed plans by former Mayor Anthony Williams to take over the schools.

South Carolina: Luring teachers

Financial incentives, more time for professional development and better opportunities for teachers to become teacher-leaders would attract and keep National Board Certified teachers in low-income, struggling schools, according to the April 18 Charleston Post and Courier. Those recommendations are among 27 included in a report issued following a summit of National Board teachers from across the state. More than 5,000 South Carolina teachers are board certified, but only about 130 work in the lowest-performing school districts.

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IN SHORT

"No one wants to have $110,000 contracts handed out by this board and by the mayor of this city."

Valencia Rias of Designs for Change at the April 25 School Board meeting, on the district's lobbying efforts to take away local school councils' authority to choose principals.

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ASK CATALYST

If your child is admitted to preschool at a school outside your neighborhood, are you guaranteed a slot at that school for kindergarten?

Anonymous parent

Children who attended preschool outside their neighborhood are not guaranteed a kindergarten spot at that school, says Paula Cottone, CPS' deputy chief early childhood officer. Once children enter kindergarten, neighborhood schools must admit children in their attendance area before giving spots to anyone else. Any remaining slots may be filled at the principal's discretion. Under-utilized schools sometimes enroll students from outside the neighborhood, because operating consistently under capacity can lead to staff cuts. But principals occasionally don't fill the slots, choosing to maintain small class sizes, according to Cottone. "The only way around going to kindergarten in your neighborhood school is to apply to a magnet or specialty program," she says.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

In 1998, the district launched Project SMART—Saturday Morning Alternative Reach Out and Teach—a 9-week program that teaches decision-making and problem-solving skills to students who would otherwise be expelled. CPS had limited data for the first 3 years, but the available data show that 59% of students who were referred to the program eventually completed it. (See Catalyst, November 2000.) Now, completion rates are declining: Between 2003 and 2006, the completion rate fell to 53% from 58%. About 1,100 students are referred to SMART each year.

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TIMELINE

March 1: Curie ouster

Mayor Daley weighs in on the controversial ouster of Curie High Principal Jerryelyn Jones and says the School Board should have the power to overturn local school council decisions to hire or fire principals. Jones, who is black, was ousted by a majority-Latino LSC. She is appealing the decision to an independent arbitrator. Students rallied at the last board meeting in support of Jones, who CEO Arne Duncan called a “superstar principal.” Test scores and other achievement measures have improved at Curie under Jones.

March 7: $$ for schools

As part of his budget address, Gov. Rod Blagojevich outlines a plan to pump $1.5 billion into schools next year, raising state per-pupil funding by nearly $700. Chicago would gain $300 million under the plan, which wins swift endorsement from Senate President Emil Jones. Following Jones’ endorsement, a competing proposal that would raise income taxes and provide property tax relief is in limbo. Advocates of funding reform have long called for such a “tax swap,” to ease the burden on property-poor districts.

March 12: High schools

In contrast to the big jump in elementary test scores, scores at CPS high schools remain flat, with only 31.5 percent of students meeting state standards in 2006, compared to 31.7 percent in 2005. Scores declined slightly statewide as well. CEO Arne Duncan says the district’s latest high school reforms are just taking shape and will take time to show results. In elementary schools, changes to the test likely played a role in the increase in scores, but the city’s gains still outpaced those of the rest of the state.

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ELSEWHERE

Colorado: Tracking teachers

In a move aimed at assessing teacher quality, teachers in Colorado may be assigned tracking numbers that link them to their students’ test scores, according to the March 10 Rocky Mountain News. Students already have individual tracking numbers that let officials measure their academic progress. The University of Colorado favors the plan and says it will help show whether the school is producing successful teachers and whether top graduates are teaching in the neediest schools. But the Colorado Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, worries that the system may be used punitively against teachers. Legislation on the plan has bipartisan support.

Connecticut: School revamp

A coalition led by the University of Connecticut wants to overhaul some of the state’s lowest-achieving urban schools, according to the March 8 Hartford Courant. The university would open a new Center for Urban Education to provide teacher training, assistance to principals with teacher recruitment, and help with new approaches to discipline. The plan is modeled after Boston’s signature pilot schools program and could include complete revamps of school staff, curriculum and scheduling. The coalition, which includes teachers unions and district superintendents, is asking legislators for $5 million to launch the program this year and up to $10 million per year to support it.

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IN SHORT

"I was a teacher. I belonged to a teachers union. I understand why they don’t support [charter schools]. But I don’t think we should be dismantling Chicago school reform one little piece at a time."

State Rep. William Black (R-Danville) on why legislators should vote “no” on a union-backed plan to limit charter expansion in Chicago. The plan lost by a 77-32 vote on March 29 in the Illinois House.

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ASK CATALYST

We are considering purchasing a home in Chicago based on the attendance boundaries of specific schools. How often does CPS redraw its attendance boundaries?

Anonymous parent

CPS redraws attendance boundaries to reduce overcrowding for an average of 25 schools a year, according to James Dispensa, CPS director of demographics and planning. These schools are usually on the Northwest and Southwest sides.

To avoid purchasing inside an overcrowded attendance area, call your school of choice to check that it is not on controlled enrollment or a multi-track, year-round schedule, both used to relieve overcrowding. The principal should have some idea whether enrollment is rising rapidly enough to cause overcrowding in the near future. Parents can also contact the demographics department at Demographics1@cps.k12.il.us

CPS also reconfigures attendance boundaries when schools close or open. One school, LeMoyne Elementary in Lakeview, is slated to close at the end of the year but has not been enrolling new students for several years.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

When state Rep. Monique Davis of Chicago introduced legislation that would ban virtual schools across Illinois, she singled out Chicago Virtual Charter School and claimed it spends nearly $20,000 per pupil. However, that figure is wildly inflated. The school enrolls 242 students and has a budget of $1,586,652 this year, putting per-pupil spending at $6,556, according to CPS financial data for 2006-07. Including $1,153,401 in start-up funds, per-pupil spending would reach $11,323.

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TIMELINE

Feb. 1: Closings study

A University of Illinois at Chicago professor calls for an independent study on the impact of public school closings on schools that take in displaced students. Through interviews with 20 people from three receiving schools, Pauline Lipman reports complaints about inadequate resources, increased discipline problems and academic challenges. A CPS spokesman says the district is working on a study. Some lawmakers have called for a moratorium on closings until such a study is completed.

Feb. 9: Rowe-Clark

The Noble Network of Charter Schools snares a $4.2 million grant to open a new high school devoted primarily to math and science. The school will be located in Humboldt Park and named after Exelon Corp. Chairman John Rowe, who contributed $2 million (matched by Exelon), and ComEd Chairman and CEO Frank Clark, who donated $200,000. Students will attend school an extra month each year. The school also plans to launch an after-school or summer math and science program for middle-school students.

Feb. 22: Washing up

While lawmakers have yet to take significant action on school funding reform, the Illinois House passes a law that would require CPS officials to make sure that students wash their hands before eating meals at school. Rep. Mary Flowers of Chicago proposed the bill, saying schools aren't doing a good job of teaching kids the importance of hand-washing, which state law already requires. A CPS spokesman says the law isn't necessary. The bill was passed 100-14 and is now headed to the Senate.

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ELSEWHERE

New Orleans: More new schools

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has approved nine new charters to open next fall, bringing the number of charter schools in the city to 40, according to the Feb. 14 New Orleans Times-Picayune. One of the new charters will be run by Chicago's United Neighborhood Organization. Eight applications were turned down. Meanwhile, the state plans to open up to 27 more schools by next fall through its Recovery School District. Of the 56 schools that have opened since Hurricane Katrina struck, the Recovery District operates 20, the Orleans Parish School Board manages five, and the remaining 21 are charters. The 56 schools serve about 28,000 students—half of public school enrollment before Katrina.

Philadelphia: For-profit, no gain

Students in restructured, district-run schools made higher test score gains than students at for-profit schools that received far more funding, according to the Feb. 1 Philadelphia Inquirer. The private managers got up to $750 more per pupil than regular public schools—in all, $90 million more. A study by the Rand Corp. and a local non-profit tracked the gains of 41 privately run schools, compared to 21 restructured schools that got extra resources. A spokesman for the non-profit says private management should be scrapped. District leaders say the private managers were handed some of the city's worst-performing schools and could not be expected to post higher gains. However, all of the schools were initially low-performing.

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IN SHORT

"In education, we've been giving people Folgers for a long time, but tastes change. People want gourmet coffee."

Andrew Rotherham, co-director of the research and policy group Education Sector, who spoke at a Feb. 22 policy luncheon co-sponsored by Catalyst, Business and Professional People for the Public Interest and the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. For more information about the luncheon series, click here.

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ASK CATALYST

What is the timeline for announcing the next round of school closings? Will the criteria for selecting schools change? How will the board ensure that children are transferred to better schools?

Andrea Lee, Education Organizer, Grand Boulevard Federation

Although last year's school closings were announced in January, CPS as yet has no timetable for announcing this year's round. The district blames the state's delay in releasing test scores. David Pickens, deputy to CEO Arne Duncan, anticipates technical revisions to the closings policy, but not tougher criteria. Jackie Leavy of the now-shuttered watchdog Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, calls the delay "an unfortunate back-pedaling" and speculates that the district postponed the announcement in part to sidestep controversy prior to the mayoral election. State Rep. Cynthia Soto recently introduced a bill that would force CPS to announce proposed closings six months prior to the School Board's vote, and to hold public hearings in affected communities. The bill would also give displaced students the right to enroll in a school making "adequate yearly progress" under the No Child Left Behind law. You can find Soto's bill online at www.ilga.gov.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

While Gov. Rod Blagojevich has increased education funding overall, the state's share of education revenue has declined since he took office. In 2003, the state contributed 36% of education funding, down from 39% the previous year, according to the most recent annual report of the Illinois State Board of Education. In 2005 (the latest year for which final data are available), the state's share fell to 34%. Over the last two decades, state funding reached its highest point, 42%, in the 1987 fiscal year under the administration of Jim Thompson. The lowest point, 32%, was in 1996 under Jim Edgar.

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Elsewhere

| In Short | Capital Dispatch

ELSEWHERE

Los Angeles: Takeover, pilots

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is moving ahead with plans to take substantial control of the school system, despite a judge's ruling that struck down the law as unconstitutional because it takes too much authority from the School Board, according to the Los Angeles Times. The mayor has filed an appeal and is also raising funds for the upcoming School Board race, in which he plans to oust members who oppose his takeover. Meanwhile, the district, the local teachers union and community groups are planning to open up to 10 small schools modeled after Boston's pilot schools program, according to Education Week. The schools would have more freedom in hiring, spending, curriculum and scheduling. Officials hope to have some of the small, college-prep high schools open for the 2007- 2008 school year.

Washington, D.C.: Takeover plan

Mayor Adrian Fenty has won support from a majority of City Council members for his plan to take over control of the school system, according to the Washington Post. Fenty's proposal would require the superintendent to report to the mayor and end the board's control over management, program and budget decisions. The board would continue to oversee operations such as standardized testing and teacher certification. Congress, which currently has a hand in overseeing the school system, would also have to approve the plan.

Massachusetts: Pilot schools

To avoid a state takeover, State Board of Education Chairman Christopher Anderson wants to turn four failing schools into "pilot schools," the Boston Globe reports. Three of the four schools would be the first pilot schools outside Boston. All four would be the first converted to pilots as an improvement measure. (Boston originated the concept as an alternative to charters.) Pilot schools are freed from union contracts and other district requirements and have more control over curriculum, budgets and general operations. The schools could still be subject to a state takeover if they fail to improve.

Baltimore: New charters

Six new charters, including three that are being converted from district-run schools, have won approval from the School Board, according to the Baltimore Sun. The new schools include an all-boys academy with an extended day. Seven other applications were rejected, including a school that would focus on serving foster children. The three converted charters will use the highly scripted, direct-instruction teaching method. The school board is appealing a state court ruling that requires the school system to provide the same funding for charters as that provided to regular public schools. The city now spends about $11,000 per child but provides only $5,859 per student to charters and the rest in services (such as food service). Most charter operators say they would prefer to have the $11,000. Baltimore currently has 17 of the state's 24 charters.

St. Louis: State oversight

A panel led by a former university president and a prominent civil rights lawyer is recommending that the state assume oversight of the city's failing schools for at least six years, according to the Associated Press. The district has had six superintendents since 2003. The proposal calls for a three-member committee to run the district and decide whether to hire a superintendent to oversee daily operations. The committee would handle budgeting, curriculum and other functions under the supervision of the state board. Mayor Francis Slay favors the plan.

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IN SHORT

"If you don't feed the teachers, they eat the students."

Barton Elementary Principal Terrence Carter in an interview with Catalyst, explaining why principals should provide teachers with frequent professional development. Barton teachers meet for two hours of training each week.

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CAPITAL DISPATCH

Illinois education officials hope to apply next year to participate in a federal pilot project that allows districts to more accurately measure the performance of public school students.

Ongoing glitches with test scores and delays in creating a statewide database of student information are holding up efforts for the state to convert to the "growth model," also known as "value-added," which proponents argue is a fairer way to judge how well schools and districts are educating students. The glitches and delays kept the state from applying for this year's pilot.

Under the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Law, Illinois and most other states currently report a snapshot of where student test scores stand once a year. But that method does not shed light on how much progress individual students are making year to year, a critical measure to assess achievement, especially among students who are far behind.

The U.S. Department of Education has approved growth model pilots in Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, North Carolina and Tennessee. Congress is expected to consider including the use of growth models when it takes up reauthorization of No Child Left Behind this year.

Last month, a task force of educators, top policymakers and testing experts issued a report that, among other recommendations, urged the state to develop a growth model and find ways to use the data to support school improvement.

Illinois may be ready to join the pilot project next school year, says Becky Watts, chief of staff for the Illinois State Board of Education. "It's not outside the realm of possibility, if everything is in place," she says.

One requirement is that Chicago Public Schools connect its new student information system, which has experienced technical glitches, with the statewide student database. Illinois missed the Nov. 1 deadline to apply for this year's pilot, in part because 35 schools districts, including Chicago, had not connected their student information systems with the state database.

By mid-January, Chicago was the only district that still had not done so. The district is still trying to resolve technical problems, says Robert Runcie, chief information officer for CPS.

"We'll be done ironing the kinks out of the process in the next couple of months, before the end of the school year at the latest," Runcie says.

The growth model pilot requires states to have a database that can track the whereabouts of individual students, Watts explains. The database will work in tandem with the state's test score database, tracking students and their scores from year to year, even if they leave a school or district.

Test scores for 2006 were also a problem. Watts says final results are not expected to be delivered to schools until February, more than four months overdue. Results for 2007 tests are expected to be completed on time, say state education officials. The next round of state testing begins in March.

Testing contractor Harcourt Assessment Inc. has been blamed for delivering some tests late and for making mistakes in grading the Prairie State Achievement Exam given to high school juniors. State officials have since retained a new contractor, Pearson Educational Measurement, to take over most of Harcourt's duties.

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TIMELINE

Nov. 1: Internet phones

Chicago Public Schools will spend $28 million to switch to Internet-based phone service. CPS officials say the switch will reduce operation costs and phone bills. The new technology uses one network for both voice and data traffic. Public safety authorities will be able to find the precise location of a call in an emergency and the system will provide teachers with voice mail and caller ID, with the goal of increasing parent-teacher communication. The switch will take four years to complete.

Nov. 14: School arrests

Chicago Police Department data show that student arrests fell to 7,400 in 2006, compared to 8,500 in 2005. Most of the decline was due to a reduction in the number of students charged with simple battery, an offense that schools have wide discretion to handle on their own without calling police. Last year, the high number of arrests sparked controversy and prompted the district to clarify its discipline code in an effort to reduce arrests. More police were stationed near schools with the most severe gang problems.

Nov. 15: Ren 2010

The School Board approves 17 new schools in its third round of Renaissance 2010. Ten will open next fall and seven will open in 2008. Ten of the 17 are high schools. Collins High, whose closing sparked controversy last year, will become a performance school run by the Academy of Urban School Leadership. Marine Military Math and Science Academy will become the first public Marine Corps-run high school in the country. Two more schools recommended for approval will go before the board in December.

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ELSEWHERE

North Carolina: New ratings

The number of public schools on the state's list of low performers rises to 52 from four, following the introduction of a tougher rating system, according to the Nov. 2 Charlotte Observer. Just 64 schools earned top ratings this year compared with 496 in 2005, and only 54 percent of schools qualified for teacher bonuses based on achievement, down from 69 percent a year ago. The state also revised 3rd- through 8th-grade math tests, making them more difficult. Parents were still awaiting reports of the math test results.

Washington D.C.: No takeover

Newly elected Board of Education President Robert C. Bobb vows to fight a mayoral takeover of the school system, according to the Nov. 9 Washington Post. Bobb, a former city administrator, said he will release detailed plans for raising achievement by January. Bobb said a "leadership vacuum" on the board had opened up the possibility of a takeover. New Mayor Adrian Fenty has said he wants to appoint all members of the board and make it an advisory panel.

Delaware: Value-added

Delaware will take part in a federal pilot program allowing it to use a value-added model of student test score growth to measure progress toward No Child Left Behind achievement goals, according to the Nov. 10 New Castle-Wilmington News Journal. The pilot was announced last year. Five states have been chosen so far, and up to 10 states will be approved this year.

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IN SHORT

"I'm amazed at the number of people who think getting a 'D' is OK."

Nickie Roberson, associate provost for enrollment management at Bradley University, on the college application process and why it's important to instill high academic standards in minority high school students. Roberson spoke at the Nov. 2 Illinois Legislative Black Caucus conference.

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ASK CATALYST

Last summer, Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed legislation to expand free preschool programs previously reserved mainly for "at-risk" children. Who qualifies and how do I locate programs?

Lori Garber, parent

Preschool for All isn't for everyone just yet. The legislature approved $45 million this year to serve an additional 10,000 youngsters. But it will need to allocate an additional $180 million annually to serve all interested families, according to Jerry Stermer, president of Voices for Illinois Children.

Gradual increases in funding over the next five years will open up more spaces for middle-income families and then for families in higher income brackets, Stermer explains. For now, preschool operators are giving preference to the neediest students. Chicago Public Schools gives preference to children who are the most academically at-risk, based on a mandatory screening test, but does not consider family income.

You can arrange for a screening at a nearby public school. Regional state preschool offices can help you locate CPS programs with available spaces. Call (773) 534-3846 if you live north of the Eisenhower Expressway or (773) 535-8688 if you live south. In Cook County, call Illinois Action for Children at (312) 823-1100 to find a state-funded preschool program near you.

E-mail your question to askcat@catalyst-chicago.org

or send it to Ask Catalyst, 332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 500, Chicago,

IL 60604.

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MATH CLASS

Illinois is one of 13 states to receive a grade of "D" or lower in a recent report that examines the progress states are making in closing the achievement gap for low-income African-American and Hispanic students. Illinois is one of 13 states that made no progress in closing the gap, according to the report by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. The report relies on several indicators to rank states, including scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress for 1992 through 2005.

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TIMELINE

Oct. 5: Test delays

State Supt. of Schools Randy Dunn acknowledges that the state is not likely to meet the required Oct. 31 deadline for delivering school report cards, including test results and other information, to parents and the general public. Scoring problems and last spring's late delivery of the tests to schools are to blame. The state board votes to penalize test publisher Harcourt Assessment and transfer most of the firm's duties to Pearson Educational Measurement.

Oct. 7: Rivals agree

Mayor Richard M. Daley and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) join education leaders to call for more state funding for education, saying the issue transcends politics. Funding reform has so far not been a major issue in the race for governor. Incumbent Gov. Rod Blagojevich and GOP challenger Judy Baar Topinka have both said they would not raise the state income tax, a move that education advocates say is essential to funding reform.

Oct. 12: More grads

The Consortium on Chicago School Research revises numbers from its recent study on college graduation rates for CPS students, but some of the corrected figures are still dismal. The study said only 6 percent of CPS graduates earn college degrees by their mid-20s, but the Consortium now says the figure should be 8 percent. The percentage of all CPS grads who eventually earn a degree was originally reported as one-third, but the new figure is just 45 percent.

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ELSEWHERE

Los Angeles: Military leader

An ex-Navy admiral with no education background will be superintendent of the L.A. Unified School District, according to the Oct. 13 Los Angeles Times. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he was "deeply disappointed" that the School Board chose retired Vice Adm. David L. Brewer III without including him in the process. Villaraigosa and the board had clashed over how much authority he would have over the selection. A new law giving the mayor veto power over the hiring of the superintendent, and substantial control over the district, will go into effect Jan. 1, 2007. The district is challenging the law.

Ohio: Increase funding

Ohioans say the state should increase spending for public education, according to a new poll reported in the Oct. 3 Cleveland Plain Dealer. About 80 percent of respondents said they want more money for education, more than the percentage that said they wanted more funding for economic development, courts and prisons, or health care for elderly and the poor. A majority of respondents also said they oppose the use of public money for private school vouche