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School closings

As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.

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Chicago Teachers Union

In the News: CTU submits its contract demands January 23, 2012 By: Cassandra West The Chicago Teachers Union submitted a list of demands to the Chicago Public Schools on Friday as they and district administrators embark on what is likely to become months of grueling contract negotiations. (Tribune) Read More \| (0) Comments	Contract talks gear up, schools hold 'practice' strike votes January 20, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris As contract negotiations gear up between the Chicago Teachers Union and CPS, teachers say that working conditions such as class size, prep time, and professional development days could become critical points in contract talks. At the same time, increasing pressure on teachers to raise test scores, coupled with teachers’ perceptions that city and district officials don’t respect them, has sparked practice strike votes at several schools. But it’s not clear how many schools have held such votes, and the union’s not saying. Read More \| (6) Comments
In the News: Brizard talks overcrowding, sex ed, turnarounds January 06, 2012 By: Cassandra West In Thursday's edition of WBEZ's "Schools on the Line" program, Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard fielded questions from parents, teachers and students about everything from sex education to recouping more than a million dollars the district improperly paid to retired teachers. Read More \| (2) Comments	In the News: Getting at why school choice fails December 06, 2011 By: Cassandra West Natalie Hopkinson, a Washington-based writer and parent, takes on the perverse inequities that play out along racial lines and have resulted from a "reform" process that proponents say will bring choice and accountability to school systems in majority-black neighborhoods such as hers. (The New York Times) Read More \| (0) Comments
In the News: No charters on closing list December 05, 2011 By: Cassandra West While the state last week released detailed performance data for city charter schools for the first time, revealing that many schools from even the most prominent charter networks struggle to close the achievement gap for low-income students, not a single charter school made the schools closing list announced by CPS officials. (Tribune) Read More \| (0) Comments	In the News: State slips in higher ed credibility November 29, 2011 By: Cassandra West A report from the Institute for Research on Higher Education looks at Illinois' decline from being a top-performing state in preparing students for college, enrolling residents in college and keeping college affordable. Read More \| (1) Comments
For the Record: Teacher diversity November 28, 2011 By: Rebecca Harris The Center for American Progress released a report recently, “Teacher Diversity Matters,” detailing the “teacher diversity gap” state-by-state. The findings paint a sobering picture of minority under-representation, statewide, in the teaching profession: Just 54 percent of Illinois students are white, but 89 percent of teachers are. Read More \| (0) Comments	In the News: Groups ready to battle over closings November 16, 2011 By: Cassandra West Community groups around Chicago have begun revving up for what likely will be a fierce battle to keep neighborhood schools open as CPS prepares to announce this year's list of school closings and consolidations. (Tribune) Read More \| (3) Comments
In the News: School district spending gap remains vast November 07, 2011 By: Cassandra West A Tribune data analysis found the gap in spending between rich and poor school districts is no narrower than it was 10 years ago. In both 2002 and 2011, the 10 poorest schools on average spent 30 percent of what the 10 richest schools spent on average to educate each student, according to the analysis. Read More \| (0) Comments