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Special Education

Even as CPS opens more new schools, children with special needs have a tougher time finding options. Placements in private therapeutic schools are scarce, and some charters are reluctant to enroll them.

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government and policy

Federal program a work-in-progress April 15, 2012 By: Alyson Klein, Education Week After two years, the federal program providing billions of dollars to help states and districts close or remake some of their worst-performing schools remains an ambitious work in progress, with roughly 1,200 turnaround efforts under way but still no verdict on its effectiveness. Read More \| (0) Comments	Will recession hinder long-term gains? April 15, 2012 By: Andrew Bronstein For the casual visitor, it’s easy to miss that Southeast High School in rural Kansas—once among the lowest academic performers in the state—is in the midst of a profound transformation. Like so many other Kansas schools, the building in Cherokee (population: 722) shows the telltale signs of a suffering economy. Bus routes have been cut, as have supplies. Custodians, secretaries and cafeteria workers took an eight-day pay cut. During the harsh winters, students bundle up to make it through classes where the temperature hovers at an uncomfortable, but cost-saving 68 degrees. Read More \| (0) Comments
State funding for Chicago schools on lawmaker's agenda April 10, 2012 By: Jim Broadway and Pam Monetti SPRINGFIELD - The House Elementary and Secondary Education-Appropriations Committee meets Thursday in Chicago to take testimony on programs funded through the Illinois State Board of Education budget. This committee will have a great deal to say about FY 2013 funding for programs that include After School Matters, started by the late Maggie Daley, and programs for dropouts and homeless students. Read More \| (0) Comments	Legislators grill Brizard on school closings, turnarounds April 02, 2012 By: Jim Broadway SPRINGFIELD -- Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and members of his staff were grilled for more than two hours by legislators who sharply questioned the district’s decision-making on school closings and turnarounds and called for a summit of the CPS facilities task force. Read More \| (33) Comments
Chicago schools: 'tough year' in Springfield? February 23, 2012 By: Jim Broadway SPRINGFIELD--Halfway through his presentation of a bill to force the Chicago Public Schools to testify as to how it plans to spend block grant money it receives from the state, Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-Chicago) was asked to take the bill “out of the record.” Read More \| (3) Comments	Reforms won't work without trust February 16, 2012 By: Laurence Stanton State Education Agencies (SEAs), school districts and teacher unions across the country have committed or will soon commit to making ambitious changes to their schools over the next several years in response to the Race to the Top competition and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act waiver process. The commitments include everything from the Common Core standards to new ways of evaluating and compensating teachers. If well-planned and implemented, each of these initiatives could be a powerful lever for school improvement. Read More \| (5) Comments
Chicago lawmakers file bills to rein in school closings, class sizes February 06, 2012 By: Jim Broadway SPRINGFIELD - When Chicago catches a cold, the Illinois General Assembly coughs. The state legislature has been hacking like a two-pack-a-day smoker over school actions in the Chicago Public Schools—closings, phase-outs, changes in attendance boundaries and other moves that critics say are disruptive for students and the surrounding neighborhoods. (Find the district’s facilities plan online.) Read More \| (12) Comments	State issues draft rules for new performance evaluations November 18, 2011 By: Sarah Karp and Rebecca Harris Growth in student learning would count initially for at least 25 percent and eventually 30 percent of teacher and administrator evaluations, under new rules that won preliminary state approval on Friday. The impact of the new rules will be wide ranging, affecting, for example, the state's recognition of teacher preparation programs as well as teacher tenure and layoff decisions. Read More \| (4) Comments
Duncan, Emanuel tout longer school day; legal experts say union challenge may have merit September 09, 2011 By: Sarah Karp and Rebecca Harris Education Secretary Arne Duncan came back to Chicago on Friday to pat state and local leaders on the back for two things: passing state legislation on education and paving the way to accomplish one of the things he didn’t as schools CEO: lengthening the school day. But his successor won’t avoid labor strife as district officials try to accomplish a move that Duncan and his boss, former Mayor M. Richard Daley, could not. Read More \| (14) Comments

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