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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.

local school councils

December 12, 2012

This year, I helped hire my boss. I had the unusual opportunity to play a crucial role in deciding who would evaluate my job performance and ultimately decide whether or not I would keep my job as a teacher in Chicago Public Schools.

May 25, 2012

In a victory for CPS, a judge has dismissed for the second time a lawsuit filed by parents who sought to stop school closings and turnarounds.

April 17, 2012

Local School Council elections in Chicago Public Schools start this Wednesday, with 6,500 candidates running for the school-based seats. Meanwhile, CPS has created an app called, "Who is Running for my Local School Council?" so parents can see a list of candidates running for positions.

April 11, 2012

One of the original authors of the LSC concept says Chicago Public Schools obstructed their own efforts to promote LSC elections by taking more than a week to make the names of Local School Council candidates available to the press or public.

March 23, 2012

State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D-Chicago) wants to offer merit pay to elected Local School Council members whose schools show marked academic improvement, Progress Illinois reports.

March 22, 2012

A study released today that looks at the affect of the 13 International Baccalaureate Diploma Programs in Chicago found that when compared to a matched comparison group, IBDP students are 40 percent more likely to attend a four-year college and 50 percent more likely to attend a more selective college.

March 21, 2012

Chicago Public Schools is looking for nearly 2,000 parents and community representatives to stand for upcoming local school council elections. As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, 1,395 parents were still needed to serve on councils at 359 schools, and 490 community representatives were needed at 302 schools, according to WBEZ. The deadline to sign up is 3 p.m. Friday.

March 07, 2012

Faced with a dearth of candidates, CPS has for the second time extended the deadline to register to run in next month’s local school council elections. Candidates now have until March 23rd to file. So far, only 2,060 candidates have been recruited for more than 6,800 open seats in the April 18th elections.

February 10, 2012

The rapid growth of Latino and other immigrant populations in Chicago’s suburbs is outstripping the ability of public schools to provide bilingual programs mandated by Illinois, and government financing for the programs is shrinking, state records show, according to a Catalyst Chicago story that appeared in the New York Times.

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