Current Issue

School closings

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

parent involvement

February 08, 2013

A follow-up study of students who attended the Ounce of Prevention Fund’s Educare early childhood center show promising results—for parents as well as students.

November 14, 2012

On the morning of the November board meeting, school closings are on everyone’s mind. But 15 parents and CPS alumni, affiliated with Stand for Children, New Schools for Chicago, and Education Reform Now, have gathered to ask the district to open more high-quality schools.

November 01, 2012

It’s interesting that most who responded in the comments section to an opinion piece by Lisa Kulicek and Cheyney Wortham have requested that “real parents” speak out and voice their opinions, but I seriously doubt that anyone really wants to hear them.

November 01, 2012

Mayor Emanuel and Walgreen Co. CEO Greg Wasson announced a new public-private partnership that creates a pilot incentive program aimed at encouraging parents to become more involved in their schools, part of new efforts CPS is undertaking to better engage parents across the district.

October 15, 2012

We all know the statistics. 

By the age of 25, just 6% of students who enter CPS high schools as freshmen will have a bachelors’ degree.  For African-American and Latino students, that number drops to just 3% who will hold a four-year degree.  This is a systemic problem that starts at birth, but is exacerbated by inequities in a school system. There is a 28-point gap between the percentage of Caucasian and African-American students who meet and exceed reading standards in 3rd grade. In 11th grade, the gap is 40 points.

October 05, 2012

I moved to the Beverly community (the 19th ward) for many reasons—the anchor one being the strong public schools.  Within months of moving, the attendance boundaries were redrawn and I no longer was zoned to a high-performing public school. Student scores are just one of the many indicators of the school’s success. 

We are now zoned to the school where barely a third of 3rd-graders are reading at grade level and only 18% of their 8th graders are proficient in math.

October 01, 2012

Now that the strike is over and parents, students and teachers are finally settling into the routine of the school year, many parents we talk to are wondering what will change in terms of how policies are shaped at the district level at Chicago Public Schools. The blogosphere is abuzz from East Coast to West with opinions on the value and meaning of this strike. Tomorrow, our teachers in Chicago will vote on whether or not to ratify the contract.

October 07, 2011

A vast majority of Chicago Public School parents favor a longer class day for their children but disagree on how to spend the time, according to an exclusive FOX Chicago News survey conducted by pollster We Ask America.

March 12, 2009

A newly launched advocacy group, Latinos United for Priorities in Education, is the brainchild of former CPS principal Carlos Azcoitia, now a faculty member at National- Louis University. The group’s members include 12th Ward Ald. George Cardenas; Ana Maria Soto, director of Latino initiatives at National-Louis University; Milly Santiago, head of Hispanic media for Gov.

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