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Adolescent Literacy

A raft of past programs have failed to substantially improve the reading skills of middle grade and high school students. CPS is trying once again, as part of a federal project that aims to help teens learn how to analyze complex non-fiction.

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teachers

For the Record: Teacher evaluation in contract talks September 12, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris Sparring between CPS and CTU has recently focused on the issue of state-required teacher evaluations, with the union lambasting plans for a new evaluation system, first detailed in March. The union says thousands of teachers could be at risk of being fired in the program’s first two years. But CPS says this is inaccurate. Read More \| (17) Comments	Strike, Day 2: Teacher evaluation, job rights September 11, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris and Sarah Karp Teacher evaluation took center stage in negotiations between CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union on Tuesday, with Mayor Rahm Emanuel saying he believed teachers could not legally strike over some of the issues at hand but backed away from the idea of an injunction to try and end the strike. Emanuel also sought to back up the district's position on teacher recall rights, bringing together principals to speak at a press conference about the importance of maintaining hiring authority at their schools. Read More \| (40) Comments
CTU opens strike headquarters September 08, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris On Saturday, the Chicago Teachers Union began using a Teamster City building to distribute strike signs and union clothing. The union also held a press conference where parents and students spoke in support of the teachers. Becky Malone of 19th Ward Parents (pictured) said she was “sick of hearing that anyone beame an educator to make a lot of money.” She asked: “Why is it the union had to threaten a strike so they could get such sweeping concessions" like desks for school psychologists and textbooks on the first day of school? Read More \| (5) Comments	Parents, clergy ask teachers to call off strike September 07, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris Community members from Bronzeville, Pilsen and Humboldt Park gathered outside the Chicago Teachers Union's Merchandise Mart headquarters Friday afternoon to teachers to call off Monday's strike. The press conference was organized by Democrats for Education Reform/Education Reform Now. Corey Brown, a 17-year-old senior at Clemente High School in Humboldt Park, said the strike would have a negative impact on the football season. Read More \| (35) Comments
Teachers move closer to 10-day strike notice August 22, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris and Sarah Karp Though they were not required to, Chicago Teachers Union delegates voted to give their leaders discretion to issue a 10-day notice of intent to strike."That is how we do things," said CTU President Karen Lewis in explaining why she looked to delegates for the go ahead to give notice. "We are a democracy." But more than anything, the move alerts CPS leadership and the public that a strike is a growing threat. If the CTU wants to strike on September 4, the first day of school, notice would have to be given by Saturday. Read More \| (12) Comments	In the News: Technology could push out more teachers August 09, 2012 By: Cassandra West As districts and states look for more efficient ways to operate, they are turning to technological approaches that some see as a threat to teacher jobs, according to Education Week. Read More \| (1) Comments
CPS, CTU reach partial agreement in contract talks July 24, 2012 By: Sarah Karp and Rebecca Harris CPS and CTU announced a partial agreement in ongoing teacher contract negotiations on Tuesday, with the union accepting the lengthening of the school day and the district saying it will hire 477 teachers, giving preference to teachers displaced over the past two years. With these extra teachers and some scheduling changes, such as eliminating a morning prep time and putting lunch for teachers back into the middle of the day, the workday for elementary school teachers won’t be lengthened and will be only slightly longer for high school teachers. Read More \| (19) Comments	CPS, CTU reject fact-finder July 18, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris Both the School Board and the Chicago Teachers Union rejected an arbitrator’s proposed contract settlement Wednesday, starting the 30-day countdown to a possible teacher strike. CPS was first, saying that the fact-finder’s report, which called for raises next year of 15 percent, would force the district to lay off 4,000 teachers in the first year alone. The total cost of the raises over four years--the recommended length of a contract--would reach $330 million, the board estimates. Read More \| (13) Comments
CTU, CPS spar over fact-finder, teacher raises July 16, 2012 By: Rebecca Harris At a press briefing Monday, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis accused CPS of improperly leaking the results of a fact-finding report to the press. Though Lewis disputed a published report that said the union had already decided to reject the proposed settlement, she left the door open for that—a move that would put the union a step closer to a possible strike—by saying that teachers are fighting for more than money. Read More \| (24) Comments

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