Current Issue

School closings

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

teachers

May 18, 2011

Teacher activism, “reframing” the public debate on education and skepticism regarding teacher evaluation were among the topics at the recent Chicago Teachers Union’s annual School Improvement Conference.

“Education in Crisis: What YOU Can Do” offered a day-long series of speeches and workshops with advice on curriculum and teaching, but also strategies to help teachers organize for the expected battles with a new city administration and schools leadership.

May 06, 2011

“Bargaining in good faith appears to be a bar set too high for these  so-called educational reformers – Advance Illinois, Stand for Children,  Illinois Business Roundtable and their millionaire funders,” declared  the Chicago Teachers Union Thursday.

May 05, 2011

At Wednesday night’s House of Delegates meeting, Chicago Teachers Union   members called on union leaders to reopen negotiations to try to change  several provisions in Illinois Senate Bill 7, which would curb tenure  and strike rights for teachers.

March 29, 2011

Chicago Public Schools did violate state law in its treatment of teachers laid off last summer, according to a 2-1 ruling issued Tuesday by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court ordered the district to create a policy that gives teachers a chance to demonstrate their qualifications for new positions.

March 14, 2011

Diane Ravitch, the education historian and author, told hundreds of Chicago Teachers Union members Saturday they can’t let the corporate reformers dismantle the education profession.

March 04, 2011

The Chicago Teachers Union has long wanted to scrap the residency requirement for teachers, arguing that the rule is a hiring deterrent. But under former CEO Ron Huberman, the district stepped up its policing of teachers for violating that rule, along with other board policies.

December 04, 2010

The number of prospective teachers passing the basic skills test needed to get into education colleges has decreased dramatically, especially for Latino and black candidates, since an increase in passing scores was instituted in September. The sharp decline has set off alarms among some advocates and state lawmakers.

December 02, 2010

Illinois has a good opportunity to be creative and provide leadership in the development of new evaluation systems for teachers, the executive director of the Illinois Education Association said at a gathering of some 250 education leaders this week.

November 30, 2010

For years, alternative teacher and principal certification programs have been legally tethered to universities and dependent on state-accredited schools to provide the coursework required for teacher certification.