turnarounds | catalyst-chicago.org

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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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turnarounds

A special push October 13, 2011 By: Sarah Karp Marshall has long been a candidate for drastic action, with the percentage of students meeting state testing standards lingering in the single digits for years. But when CPS leaders announced that Marshall would become a turnaround, there was an additional outside push: The state had sanctioned the school because of its poorly run special education program. Read More \| (0) Comments	The turnaround and transformation vision October 13, 2011 By: Sarah Karp Donald Fraynd, the sprightly former Jones College Prep principal, has led the district’s school turnaround effort since its inception. At Catalyst Chicago press time, he was serving as interim chief of schools for a group of high schools on the South and West sides. But his heart remained with the cadre of struggling schools that he’s charged with improving. Fraynd says these big neighborhood high schools, like Marshall and Phillips, do have a role to play in the district’s future. Read More \| (1) Comments
Last-ditch tactic October 13, 2011 By: Sarah Karp Outside Marshall High, the day is cool but sunny. The school has been power-washed from a dingy red to a bright maroon. In place of the old broken concrete, weeds and rusted poles—remnants of a basketball court—is a newly sodded football field and a newly planted arboretum full of skinny young trees.Inside Marshall, the smell of fresh paint hovers in the air. It is the first day of school, September 7, 2010. Read More \| (5) Comments	Lack of preparation October 13, 2011 In 2010, 48 high schools in Illinois were eligible for federal School Improvement Grant funds. Ten schools received grants ranging from $5.8 million to $1.1 million. Academic performance at these schools stands in stark contrast to state and national averages. Read More \| (0) Comments
Beating the odds October 13, 2011 By: Sarah Karp Whenever the one-note, mechanical “bing” would sound, Tamoura Hayes’ nerves began to unravel. Around her, the hallway would quickly fill up, turning into Lake Michigan on a stormy day, loud and thrashing. In the fall of 2007, Tamoura was a quiet 14-year-old freshman at Marshall High. Every time she moved from one class to the next, she did her best to avert her eyes from anyone and just blend in. Often, she had to duck around fights or avoid bullies. She didn’t tell anyone about the dread she felt. Today, Tamoura is 18 and can laugh about it. Read More \| (2) Comments