Recent Contributions
by REBECCA VEVEA | Feb 23, 2012
Over the protests of parents, community members and teachers, the Board of Education on Wednesday unanimously approved the closure or overhaul of 17 schools. The move by a board whose members are selected by Mayor Rahm Emanuel advanced the mayor’s agenda of holding schools accountable for performance, and turning to outside operators when necessary to
by REBECCA VEVEA | Feb 20, 2012
Chicago Public School officials are making big changes during their first year in office, but there’s a group of people feeling shut out once again — parents. Despite a well-publicized commitment to involve parents in the city’s public education system, some of them are not happy with how Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his school team
by REBECCA VEVEA | Feb 16, 2012
The Chicago Teachers Union unveiled its blueprint for improving public schools Thursday–calling for smaller elementary class sizes and more art and computer offerings–in an apparent effort to broaden the narrative around its negotiations with the district. There was no mention of pay raises, though the report said teachers need “competitive salaries and benefits.” Last summer,
by REBECCA VEVEA | Feb 14, 2012
In seeking a turnaround of Chicago Public Schools, Mayor Rahm Emanuel has said he wants to shift away from state-mandated test scores in assessing school success. But when  a University of Chicago study last week raised questions about Chicago’s turnaround effort, the Emanuel administration returned to the state test scores as evidence of progress. The
by REBECCA VEVEA | Feb 13, 2012
One of the city’s highest-performing charter school groups, the Noble Street Charter School Network, has raked in nearly $400,000 over the last two school years by fining students for disciplinary infractions, a group of Chicago Public School students and parents said this morning. The Noble Street Charter School Network collected $188,647 in fines, which it calls “fees,” during
by REBECCA VEVEA | Feb 9, 2012
Chicago elementary schools that underwent various reform efforts since 1997 improved during the first four years of intervention, but still lagged behind the district on state exams, the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research said in a report released Wednesday. The long-awaited report also found that high schools that implemented dramatic reforms showed little
by REBECCA VEVEA | Jan 25, 2012
The Chicago Board of Education on Wednesday faced angry community members opposed to two of the new administration’s cornerstone reforms—overhauling failing schools and increasing the length of the school day. Neither issue was on the agenda, which included the approval of three new student health policies, two additional kindergarten magnet classrooms and the transfer of
by REBECCA VEVEA | Jan 19, 2012
Six months after barely closing a $712 million deficit, Chicago Public Schools officials have racked up a nearly $10 million bill in their aggressive push to lengthen the school day. With the entire city school system moving to a seven-and-a-half hour school day next year, parents and community members are questioning how the cash-strapped district
by REBECCA VEVEA | Jan 12, 2012
Twenty hands shot into the air after Ashley Tam asked a question of her third-graders during a math lesson Tuesday morning. One boy threw his arm up with such force his desk jumped off the ground with him. It was the first week of the much-anticipated longer school day as well as the second day
by REBECCA VEVEA | Dec 29, 2011
Illinois finally crossed the finish line first in the latest “Race to the Top” competition for federal education grants, a cornerstone of the Obama administration’s reform agenda. After coming up empty-handed three times in a row, the state was awarded $42.8 million from the United States Department of Education last week in a fourth round
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