About 50 Chicago High School Students Earned Associate Degrees. CPS Wants To Boost That Number
CPS CEO Pedro Martinez has said he wants to see more students earn two-year degrees before graduation as part of a broader push to strengthen Chicago’s career and technical education offerings.
Unemployment Rates For Chicago’s Young Black Women Doubled During Pandemic, New Study Finds
“As conditions continued getting better for other people, they continued to get a lot worse for young Black women,” a researcher said.
Chicago Adopts New Policy For Evaluating How Schools Are Doing
The new policy replaces CPS' controversial school ratings system, which had long come under fire for overemphasizing test scores and unfairly labeling high-poverty campuses.
Chicago Is About To Shift How It Measures School Quality As Ratings Go Away
The new draft policy for sizing up schools’ performance would expand the metrics used to evaluate campuses — and aims to place greater emphasis on social and emotional development.
Chicago Schools Officials Promise More Money For Students With Disabilities, English Learners In Preliminary Budgets
School budgets will grow by almost $1,000 per student, but enrollment losses and program changes will mean flat or smaller overall budgets on 18 percent of the district’s campuses, officials said.
Chicago School Leaders Foresee Declining Revenue But Promise More Investments
District officials have repeatedly warned about leaner budgets ahead. By 2024, the district will spend down its $2.8 billion in federal COVID-19 relief, which has given it a financial cushion.
Chicago Will Spend $76.3 Million To Add, Upgrade School Security Cameras In Next 3 Years
Five high schools and 58 elementary schools will be the first to receive the camera upgrades this school year. About 430 schools will get the technology — all campuses without up-to-date camera systems.
Chicago’s Teachers Union Calls For Extended Parental Leave
Chicago approved a new policy in September that lengthened parental leave for about 32,000 city employees to 12 weeks, but union leaders said the city backed off from that plan in December.
Chicago Public Schools Is Monitoring Students’ Social Media For ‘Worrisome Behavior’
A Canada-based company the district hired started scouring public posts for threats and “cries for help” last month.
Chicago Schools Attendance Continued To Decline Last Year
The largest declines happened in the city’s charter schools and district-run campuses with majority Black student populations.
Chicago Public Schools May Take On More Costs As It Breaks Away From Mayoral Control, Report Says
CPS may be responsible for things like water bills, rent, summer programs and increased pension contributions — possibly adding up to tens of millions of dollars a year.
Chicago School Board Moves To Take Over Urban Prep, Once-Lauded Charter Serving Black Boys
The campuses in Englewood and Bronzeville will remain open under CPS management, officials said. The district plans to keep teachers and staff at the school.
Chicago’s 4-Year High School Graduation Rate Hits Record High
The graduation rate increased to 82.9 percent last year, up nearly 3 percent from the 2020-21 school year.
Chicago Public Schools Slated To Revoke Urban Prep’s Charters
The schools have been beset by financial trouble and allegations of sexual misconduct from its founder, who resigned in August. CPS wants to keep the Englewood and Bronzeville campuses open under district management.
On Chicago’s First Day Of School, A Mix Of Enthusiasm And Jitters
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools CEO Pedro Martinez are hoping for a better year after two tumultuous ones navigating the pandemic’s massive disruption to learning.
Amid Buzz For Career Training, Little Access For Chicago Teens At Alternative Schools
Only 40 percent of alternative high school students in Chicago graduate, and those who do can face bleak career prospects. As Chicago and other urban districts expand these programs, advocates worry alternative school students may be left out.
This Educator Is Bringing Clemente High School’s Library Back To Life
Townhouse is an impassioned advocate for school libraries at a time when Chicago and districts across the country are cutting back.
Technology, Skyline Rollout Dominate Chicago Public Schools’ Federal Relief Vendor Spending
Chicago has so far spent the bulk of its COVID relief money on salaries and benefits, mostly for positions that existed before the pandemic hit.
Early Results From This Spring’s State Test Suggest Chicago Students Are Still Struggling
Just 15 percent of the district’s third through eighth graders who took the test this spring met state standards in math, and a fifth of students met standards in English language arts.
At One High-Needs Chicago High School, The Class That Bore The Brunt Of COVID’s Toll Graduates
“Keeping it real: You have been cheated,” Richards principal Ellen Kennedy told graduates. “This pandemic robbed you of so many of the high school experiences you so richly deserve.”
