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Chalkbeat Chicago

Chalkbeat Chicago
Chalkbeat Chicago

Applying To Chicago Public Schools? Here’s A Guide To The 2024-25 Application Process.

Families use the application for entry to a variety of schools, including selective test-in schools and neighborhood schools outside of their attendance boundaries.

Citywide

Chicago Public Schools Is Becoming Less Low-Income. Here’s Why That Matters

Ten years ago, 85% of Chicago Public Schools students came from low-income households. Now, that figure is 73%.

Citywide

After First Week Of Classes, Hundreds Of Chicago Students With Disabilities Waiting For Bus Routes

A total of 733 students with disabilities, who are legally entitled to transportation under federal law, were waiting for bus service as of Monday, CPS officials said.

Citywide

Meet The Teens Advising Chicago’s Mayor On Education

Commission members, who range in ages from 14 to 19, can serve up to two years and meet at least once a month to discuss policy with city leaders and community groups. They receive a yearly stipend of up to $500.

Citywide

Chicago Public Schools Meets Deadline To Train Staff On Restraint, Seclusion, Officials Say

The state board placed the district under watch last fall after the district repeatedly failed to comply with state laws governing the use of restraint, timeout and seclusion.

Citywide

First Day Of School: Chicago Public Schools Reopens Under A New Era Of Leadership

As roughly 320,000 students went back to class across Chicago, the district faces a number of challenges for the new school year.

Citywide

8,000 Chicago Public Schools Students Won’t Have Bus Service On First Day Of School

The district is blaming the problem on an ongoing bus driver shortage.

Citywide

Chicago Schools With Mostly Black Student Bodies Share Less Information About LSCs: Report

The findings suggest that white and more affluent parents are more likely to have access to accurate LSC information and LSCs without parent vacancies.

Citywide

Will Chicago Meet Deadline To Train Staff On How And When They Can Restrain Students?

Chicago Public Schools risks losing state funding if it doesn't train at least two employees at each of its over 600 schools by Aug. 21.

Citywide

Chicago Teachers Help Refugee Youth Navigate A New Language, A New Culture, And In The Fall, New Schools

"These children are coming from a lot of trauma, and the first thing cannot be academics," said Sol Camano, a bilingual Chicago educator.

Beverly, Mt. Greenwood, Morgan Park

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Transition Team Releases Its Recommendations For Schools

The 223-page document released Thursday includes an ambitious progressive education agenda for the former middle school teacher and union organizer who took office in May.

Citywide

Mayor Brandon Johnson Appoints New Chicago School Board Members

Jianan Shi of the parent advocacy group Raise Your Hand was appointed as board president. Johnson replaced all but one of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot's appointed members.

Citywide

Chicago School Board Approves $9.4 Billion Budget As District Officials Warn Of Looming Deficit

“Many districts around the country right now are pressured to cut,” said Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez. “We’re seeing layoffs. We’re seeing school closures. And so it is, it is a warning for us.”

Citywide

Chicago School Board Backs Funding For Campus Police — And An Initiative To Reduce Reliance On It

The number of police officers stationed in schools has also been cut nearly in half in recent year. Next year, the district will staff 57 police officers at 39 high schools, down from 108 officers at 53 high schools in 2020. 

Citywide

Chicago Public Schools Staff To Get 12 Weeks Paid Parental Leave

Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former CTU organizer and teacher, announced the new policy Thursday alongside CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and CTU President Stacy Davis Gates.

Citywide

Chicago Public Schools Violating State Law On Use Of Restraint, Timeout In School, State Says

Documents obtained by Chalkbeat Chicago show that untrained staff restrained or secluded students for long periods of time, used outlawed methods of restraint, and restrained students who were not a threat to themselves or others.

Citywide

CPS Faces Dwindling Enrollment, Empty Buildings, Soaring Deficits Decade After Mass Closure Of Schools

Top public officials are vowing improvements as the district marks the 10th anniversary of its decision to close 49 schools.

Citywide

Full-day Kindergarten Will Be Required In Illinois Public Schools By 2027 Under Bill Headed To Governor’s Desk

School districts around the state will have to offer full-day kindergarten to families with children between 4 and 6 years old by the 2027-28 school year if the bill is signed into law.

Citywide

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.

Citywide

Chicagoans Reject Illinois Lawmakers’ Revised Draft Map For Elected School Board

Lawmakers face a July 1 deadline to draw districts for the November 2024 election, when Chicago voters are set to elect 10 of 21 school board members.

Citywide
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