EDUCATION NEWS

Below, please find education news from sources around the state and nation.
You can also read our Weekly News Update here.

Draft Common Standards Elicit Kudos and Criticism
Education Week - March 10, 2010
The first public draft of grade-by-grade common standards, released this morning, is being greeted with a mix of praise and skepticism, illustrating both the mounting consensus that the country needs to set higher expectations for all students and the many problems that complicate their adoption. Read more...

Many Nations Passing U.S. in Education, Expert Says
New York Times - March 9, 2010
In another sign that the static performance of U.S. schools is no longer good enough, one of the world’s foremost experts on comparing national school systems told U.S. lawmakers that many other countries were surpassing the United States in educational attainment, including Canada, where he said 15-year-old students were, on average, more than one school year ahead of American 15-year-olds. Andreas Schleicher, a senior education official at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Poland, he said is improving its education system most rapidly. In less than a decade, it raised the literacy skills of its 15-year-olds by the equivalent of almost a school year. “If the U.S. would raise the performance of schools by a similar amount,” he said, “that could translate into a long-term economic value of over 40 trillion dollars.” Read more...

Bad Teachers: Reform Them or Retire Them?
Newsweek - March 10, 2010
On Sunday, The New York Times Magazine published a cover story called "Building a Better Teacher." Written by Elizabeth Green, the article detailed how teachers could be retrained to increase classroom performance. On Monday, NEWSWEEK published a cover package labeled "The Key to Fixing American Education." In that series of articles, authors Evan Thomas and Pat Wingert argued that the only way to increase classroom performance was to fire the teachers who didn't get results. So which is it? Can bad teachers be reformed, or should they be kicked to the curb? We asked Green and Thomas to debate the issue via e-mail, and will publish their discussion, as it unfolds, below.   Read more...

Treating Different Teachers Differently
Center for American Progress - March 10, 2010
Historically, state and local policies have tended to treat all teachers as if they were equally effective in promoting student learning,1 but a good deal of evidence amassed over the past decade documents enormous variation in teacher effectiveness.2 The effectiveness of a teacher is indeed the most important school-based factor determining students’ levels of academic achievement, yet few state and district policies reflect this finding. Read more...

Removing Chronically Ineffective Teachers
Center for American Progress - March 10, 2010
The importance of effective teaching in the nation’s public schools is receiving unprecedented attention. As President Barack Obama so aptly stated in his remarks to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce last year, “From the moment students enter a school, the most important factor in their success is not the color of their skin or the income of their parents, it’s the person standing at the front of the classroom.” The president expresses what a great deal of research has documented—that teachers have a tremendous impact on student achievement and that teachers vary greatly in their effectiveness. Read more...

Latest School Worry: Categorical Cash
Illinois Statehouse News - March 9, 2010
Principals across Illinois already know they will likely have to lay off teachers this spring. They also already know that any checks from the state are going to be late. But now school officials in Springfield are raising questions about money for special education, transportation, and early childhood education. Read more...

What Would Diane Do?
Huffington Post - March 9, 2010
Diane Ravitch is an inspired writer, one of the few education analysts with a historical perspective, and a professional skeptic and contrarian. These admirable traits are in short supply these days but in full display in her new book The Death and Life of the Great American School System. Read more...

Districts Struggle Amid State’s Budget Woes
Several stories from the week on how districts are coping with late payments from the state, as it struggles with an historic budget deficit. A special thanks to Catalyst-Chicago for their "In the News" digest.

District 300 cuts 100 teachers (Daily Herald)

West Richland cuts teaching positions (Olney Daily Mail)

Springfield D186 may cut classroom teachers (State Journal Register)

Geneva schools cut $1.4 million (Daily Herald)

Delavan superintendent, facing budget cuts, skips own pay raise (Pantagraph)

Ravitch, unpredictable, still likes NCLB basics
The Washington Post, Class Struggle by Jay Mathews - March 9, 2010
Everybody (okay, everybody among the few thousand education obsessives who might read this) is talking about Diane Ravitch's new book, "The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education." Read more...

Two D204 schools could enter new program
Naperville Sun - March 9, 2010
Changing demographics around Indian Prairie District 204 means changing the way some of its schools receive and use federal funding. Read more...

On to college…
Chicago Tribune - March 8, 2010
If nothing else made you feel good last week, you had to smile at the news out of Urban Prep Academy for Young Men, a charter school in Englewood. Read more...

Final Rules Unveiled for 'i3' Innovation Fund
Education Week - March 8, 2010
The U.S. Department of Education today unveiled the final rules for its $650 million Investing in Innovation, or i3, grant program, standing fast in the face of criticism that its proposed guidelines demanded too much from applicants in the way of private-sector match and evidence to back up their proposals. Read more...

Chicago group set to take parent education campaign statewide
Catalyst Chicago - March 8, 2010
To outsiders, the fact that a school is performing poorly might seem obvious from the numbers readily available on state school report cards. Read more...

Pre-med student switches gears to teach in Chicago school
Chicago Tribune - March 8, 2010
Throughout Joseph Lee's childhood, his parents believed they were grooming a future doctor. But last year when Lee was a senior and pre-med major at Northwestern University, something was gnawing at him. Read more...

All of charter school's senior class accepted to college
Chicago Sun-Times - March 6, 2010
Four years ago, every freshman at Urban Prep Academy Charter High School-Englewood was given a watch and told they now had no excuse to be late for class at a school dedicated to putting black males into college. Read more...

Students' Civil Rights to Get Scrutiny
The Wall Street Journal - March 8, 2010
The Obama administration plans to crack down on civil-rights infractions in school districts and university systems, including alleged disparities in the disciplining of white and black students. Read more...

Students in race for state's college financial aid funds
Chicago Sun-Times - March 8, 2010
Applications for state financial aid grants are being filed at a record pace. Students who don't complete applications soon could risk being shut out from state aid. Read more...

Building a Better Teacher
The New York Times - March 2, 2010
On a winter day five years ago, Doug Lemov realized he had a problem. After a successful career as a teacher, a principal and a charter-school founder, he was working as a consultant, hired by troubled schools eager — desperate, in some cases — for Lemov to tell them what to do to get better. Read more...

Illinois named a Race to the Top Finalist
Congratulations to Illinois for being named one of the 16 Race to the Top finalists. State leaders and lawmakers should be proud of their hard work and smart leadership over the past year. Good luck to the team going to do the finalist interview in Washington. Here is the statement from Advance Illinois Executive Director Robin Steans.   Here is the Governor's press release. Here is the Dept of Ed page on the Race to the Top. From Education Week, here is a summary of the national picture. Catalyst Chicago and Chicago Tribune both note Illinois’ strong collaboration and its evaluation legislation.   Illinois Statehouse News notes that it’s an endorsement of the momentum behind reform in the state. Daily Herald talks to local superintendents who note the devil is in the details.

U.S. Teachers More Interested in Reform Than Money
Associated Press - March 3, 2010
U.S. teachers are more interested in school reform and student achievement than their paychecks, according to a massive new survey. Read more...

More Funding for Principal Training Deemed Vital
Education Week - March 2, 2010
As principals come under more pressure than ever to improve underperforming schools, leadership experts say it’s time for the nation to emphasize recruiting and training the next generation of school leaders. Read more...

Scholar’s School Reform U-Turn Shakes Up Debate
The New York Times - March 2, 2010
Diane Ravitch, the education historian who built her intellectual reputation battling progressive educators and served in the first Bush administration’s Education Department, is in the final stages of an astonishing, slow-motion about-face on almost every stand she once took on American schooling.   Read more...

Ravitch on the Road to Damascus
National Alliance for Public Charter Schools - March 2, 2010
Diane Ravitch is probably the only person in America who would begin re-evaluating her entire belief system while sitting in a research seminar at the American Enterprise Institute.   Read more...

School board unanimously approves college-prep academy
The State Journal-Register - March 2, 2010
The Springfield School Board on Tuesday approved plans to open a small college preparatory academy next fall, after concluding that it’s worth the extra $120,000 to run the program. Read more...

Morton East students stage walkout
The Chicago Tribune - March 2, 2010
Angered over a budget reduction plan to eliminate classes and lay off teachers, more than 100 students from Morton East High School in Cicero walked out of school Tuesday morning and staged a brief protest in the streets. Read more...

Illinois schools chiefs’ growing salaries
The Chicago Tribune - March 2, 2010
The state's school superintendents are cutting costs in a gruesome budget cycle, but they can take some consolation: Their own paychecks are growing comfortably. Read more...

Meeks’ School Voucher Plan Moves Ahead
Illinois Statehouse News - March 1, 2010
A new school voucher program proposed by Democratic state Sen. James Meeks of Chicago has cleared its first test, but murky waters loom ahead. Read more...

'A Decent Education'
The Chicago Tribune - March 2, 2010
When state Sen. James Meeks asks fellow Democrats to give education vouchers to kids who attend some of the worst schools in Chicago, the legislators often tell him they don't want to divert dollars from public education. Meeks' response: "If the public schools are not doing their job, why do you want to continue to reward them with money?" Read more...

Local lawmakers warn of deep school cuts
The Daily Herald - March 1, 2010
State lawmakers who help oversee school funding discussions at the Capitol say local districts should plan for the worst as education funding is likely to lose its sacred cow status with the state trying to erase a nearly $13 billion budget deficit. Read more...

Today Is Publication Day
Education Week Blog, Bridging Differences - March 2, 2010
Today is publication day for The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education by Diane Ravitch. As former U.S. Dept of Education, Ravitch supported No Child Left Behind, but has had a change of heart and written a book critical of many components of the modern reform movement. She blogged about it this morning. Advance Illinois supports many of the reforms Ravitch criticizes, but, as is our custom, we encourage a healthy debate about them. Read more...

Former 'No Child Left Behind' Advocate Turns Critic
NPR - March 2, 2010
In 2005, former Assistant Secretary of Education Diane Ravitch wrote, "We should thank President George W. Bush and Congress for passing the No Child Left Behind Act ... All this attention and focus is paying off for younger students, who are reading and solving mathematics problems better than their parents' generation." Four years later, Ravitch has changed her mind. Read more or listen here...

Obama unveils 'turnaround' grants for schools
The Los Angeles Times - March 2, 2010
$900 million in grants will be available next year for low-performing schools that opt for one of four reform models, which include firing the principal and even closing the campus. Read more...

Obama Backs Rewarding Districts That Police Failing Schools
The New York Times - March 1, 2010
President Obama said Monday that he favored federal rewards for local school districts that fire underperforming teachers and close failing schools, saying educators needed to be held accountable when they failed to fix chronically troubled classrooms and curb the student dropout rate. Read more...

Obama Seeks Money, Interventions to Stem Dropouts
Education Week - March 1, 2010
President Barack Obama took aim Monday at the nation's school dropout epidemic, proposing $900 million to states and education districts that agree to drastically change or even shutter their worst performing schools. Read more...

Conn. lawmakers may beef up "Race to the Top" plan
The Boston Globe - February 28, 2010
Connecticut lawmakers are considering ways to fortify the state's application for millions of dollars in education funding under the president's "Race to the Top" initiative, concerned the state won't receive funding in the first round. Read more...

In Middle School, Charting Their Course to College and Beyond
The New York Times - February 28, 2010
Public schools have long offered their students the same basic academic program, with little real choice aside from foreign languages or an occasional elective in what was a one-size-fits-all approach that drove many families to seek private and charter schools. Read more...

Protests and Promises of Improvements at Schools
The News York Times - February 26, 2010
Josephine Norwood, a Bronzeville mother of three Chicago public school students, has rebounded from two rounds of school closings that displaced her children from their schools. As she watched the Board of Education approve another set of schools for closing or turnaround last week, Mrs. Norwood had a simple question: Can Chicago Public Schools officials promise that the new schools will be better?   Read more...

State's red ink likely to mean cuts for schools
JG-TC Online - February 26, 2010
Gov. Pat Quinn’s initial budget scenario revealed this week shows the potential for big cuts in school funding next year because federal stimulus money is drying up. Read more...

Central Illinois school superintendents expect more cuts ahead
Peoria Journal Star - February 25, 2010
Area school superintendents say possible drastic cuts in state funding for education, while expected and becoming more tangible, will be hard to swallow. Read more...

County may lend $1 million to education office
Peoria Journal Star - February 25, 2010
Peoria County could temporarily pick up slack for the state of Illinois after preliminary approval to issue a $1 million line of credit to the Peoria Regional Office of Education to meet payroll. Read more...

Turnarounds can work: Here's Howe
Chicago Sun-Times - February 25, 2010
To an outsider, Howe School of Excellence rises from the landscape like a decaying fortress. But to the people who work there every day -- the principal, administrators, teachers and students -- Howe is a haven in a sea of chaos. Read more...

State Superintendent Says Schools Face Funding Cliff
Illinois Statehouse News - February 25, 2010
The state’s superintendent of education says he sympathizes with local school administrators’ dilemma of dealing with late payments from the state. But with the state mired in a deep budget crisis, Chris Koch said there’s not much he or the state can do. Read more...

Schools to take wallop in 2011 state budget
Chicago Sun-Times - February 25, 2010
Without an infusion of cash, Gov. Quinn plans to slash more than $2 billion from next year's state budget and make already cash-strapped public school systems across Illinois bear the brunt of that cutting, his budget director confirmed Wednesday. Read more...

A Fiscal Rehabilitation Plan for the State of Illinois
Institute for Illinois' Fiscal Stability at the Civic Federation
The Fiscal Rehabilitation Plan for the State of Illinois describes the basis of Illinois’ current fiscal crisis and presents the Civic Federation’s plan to salvage the State’s finances. This plan calls for a comprehensive package of budget cuts, pension reforms, and revenue increases to put Illinois on solid financial footing and address its nationally-recognized fiscal crisis. Read more...

Quinn Administration Launches First-Ever Interactive Budget Web Site
BudgetIllinois.Gov - February 24, 2010
Officials from Governor Pat Quinn’s Administration today announced that, for the first time in Illinois’ history, the public can actively participate in the state’s budgeting process. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) today launched www.budget.illinois.gov, a Web site that allows Illinois residents to provide feedback that will be used to shape the state’s fiscal year 2011 budget. Read more...

Schools big loser in early Quinn budget
Chicago Business - February 24, 2010
Gov. Pat Quinn's administration Wednesday gave taxpayers the first peek at what will happen to spending if the General Assembly doesn't give him a tax hike this spring, and it ain't pretty. Read more...

Quinn releases budget numbers
Illinois Issues Blog - February 24, 2010
Gov. Pat Quinn’s office spelled out today the shortfall and cuts that could come with next year’s budget. Read more...

'Doomsday is here for the state of Illinois'
Chicago Sun-Times - February 22, 2010
To become solvent, the state must enact the largest tax-increase package in Illinois history, whack another $2 billion from already starved government programs and wrest major financial concessions from the state's unionized work force, a nonpartisan government watchdog contends. Read more...

Many Authorized STEM Projects Fail to Get Funding
Education Week - February 23, 2010
With considerable fanfare and bipartisan support, Congress in 2007 approved a bill to strengthen the nation’s economic competitiveness that features a strong emphasis on bolstering education in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. And yet, many of the new education-related programs spelled out under the federal law, called the America COMPETES ActRequires Adobe Acrobat Reader, have so far amounted to unfulfilled promises. Read more...

Illinois stuck in a ‘historic, epic’ budget crisis
The Chicago Tribune - February 23, 2010
Illinois government is staring down the barrel of an explosive financial mess, and perhaps nothing frames the danger better than two big numbers. Read more...

Per-Pupil Cash from Springfield Could Shrink
Illinois Statehouse News - February 23, 2010
Illinois schools are struggling with late state aid payments for this school year. But lawmakers in Springfield are warning local districts that those payments may be more than just late next year. Read more...

Nearly 1,000 schools recognized for academic excellence on 2009 Illinois Honor Roll
Press Release, Illinois State Board of Education - February 23, 2010
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Northern Illinois University (NIU) announced today that 975 schools made the Illinois Honor Roll for their continued academic progress. The 2009 honor roll includes more than 90 schoolsthat are being recognized for the sixth or seventh consecutive year. All of these outstanding schools are being honored for their accomplishments in making progress toward or maintaining academic excellence. Read more...

Senator seeks open school enrollment statewide
Daily Herald - February 23, 2010
State government will have to be more flexible on where residents send their kids to school if a Democrat from Chicago gets his way. State Sen. James Meeks has introduced legislation that would require schools to enroll students from any part of the state, regardless of whether they live inside the school district. Read more...

Preaching Choice in Obama's Hometown
The Wall Street Journal - February 23, 2010
'The voucher movement seems to have been born, or seems to have been started as a Republican idea. That's the way Democrats look at it. That's the way black lawmakers look at it. This is a Republican idea. This is what the Republicans want to push on us. . . . We don't seem to see public schools not working in your area." Read more...

Early education another victim of Illinois budget crisis
Catalyst Chicago - February 18, 2010
In Early Childhood Education Preschool for All, still reeling from a 10 percent funding cut this fall, is now facing even more uncertainty. As the state teeters on the edge of insolvency – with at least $5 billion in unpaid bills this year and a projected deficit for next year large enough to wipe out several state departments – no one is sure how many children the program will be able to serve, or have to turn away, next year. Read more...

Rookie Chicago Public Schools teachers get full-time coaches
The Chicago Tribune - February 24, 2010
Halfway through Mandy Nelson's first year of teaching struggling fifth-graders, she has a different reaction than many newbie teachers: She loves it. A high percentage of teachers in the Chicago school system — as many as 39 percent, by one study — leave after their first year, frustrated by difficult conditions, lack of resources and indifference from higher-ups. Nelson believes the difference for her was a mentor from the New Teacher Center to help her navigate the many rough patches and occasionally act as her advocate. Read more...

How Federal Education Policy Can Reverse the Widget Effect
Policy Brief, The New Teacher Project - February, 2010
Transforming ESEA Title II to Improve Teacher Effectiveness and Student Outcomes. Read more...

Experts Lay Out Vision for Future Assessments
Education Week - February 23, 2010
A group of high-powered policymakers and educators gathered here yesterday to build support for a new vision of educational assessment that is less a snapshot of students’ one-time performance and more like good instruction itself. Read more...

Computerized state assessments to save time, money
The Wichita Eagle - February 22, 2010
All students statewide will have to take her math, reading and writing tests on the computer this year. Read more...

Math Wiz Adds Web Tools to Take Education to New Limits
PBS - February 22, 2010
From a bedroom in the San Francisco Bay area, Salman Khan is using the Web to teach math and science to millions. Spencer Michels reports on how the non-profit Kahn Academy is providing educational materials through its free YouTube video library. Watch here...

Colorado could be stuck in a race to the middle
Denver Post - February 23, 2010
At first glance, Colorado's wimpy entry in the national "Race for Big Education Bucks" wouldn't seem to stand much chance in the first round of the competition. But don't bet that we'll get shut out when the feds get ready to dole out the grants. Other states aren't exactly racing toward the top, either. Read more...

SAT Prep Gone Wild
Good Is - February 25, 2010
Only wealthy kids are lucky enough to get primed for their SATs with a formal prep course, right? Not anymore. The online social enterprise I Need A Pencil (INAP) is leveling the playing field for students from all economic backgrounds. Read more...

Where the Bar Ought to Be
The New York Times - February 22, 2010
Deborah Kenny talks a lot about passion — the passion for teaching, for reading and for learning. She has it. She wants all of her teachers to have it. Above all, she wants her students to have it. Read more...

Districts Struggle Amid State’s Budget Woes
Several stories from the week on how districts are coping with late payments from the state, as it struggles with an historic budget deficit. A special thanks to Catalyst-Chicago for their "In the News" digest.

School districts ax teachers, blame state for financial meltdown (The Chicago Tribune)

Schools being squeezed by late state payments (The State Journal-Register)

State Superintendent Koch announces Illinois' federal award from Phase 2 of State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (Illinois State Board of Education Weekly Message)

Elgin Area School District U-46 details cuts: Early childhood center, teacher layoffs on list (Daily Herald)

Oswego school district OKs $5.5M in budget cuts (Chicago Breaking News Center)

District 300 slashes budget $4.6 million, even more cuts are coming next month (Daily Herald)

Indian Prairie School District Official: Dist. 204 cuts may be 'unprecedented' (Daily Herald)

Chatham schools may cut pre-kindergarten, increase fees (The State Journal-Register)

Cuts wouldn't hit classroom teachers, Springfield Superintendent Milton says (The State Journal-Register)

Obama to Propose New Reading and Math Standards
The New York Times - February 21, 2010
In a proposed change to the No Child Left Behind law, the Obama administration would require states to adopt new academic standards to qualify for federal money from a $14 billion program that concentrates on impoverished students, the White House said Sunday. Read more...

Obama wants students prepared for college, careers
The Washington Post - February 21, 2010
President Barack Obama will urge states to better prepare high school students for college and careers when he meets Monday with the nation's governors. Read more...

Next-Generation Assessment Systems
Education Week - February 22, 2010
An unprecedented confluence of factors—economic, political, and educational—is causing many states to rethink their student-assessment programs. But careful thought and expert guidance will be needed if they are to avoid the problems of the past and take advantage of promising new developments. Read more...

U.S. ed chief calls teacher prep programs outdated
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - February 19, 2010
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Friday said teacher preparation programs offered by colleges are outdated, but pledged additional federal money to help leaders overhaul their programs. Read more...

Districts Struggle Amid State’s Budget Woes
Several stories from the week on how districts are coping with late payments from the state, as it struggles with an historic budget deficit. A special thanks to Catalyst-Chicago for their "In the News" digest.

Springfield District 186 has high number of officials; Administrator-to-pupil ratio expected to come up during budget debate (The State Journal-Register)

Frustrated schools advertising how much they're owed (Chicago Sun-Times)

A new site, www.illinoisisbroke.com, put together by the Civic Federation, takes a look at the state’s broader budget challenges.

Early education another victim of Illinois budget crisis
Catalyst Chicago - February 18, 2010
In Early Childhood Education Preschool for All, still reeling from a 10 percent funding cut this fall, is now facing even more uncertainty. As the state teeters on the edge of insolvency – with at least $5 billion in unpaid bills this year and a projected deficit for next year large enough to wipe out several state departments – no one is sure how many children the program will be able to serve, or have to turn away, next year. Read more...

District 214 not anticipating layoffs, big cuts
Daily Herald - February 19, 2010
Unlike many other school districts, District 214 officials are not preparing for massive layoffs and program cut backs in 2010-2011. Read more...

Forced placement of teachers is hot topic
Education News Colorado - February 19, 2010
A plan to limit the “forced placement” of veteran teachers in Denver’s lowest-performing and highest-poverty schools drew applause Thursday, and some opposition. Read more...

Teacher Seniority Rules Challenged
Wall Street Journal - February 19, 2010
Teacher seniority rules are meeting resistance from government officials and parents as a wave of layoffs is hitting public schools and driving newer teachers out of classrooms.   Read more...

Education reform, one classroom at a time
The Washington Post - February 19, 2010
Sitting on the desk of the secretary of education are dozens of ideas bold enough to finally start solving our country's education crisis. They are contained in applications by 40 states and the District of Columbia for grants from the Race to the Top fund, a $4.35 billion piece of the stimulus package designed to dramatically improve student achievement. Read more...

QPS to close alternative school, site for teen parent and adult education programs; district needs $3.8 million in cuts overall
Quincy Herald-Whig - February 19, 2010
Quincy Public Schools announced that it plans to cut $1.8 million from its budget, a move that includes closing Irving Alternative School and discontinuing the Teen Parent Services/Adult Education Program school housed at 1416 Maine. Read more...

U-46 files to be Cook County school district
Daily Herald - February 19, 2010
Elgin Area School District U-46 officials Thursday formally asked the state board of education to be reclassified as a Cook County district. Read more...

Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge
The White House - February 19, 2010
The White House and the Department of Education have announced a new Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge and are inviting public schools across the country to compete to have President Obama speak at their graduation. Read more...

Lawmakers to launch bipartisan effort to rewrite No Child Left Behind
The Washington Post - February 18, 2010
Senior House Republicans and Democrats plan to announce Thursday that they will team up to rewrite the No Child Left Behind education law, a rare show of bipartisanship in the polarized Congress. Read more...

Peoria District 150 introduces new superintendent
Peoria Journal Star - February 16, 2010
At a brief event billed as a "meet and greet" between Peoria School District 150's finalist for school superintendent and members of the media, Grenita Lathan called on the community to get behind the city's schools. Read more...

Student Data Systems, Unite!
Inside Higher Ed - February 16, 2010
Step by step, an infrastructure is emerging that would make it possible for dozens of states to share data about the students in their K-12 and postsecondary education systems, creating the equivalent of a national system of data on students' educational progress. Read more...

Districts Struggle Amid State’s Budget Woes
Several stories from the week on how districts are coping with late payments from the state, as it struggles with an historic budget deficit. A special thanks to Catalyst-Chicago for their "In the News" digest.

Springfield Superintendent proposes $5.3 million in cuts. (The State Journal-Register)

Educators in Danville huddle on state funding freeze. (Commercial News)

$2 million in cuts proposed for Urbana. (The News-Gazette)

News Analysis: School Vouchers
WTTW - February 15, 2010
State Senator James Meeks wants to reform education in Illinois, in the form of more vouchers and less power for local school councils. Meeks will discuss his controversial education plan with Carol Marin. Watch here...

ISU programs prepare teachers for urban schools
The Chicago Tribune - February 17, 2010
A student-led organization at Illinois State University hopes to change the way education is taught for urban schools, thereby having a greater impact on issues such as high dropout rates. Read more...

Plan Would Allow for Early College
The Chicago Tribune - February 17, 2010
Dozens of public high schools in eight states will introduce a program next year allowing 10th graders who pass a battery of tests to get a diploma two years early and immediately enroll in community college. Read more...

State behind in school payments
ABC News 7 - February 17, 2010
The state of Illinois is more than $650 million behind in payments to schools. Some schools are posting messages on their outdoor signs, hoping to persuade state lawmakers to make sure districts get money they've been owed for months.   Read more...

Byrne and Zorn discuss school vouchers in the Rhubarb Patch
The Chicago Tribune - February 15, 2006
Veteran Chicago commentator Dennis Byrne is a weekly contributor to the Tribune's commentary pages and the proprietor of The Barbershop, a ChicagoNow blog. In Tuesday's Tribune he joins me in The Rhubarb Patch to discuss school voucher programs. Read more...

Recession affecting child poverty rate
The Benton Evening News - February 12, 2010
The first comprehensive study of how the recession is affecting Illinois' children and families shows that child poverty is increasing and will get worse in years to come - even after the economy improves. The findings in Illinois Kids Count 2010, a report released Thursday by Voices for Illinois Children, underscore the need to maintain strong public policy investments to help kids and families through the recession and beyond. Read more...

College prep academy could be lifeline for Feitshans
The State Journal-Register - February 15, 2010
When the Springfield School District’s Capital College Preparatory Academy opens next fall, it will operate alongside an older, floundering district experiment — Feitshans Academy. Read more...

Experts Say Schools Need to Screen for Cheating
The New York Times - February 12, 2010
This week, Georgia officials said they had found evidence that cheating might have occurred on standardized tests at one in five public elementary and middle schools around the state. What was extraordinary, however, was not so much the extent of the problem, but the decision of the state to screen for cheating at all. Read more...

Districts Struggle Amid State’s Budget Woes
Several stories from the week on how districts are coping with late payments from the state, as it struggles with an historic budget deficit. A special thanks to Catalyst-Chicago for their "In the News" digest.

State’s issues causing budget crunch at Dieterich (Effingham Daily News)

One way Elgin Area U-46 can raise funds: Move HQ (Daily Herald)

Waukegan Schools Budget workshops eye $9M shortfall (Lake County News-Sun)

Across the country: Schools face big budget holes as stimulus runs out (Chicago Sun-Times)

Innovation is key to policy reform, ISBE chairman says
Daily Herald - February 14, 2010
The chairman of the Illinois State Board of Education plans to use his new position on a federal policy committee to advocate for practical changes to education legislation, including allowing states more resources and flexibility under No Child Left Behind. Read more...

Basic skill test for teachers still fails state's students
Chicago Sun-Times - February 13, 2010
Starting in September, future educators will find it much tougher to pass the Illinois Test of Basic Skills for would-be teachers, but until then, they can squeak under a bar some call shockingly low. Read more...

Districts Struggle Amid State’s Budget Woes
Several stories from the week on how districts are coping with late payments from the state, as it struggles with an historic budget deficit. A special thanks to Catalyst-Chicago for their "In the News" digest.

Lake Zurich District 95 may hike fees to pay for projector bulbs (Daily Herald)

Grayslake District 46 debates what to cut (Daily Herald)

Barrington District 220 gets specific about budget cuts (Daily Herald)

Teacher jobs in jeopardy in Wheaton Warrenville District 200 (Daily Herald)

Disadvantaged Students Continue AP Climb
Education Week - February 10, 2010
Continuing a pattern from recent years, more students from low-income families are taking—and earning what is considered a passing score on—at least one Advanced Placement exam, a new analysis of results for the public high school graduating class of 2009 shows. Read more...

Pass rate falls for Illinois Advanced Placement test takers
Chicago Breaking News Center - February 10, 2010
A record number of Illinois high school students took Advanced Placement tests last year, but the proportion of them who passed the rigorous end-of-course exams continued to decline, according to data released Wednesday. Read more...

Expansion of A.P. Tests Also Brings More Failures
The New York Times - February 10, 2010
The College Board’s Advanced Placement program is expanding in American high schools, but as it moves from being a program primarily for elite students, the number of test-takers who fail A.P. exams is growing — although not as much as the number of those who pass. Read more...

Doubt about learning styles
The Washington Post - February 11, 2010
Washington Post Education Columnist Jay Mathews offers a provocative read of a study which casts some doubt on Learning Styles. Read the column here...

Preckwinkle: Educational issues threaten economic development
Chicago Current - February 10, 2010
Low high school graduation rates could threaten Chicago's economic future, said a panel of government and civic leaders yesterday. Read more...

Study Gives Charters an Edge
Education Week's Inside School Research Blog - February 10, 2010
A new study, featuring charters in Chicago and Florida, tries to address criticisms of previous research by focusing closely on which students are in the sample. The findings show charter students are more likely to graduate and go on to college.   Read more...

It’s All About Schools
The New York Times - February 9, 2010
Not just in Illinois, or even the United States, but education is key to economic growth around the world. Columnist Thomas Friedman argues education also plays a role in geopolitics. Read the column here...

State rolls out new way to track student achievement
Post-Tribune - February 11, 2010
The Indiana Department of Education announced Wednesday the state will roll out a new way to track student achievement, one that will emphasize growth in academic knowledge. Read more...

Bill would strip local school councils of principal selection, budget powers
Catalyst Chicago - February 10, 2010
Grassroots education advocacy groups are reeling from the news that state Sen. James Meeks filed a bill Monday that would strip local school councils of their most important powers, including selecting principals and controlling their school’s discretionary funds. Read more...

Meeks Open to School Vouchers
Illinois Statehouse News - February 8, 2010
A key legislative proponent of improving Illinois’ public schools is reversing his usual course by pushing school vouchers. Read more...

Districts Struggle Amid State’s Budget Woes
Several stories from the week on how districts are coping with late payments from the state, as it struggles with an historic budget deficit. A special thanks to Catalyst-Chicago for their "In the News" digest.

Carterville early childhood program prepares for worst (WSIL)

Can fees save Mokena SD 159 extracurriculars (Southtown Star)

Carpentersville District 300 considers more cuts (Daily Herald)

Fundraisers in St. Charles offer help in lean times (My Suburban Life)

Blue Island schools look at layoffs, program cuts over state aid delays (South Town Star)

Oswego schools plan for $5.5M deficit (Beacon-News)

Budget woes force school cuts in Effingham (Daily News)

The New York Times reports that with federal stimulus money gone, many schools face budget gaps. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Update - Across the U.S.
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing.

Massachusetts Unions balk at school aid program (Boston Globe)

Union opposition dogs Florida application for education Race to the Top funds (Jacksonville News)

South Carolina's Sanford seeks federal grant money for schools (Herald Online)

Virginia's effort for Race to the Top funds modest so far (Washington Post)

As a reminder, Illinois passed legislation called “groundbreaking” and has filed a strong Phase 1 application, which one expert called a “standout.” Read more...

Spared Cuts, Education Gets Special Attention
NPR - February 6, 2010
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan discussed education reform and federal efforts to spur state action with guest host Audie Cornish. Listen here...

Decatur School District, Union team up for Race to the Top
Decatur Herald-Review - February 6, 2010
A new federal initiative to reform schools and increase student achievement might soon come to Decatur schools. Illinois has submitted a $400 million grant application to be one of the participating states, and Decatur schools have signed a document called a Memorandum of Understanding, which promises the district's support and cooperation. Eisenhower and MacArthur high schools have been designated "priority schools" in need of improvement. Read more...

Making "No Child" Better
The New York Times - February 4, 2010
Like most ambitious federal reforms, the No Child Left Behind Education Act of 2002 will need to be revised, perhaps several times, before it reaches maximum effectiveness. Without formally announcing them, the Obama administration has made clear that it wants changes in the law, which could be reauthorized this year. For starters, it would like more effective mechanisms for intervening in failing schools and ways to reward schools that make rapid improvements. Read more...

No Child Left Behind: Mend it, don't reauthorize it
The Education Gadfly - February 4, 2010
This week saw the release of President Obama's annual budget request, which outlines a proposal for overhauling the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), a.k.a. No Child Left Behind. The ideas floated therein have promise, but no matter what Secretary Duncan and his boss would like to accomplish this year in education policy, the odds of completing a full-dress reauthorization of ESEA between now and the November election are vanishingly small. Read more...

Key Questions on the Obama Administration's 2011 Education Budget Request
Ed Money Watch - February 1, 2010
In an effort to heighten the quality of debate on federal education policy, the New America Foundation's Federal Education Budget Project has reviewed the president's proposals and generated a list of key questions policymakers, the media, stakeholder groups, and the public should ask about the proposals. Read more...

Charter schools' growth promoting segregation, studies say
Los Angeles Times - February 5, 2010
A UCLA study is one of two finding that the increasingly popular campuses skew toward racially separate student bodies. Charter advocates criticize the reports. Read more...

Playing the race card
The Economist - February 4, 2010
A new study concludes that charter schools are a "civil rights failure" because they are "more racially isolated than traditional public schools in virtually every state and large metropolitan area in the country." Read more...

D300, U46 could get funds to help struggling schools
The Courier-News - February 4, 2010
Hundreds of thousands of dollars could flow into Elgin School District U46 and Carpentersville-based Community Unit School District 300 to help their lowest-performing schools, according to the Illinois State Board of Education. Read more...

Money Well Spent
The New Republic - February 4, 2010
Forget the spending freeze. Obama's Department of Education announced on Monday that it is asking Congress for more money in the 2011 budget. The department wants $49.7 billion in discretionary funds, roughly $3.5 billion more than it got in 2010. (That's on top of the $173 billion that would go to student loans, grants, tax credits, and work-study programs.) And, if Congress finally reauthorizes No Child Left Behind (NCLB)--it's already three years overdue--to include the president's reforms, the administration says it would allot another billion to the discretionary pot. Read more...

Illinois lands major grant for school turnarounds
Catalyst Chicago - February 2, 2010
Illinois and five other states today secured nearly $75 million in funding for school turnarounds, a controversial approach to school improvement that calls for wholesale staffing changes at chronically failing schools. Read more...

District 150 could race to reform
Peoria Journal Star - February 2, 2010
A longer school day, performance-based merit pay for teachers, even charter-like qualities could move to the front of Peoria classrooms in exchange for public and private dollars. Read more...

Illinois Joins Six-State Turnaround Effort
Illinois was one of six states chosen for a new multi-state initiative to "clear hurdles that have hindered previous attempts to improve underperforming schools." Read more in EdWeek (article access compliments of edweek.org) or read the press release from MassInsight, which is leading the project.

Illinois State Superintendent honored for collaborative efforts to build student data system
Copy Line - January 30, 2010
State Superintendent Chris Koch and three other Illinois education leaders named `State Policymakers of the Yearï¿½. Read more...

Obama to Seek Sweeping Change in ï¿½No Childï¿½ Law
The New York Times - January 31, 2010
The Obama administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of President Bushï¿½s signature education law, No Child Left Behind, and will call for broad changes in how schools are judged to be succeeding or failing, as well as for the elimination of the lawï¿½s 2014 deadline for bringing every American child to academic proficiency. Read more...

President's Education Budget Signals Bold Changes for ESEA
US Department of Education, Press Release - February 1, 2010
Budget Proposes More Competition, Flexibility and Accountability. Read more...

President's FY 2011 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Education
US Department of Education - February 1, 2010
On February 1, 2010, President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2011 Budget. The following materials are available showing what this budget provides for the programs and activities of the Department of Education. Read more...

Education Budget Signals Sea Change For NCLB
National Journal Online- February 1, 2010
Specifics of the Obama administration's plan for reauthorizing No Child Left Behind, the landmark education bill enacted by the Bush administration in 2002, were laid out for the first time in the budget proposal unveiled today. Read more...

Local control back at Round Lake schools
The Daily Herald - January 29, 2010
Local officials elected by taxpayers once again will have a say on all issues from the budget to hiring top administrators at Round Lake Area Unit District 116. Read more...

Community Schools: Reform's Lesser-Known Frontier
Education Week - February 1, 2010 (article access compliments of EdWeek.org)
When it comes to the battle of ideas that has dominated the school reform stage for the past decade, 2010 may be opening on a hopeful note. Read more...

Congratulations 2009 Award Recipients
Data Quality Campaign
Each year the Data Quality Campaign Recognition Program highlights the critical role of leadership in changing the culture around data use for continuous improvement. Below are the award recipients for the State Policymaker of the Year award. Read more...

National Review: Who Will Judge The Race?
NPR - January 29, 2010
Late last week, word leaked out that the Obama administration has selected the 58 reviewers for state applications to its $4.35 billion Race to the Top (RTT) fund ï¿½ and has no intention of revealing their names. Read more...

Race to the Top: Unions Asked to Play Ball for Education Dollars
Labor Notes - January 28, 2010
With all eyes on Obamaï¿½s fraught health care push, his plans to overhaul public education have sped along with relative ease. The first leg of the federal "Race to the Top" competition finished January 19 when 40 states sent applications for a piece of the $4.35 billion in stimulus funds. Read more...

Education system overhaul outlined
The Chicago Tribune - January 28, 2010
While Illinois residents are focused on election season and budget woes, the state's top education officials have quietly pushed through a sweeping agenda that will transform how students are tested, teachers are rated and failing schools are fixed. The most provocative reforms will replace the elementary school ISAT with a tougher exam, mandate testing at every grade and rate teachers and principals based on students' test results. Read more...

Obama to Seek Up to $4 Billion Boost for Education
Education Week - January 28, 2010 (article access compliments of EdWeek.org)
Despite a pledge to hold down spending on most domestic programs, President Barack Obama tonight called for greater investment in public schools in his State of the Union address as part of a push to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Read more...

Administration pushes to rework No Child Left Behind law
The Washington Post - January 28, 2010
The Obama administration launched an effort Wednesday to rewrite the No Child Left Behind law, with a proposed increase in federal spending, a pledge to make the Bush-era school reform program more flexible and an appeal to Republicans for bipartisan cooperation. Read more...

Next Bunch of Obama Education Reforms to Offer More Carrots
Newsweek - January 27, 2010
When the Obama administration first proposed having states duke it out for a share of a $4 billion education-reform fund, critics expected the whole enterprise to either be largely ignored or dissolve into political infighting. But instead, the Race to the Top competition has proved so successful in motivating states to accelerate their education-reform efforts that the administration has new plans to offer such competitions on an annual basis. Read more...

Sec. Duncan on Obama's Plan to Increase Education Spending
ABC News - January 27, 2010
Education Secretary Arne Duncan offered details this afternoon on Obamaï¿½s plan to increase education spending by six percent in the 2011 budget. Read more...

More minority teachers will help bridge gap
Daily Herald - January 28, 2010
If local school districts are to connect with minority students to help them achieve, the students need to see more faculty that look like them in the halls.   Read more...

Chicago to measure kindergarten readiness
Catalyst Chicago - January 27, 2010
Preparing students for kindergarten is the paramount goal of preschool programs.This Spring, the district will roll out the most ambitious initiative yet to gauge whether preschools are succeeding at that task.   Read more...

Race to the Top Applications Scrutinized
Education Week - January 26, 2010 (article access compliments of EdWeek.org)
In an article examining how each state prioritizing key aspects of its Race to the Top application, EdWeek notes Illinois' strong teacher evaluation legislation, which passed just before the Phase 1 Race to the Top application was due. Read more...

Obama to promote more education spending in State of the Union speech
The Washington Post - January 27, 2010
President Obama will propose a major increase in funding for elementary and secondary education for the coming year in Wednesday's State of the Union address, one of the few areas that would grow in an otherwise austere federal budget, officials said. Read more...

Class Struggle by Jay Matthews: Fix schools with ideas, not money
The Washington Post - January 27, 2010
President Obama is apparently about to tell the nation he wants to freeze federal spending for three years in several areas, including education. I like the idea. I would also support cutting back entitlement payments for financially secure geezers like me, and find ways for everyone to make some sacrifices for our country. Read more...

Charter school plan causes stir in District 227
The Chicago Tribune - January 27, 2010
Supporters say higher standards at south suburbs' first charter school would lift students; critics say current high schools would suffer. Read more...

District 220 prepares for second year of budget cuts
The Daily Herald - January 27, 2010
The lingering unstable economy, especially as it relates to the state of Illinois' cashflow problems, is causing Barrington Unit District 220 officials to look for $1.25 million in budget cuts for the year ahead. Read more...

Rockford school leaders brace for big budget cuts
Rockford Register Star - January 27, 2010
School District leaders are grappling with how theyï¿½ll manage the next budget cycle with expected cuts of at least 20 percent. Read more...

Staff cuts proposed at Plainfield schools
Pantagraph - January 26, 2010
Board members at Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 are scheduled to vote on a budget plan that could cut 222 jobs to help eliminate a projected $16 million deficit. Read more...

Tardy state payments may cut classes at West Chicago's schools
The Chicago Tribune - January 27, 2010
School districts in West Chicago are facing tough decisions as they consider budget reductions in light of rising costs and flat revenues. Read more...

Illinois teen employment at new low
Chicago Tribune - January 26, 2010
Decline puts jobless youths at risk of falling further behind economically for years to come, says new report. Read more...

Female teachers may pass on math anxiety to girls, study finds
The Los Angeles Times - January 26, 2010
After a year in the classroom with female teachers who say they are anxious about math, girls are more likely to share that attitude -- and score lower on tests, researchers say. Read more...

'We've ridden those waves before'
The Fox Valley Villages Sun - January 26, 2010
Effort goes on: Despite uncertainty with needed state funding, special school is still serving tots with special needs. Read more...

5-year charter school contract approved
Peoria Journal Star - January 25, 2010
Peoria School District 150 approved a five-year contract with Peoria Charter School Initiative Inc., establishing the new math, science and technology academy at Loucks School. Read more...

Is the Hype on Waiting for Superman Getting Heavy?
Good - January 25, 2010
"Waiting for Superman," is the new documentary by Davis Guggenheim, director of An Inconvenient Truth. The film which involves interviews with Harlem Children's Zone founder Geoffrey Canada, D.C. public school chancellor Michelle Rhee, and education advocate and philanthropist Bill Gates is supposedly going to do for public education what Guggenheim's collaboration with Al Gore did for climate change. Read more...

State funding for education not likely to change; 'It's about all we could ask for,' Quincy official says
Quincy Herald-Whig - January 22, 2010
First the good news: The Illinois State Board of Education has recommended no change in the level of funding for the next budget year. Then the bad news: ISBE also recognizes that a cut to education is a very real possibility. Read more...

Local superintendents react to 'Race' proposal with skepticism, questions
Daily Herald - January 22, 2010
This week's announcement that President Obama is requesting another $1.35 billion to expand the Race to the Top federal education competition might, on the surface, seem like major news for cash-strapped suburban school districts. Read more...

More (Steve) Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
The New York Times - January 23, 2010
The most striking feature of Barack Obamaï¿½s campaign for the presidency was the amazing, young, Internet-enabled, grass-roots movement he mobilized to get elected. The most striking feature of Obamaï¿½s presidency a year later is how thoroughly that movement has disappeared. Read more...

After 10 Years, Federal Money for Technology in Education
The New York Times - January 24, 2010
More than a decade ago, Lawrence K. Grossman, former president of both NBC News and PBS, and Newton N. Minow, the former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, were asked by several foundations to explore how nonprofits like schools, libraries and museums could tap into emerging digital technologies. Read more...

Concerns About Race To The Top
National Journal - January 25, 2010
While Advance Illinois strongly supports Illinoisï¿½ efforts to win the ï¿½Race to the Top,ï¿½ we are eager to hear all views on education reform. To that end, first, a discussion of Race to the Top at the National Journalï¿½s Experts Blog (including a contribution from Education Secy. Arne Duncan). Read more...

Race to the Top fund puts cart before the horse
The Daily Caller - January 25, 2010
Last Tuesday was the due date for first-round applications for President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncanï¿½s Race to the Top Fund. It was also the day Obama announced heï¿½d ask for another $1.35 billion in the FY2011 budget to continue the program a third year. Coincidence? No. A good idea? Doubtful. Read more...

A better way to grade teachers
Denver Post - January 25, 2010
Legislators must overhaul tenure laws to give districts a more advanced system to evaluate teachers and weed out bad ones. Read more...

Why the Love/Hate Relationship with TFA?
Public School Insights - January 25, 2010
These days, you either love Teach for America and its teachers, or you hate them. The love, it seems to me, stems from an obvious source. Young, often privileged, kids are choosing the hard, hard work of teaching in some of our most struggling schools. (There are easier resume stuffers out there.) The hatred is more complex, but I think it's instructive, even if it is unfair. Read more...

Study Links Rise in Test Scores to Nations' Output
Education Week - January 25, 2010 (article access compliments of EdWeek.org)
Relatively small improvements in the skills of a nationï¿½s workforce can have a big effect on its future economic well-being, concludes a new international study that seeks to quantify those benefits. Read more...

A closer look at Illinois' Race to the Top plan
Catalyst Chicago - January 21, 2010
In Government and Policy Illinois and more than 20 other states have posted their entire Race to the Top (RT3) applications onlineï¿½thousands of pages of school reform blueprints that are competing for a slice of $4.3 billion in federal stimulus grants.   Read more...

Staying the Course on the Race to the Top
Huffington Post - January 21, 2010
President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan's Race to the Top grant program is the most promising education initiative in decades, giving the nation an opportunity to take a hard look at raising standards and closing achievement gaps in public education. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Update - Across the U.S.
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing.

Tennessee Race to the Top Proposal Has Support of All Gubernatorial Candidates (Nashville Public Radio)

Many Minnesota school groups gather at starting line for Race to the Top, but loophole lets unhappy ones drop out (MinnPost)

Colorado hopes to Race to the Top for grants (Colorado Statesman)

Race to the Middle?
The Wall Street Journal - January 21, 2010
The big education story these days is the state competition for some $4.35 billion in Race to the Top grants to be passed out by Education Secretary Arne Duncan. President Obama said this week he'll seek an additional $1.35 billion for the program for next year, but more important than the amount is whether Mr. Duncan really wants to race to the top, or just the mediocre middle. Read more...

RTTT: 24 States Post Applications Online
This Week in Education - January 21, 2010
Here's an entirely unverified and completely ad hoc collection of the nearly 20 state RTTT applications that have been located online thanks to blog readers, Twitter friends, and education writers on the EWA listserv. Read more...

Quality of Questions on Common Tests at Issue
Education Week - Jan. 21, 2010 (article access compliments of edweek.org)
Most experts in the testing community have presumed that the $350 million promised by the U.S. Department of Education to support common assessments would promote those that made greater use of open-ended items capable of measuring higher-order critical-thinking skills.But as measurement experts consider the multitude of possibilities for an assessment system based more heavily on such questions, they also are beginning to reflect on practical obstacles to doing so. Read more...

Foreign Languages Fade in Class ï¿½ Except Chinese
The New York Times - January 20, 2010
Thousands of public schools stopped teaching foreign languages in the last decade, according to a government-financed survey ï¿½ dismal news for a nation that needs more linguists to conduct its global business and diplomacy. Read more...

D-26 to cut staff
Northwest Herald - January 20, 2010
In a move that could dramatically alter classroom instruction in the coming years, the District 26 Board voted to cut $5.4 million from its next budget. Read more...

District 94 identifies possible budget cuts
Daily Herald - January 20, 2010
The winter play, intramural sports and SADD chapter are on the list of student activities that could be eliminated in West Chicago Community High School District 94. Read more...

Massive school-spending cuts may loom
Peoria Journal Star - January 20, 2010
A draft budget for education spending in Illinois for 2010-11 recommends maintaining current levels in general state aid for school districts and near-similar spending in special education and transportation. Read more...

Southwestern to hold public forum on budget
The Telegraph - January 20, 2010
A looming financial crisis has the Southwestern School Board looking for answers. Read more...

District 205 Budget Concerns
WIFR.com - January 19, 2010
Entire schools could close in the stateline if Illinois continues to cut its education funds. Rockford school board members spoke about what's being done to ensure that doesn't happen. Read more...

Duncan Carves Deep Mark on Policy in First Year
Education Week - Jan. 20, 2010 (article access compliments of edweek.org)
A year ago, Arne Duncan was known as a long-serving urban district chief who had used his collegial management style to push innovation and close failing schools in Chicago.
This week, he enters his second year as U.S. secretary of education pursuing a similar national policy agenda that could place him among the most influential leaders in his departmentï¿½s 30-year history. Read more...

Time in School
Catalyst In Depth - January, 2010
Research supports the benefits of more classroom time for low-income children, especially when the time is used wisely. But Chicago has one of the shortest school days and years in the country. Now, leaders are looking to Washington to help extend the school day. Read more...

40 States, D.C., Submit Applications in Phase 1 Race to the Top Competition
Press Release, U.S. Department of Education - January 19, 2010
Today the Department of Education announced that 40 states and the District of Columbia submitted applications to be considered for Phase 1 of the Race to the Top competition. Race to the Top is the department's $4.35 billion fund to dramatically re-shape America's educational system to better engage and prepare our students for success in a competitive 21st century economy and workplace. Read more...

Springfield School District to use bonds to buy security camera systems
The State Journal-Register - January 19, 2010
The Springfield School District will use state health and life-safety bonds to purchase security camera systems for Springfield and Lanphier high schools. Read more...

If Your Kids Are Awake, Theyï¿½re Probably Online
The New York Times - January 20, 2010
The average young American now spends practically every waking minute ï¿½ except for the time in school ï¿½ using a smart phone, computer, television or other electronic device, according to a new study from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Read more...

Student learning plans, improving school culture will be part of this year's school turnarounds
Catalyst Chicago - January 19, 2010
As he announced the list of 14 schools to be closed and turned around next year, CEO Ron Huberman took pains Tuesday to stress that he was incorporating lessons learned from the mistakes of past administrations and reform efforts. Read more...

Illinois joins 40 States Applying in the "Race to the Top"
*Advance Illinois in the News*
Illinois is keeping its fingers crossed today as it submits an application for millions in competitive federal education dollars. You can download the 187-page application here, or read State Supt's Chris Koch's message here. Coverage includes a helpful Q-and-A in the State Journal-Register and this piece from WBEZ. You can also read the ed.gov news release.

Obama to seek $1.35 billion more for Race to the Top program
The Washington Post - January 19, 2010
President Obama is slated to visit a Fairfax County school Tuesday to announce plans to seek $1.35 billion in his next budget to expand his signature education initiative to improve schools. Read more...
Update: Read the White House.gov release, including video.

Education Grant Effort Faces Late Opposition
The New York Times - January 18, 2010
The Obama administrationï¿½s main school improvement initiative has spurred education policy changes in states across the nation, but it is meeting with some last-minute resistance as the first deadline for applications arrives Tuesday. Read more...

State aid funds may not arrive for schools until summer
Officials "cautiously optimistic" money will arrive in time to avoid budget deficit
Ledger-Sentinel - January 14, 2010
The Oswego School District, like all other public school districts in the state, is having money problems because the state legislature has not been making its categorical grant payments. Read more...

Can state deliver on cash for schools?
The Beacon-News - January 14, 2010
West Aurora School District spokesman Mike Chapin is calling the proposed Illinois State Board of Education budget round one for the state's cash-strapped schools. Read more...

Schools try to make pupils feel welcome amid change
Chicago Tribune - January 15, 2010
In 1990, minorities made up less than 5 percent of the students at Plainfield Community Unit District 202. Today, nearly two out of five students are nonwhite. Consider that some 69 languages are now spoken by students and a picture of the district's transformation becomes clear. Read more...

Moms: Enough Already With The Volunteer Spirit
National Public Radio - January 5, 2010
Parents have long been expected to spend their free time helping out in their kidsï¿½ schoolï¿½from chaperoning field trips to decorating the teachers' lounge, to organizing fundraising events. But some parents, like mother and writer Helaine Olen, have had enough. Olen recently wrote a piece for the online publication Double X titled "Why I'm Sick of Volunteering at My Kid's Wealthy School." She talks about it with Host Michel Martin, along with regular parenting contributors Dani Tucker, Jolene Ivey, and Leslie Morgan Steiner. Listen here...

Gov. Quinn Signs "Groundbreaking" Reforms
Press Release, Office of Governor Pat Quinn - January 15, 2010
Governor Pat Quinn today signed into law the Performance Evaluation Reform Act of 2010, a bill to implement new, rigorous evaluations for teachers and principals across the state. The new law boosts Illinoisï¿½ ï¿½Race to the Topï¿½ application by addressing one of the four priority areas outlined by the U.S. Department of Education. Read more... Read the Press Release here...

Schools file for federal funds
Peoria Journal Star - January 14, 2010
About a dozen area school districts filed paperwork to at least save their place in line for a potential piece of the more than $500 million Illinois is applying for to initiate education reform. Read more...

Race to the Top
Illinois Public Radio - January 14, 2010
The Illinois legislature is one step closer to snatching nearly 500-hundred million dollars in Race to the Top federal money for education.   Whitney Jones has more. Listen here (PC, Mac)...

Spending by Education Philanthropies Drops in 2009
Education Week - January 13, 2010
Amid the country's economic downturn, planned giving levels by many education grantmakers declined last year. A new analysis of trends in education philanthropy finds, however, that a sizable minority of those surveyed said they expected the grants paid out to hold steady or even increase compared with 2008. Read more...

Legislature acts on pressing issues, leaves town
The State Journal-Register - January 13, 2010
State lawmakers approved measures to strengthen requirements for schools and cemeteries Wednesday, then left town again. Read more...

Illinois House approves changes in teacher evaluation
Quad-City Times - January 13, 2010
Illinois might have improved its chances of winning hundreds of millions of dollars for its schools when the House Tuesday changed how some teachers would be evaluated. Read more...

New Trier set to compete in "Race to the Top"
Wilmette Life - January 14, 2010
The New Trier High School Board of Education voted at a special board meeting Monday to participate in Illinois' application for federal dollars in the Race to the Top competition.   Read more...

8 local school districts apply for Race to the Top funding
Rockford Register Star - January 13, 2010
The Rockford School District is among eight local districts to have applied for a share of some $500 million in federal Race to the Top funding that would ignite education reform in Illinois. Read more...

Report Card Grades States on Education Performance, Policy; Nation Scores High on Standards Policies, But Struggles to Provide Opportunities to Succeed
Quality Counts Press Release - January 14, 2010
The nation and many states face a continuing struggle to deliver a high-quality education to all students, according to Education Weeks annual education report card. The nation received a C when graded across the six distinct areas of policy and performance tracked by Quality Counts, the most comprehensive ongoing assessment of the state of American education. Maryland topped the nation with a B-plus overall, followed closely by Massachusetts and New York, both of which earned a B. The majority of states received grades of C or lower. Read more...

Union Chief Seeks to Overhaul Teacher Evaluation Process
The New York Times - January 12, 2010
Facing criticism that her union makes it too hard to get rid of bad teachers, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, on Tuesday announced a union-backed effort to develop a new model for how public school teachers should be evaluated, promoted and removed. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Update - Across the U.S.
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing.

Thanks to Catalyst-Chicago for their daily updates on Race to the Top and other education news.   From there, you can find updates on Tennessee, New York, Texas, Colorado, Ohio and Indiana.

Massachusetts Education reform bill gets final clearance (Sentinel and Enterprise)

Tennessee Governor's K-12 plan headed to full Senate (The Leaf Chronicle)

House advances higher school standards for money
State Journal-Register - January 12, 2010
State lawmakers are moving ahead with their race to the top of the list for a new pot of federal education money. Read more...

Bill would add student test results to teacher evaluations
Herald Review - January 13, 2010
Illinois might have improved its chances of winning hundreds of millions of dollars for its schools when the state House on Tuesday changed how some teachers would be evaluated.   Read more...

State might earn millions with teacher-evaluation changes
Pantagraph - January 12, 2010
Illinois might have improved its chances of winning hundreds of millions of dollars for its schools when the House on Tuesday changed how some teachers would be evaluated. Read more...

Evanston teachers not ready to back Race to the Top
Evanston Review - January 12, 2010
Evanston-Skokie School District 65 and its teachers' union have been ahead of the curve in agreeing to a teacher rating system that judges performance in part on student achievement. Read more...

Union president makes new proposals for teacher evaluations, discipline
The Washington Post - January 12, 2010
The president of the nation's second-largest teachers union on Tuesday proposed a new way to incorporate student test scores into teacher evaluations and said she has asked a well-known mediator to develop methods of expediting disciplinary cases against teachers. Read more...

Children's Zone program advocated for Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel - January 13, 2010
An entrepreneur and social activist who's received national attention for successfully educating children from the poorest parts of New York City said Tuesday that the effort can be replicated in Milwaukee, as long as the city can engage its neighborhoods and find a strong leader willing to demand accountability. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Update - Across the U.S.
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing. For more, please see the great roundup at Catalystï¿½s Chicagoï¿½s website.

Race is on in Iowa to pass package of school changes (DesMoines Register)

Bid for Race to the Top school funds may go down to the wire in Michigan (Detroit Free Press)

Perry won't let Texas compete for federal school money (Houston Chronicle)

Evaluation Changes Limp Forward, FOIA Worries Linger At Statehouse
Illinois Statehouse News - January 11, 2010
Illinois lawmakers have agreed to give the biggest piece of the stateï¿½s application for hundreds of millions of dollars in money for schools a chance. Read more...

Union head to propose tying test scores, teacher evaluations
The Washington Post - January 12, 2010
The president of the nation's second-largest teachers union is proposing a new way to incorporate student test scores into teacher evaluations and has asked a well-known mediator to develop methods of expediting disciplinary cases against teachers, according to the text of a speech made public Monday night. Read more...

New ideas from Weingarten
The Washington Post - January 11, 2010
Jay Mathews comments on Weingarten's speech. Read more...

A Serious Proposal
The New York Times - January 11, 2010
Bob Herbert comments on Weingarten's speech. Read more...

A matter of principals
The Courier-News - January 12, 2010
D300 looks back on Year One of nationwide program to refocus principals from being the managerial leaders of their buildings to their instructional leaders. Read more...

Partnership will provide a model of education that begins at birth
Catalyst Chicago - January 11, 2010
With a $1.5 million W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant, the University of Chicago Charter School is forging a collaboration with the Ounce of Prevention Fundï¿½s Educare Center to offer preschoolers a seamless path into regular schooling.   Read more...

Maine Twp. District 207 to cut 137 jobs next year
Daily Herald - January 12, 2010
Roughly 137 Maine Township High School District 207 employees, including 75 full-time teachers, will receive termination letters Tuesday morning. Read more...

District 303 seeks $5.5 million in cuts of jobs, programs
Daily Herald - January 12, 2010
Almost 22 teachers in St. Charles Unit District 303 would be laid off and experimental changes put in place under a plan to address a $5.5 million budget deficit. Read more...

$6.4 million Dist. 300 proposal includes 40 layoffs
Daily Herald - January 12, 2010
For the second time in as many years, Community Unit District 300 administrators on Monday unveiled millions of dollars in proposed reductions to cope with delayed state payments they fear may never arrive. Read more...

As School Exit Tests Prove Tough, States Ease Standards
The New York Times - January 11, 2010
A law adopting statewide high school exams for graduation took effect in Pennsylvania on Saturday, with the goal of ensuring that students leaving high school are prepared for college and the workplace. But critics say the requirement has been so watered down that it is unlikely to have major impact. Read more...

Lawmakers to boost bid for U.S. school funds
Chicago Sun-Times - January 11, 2010
When lawmakers return to Springfield this week, the General Assembly is expected to act swiftly on a bid to improve Illinois' chances of getting up to $400 million in federal funds that could prop up the state's cash-strapped education budget. Read more...

How's your teacher?
Chicago Tribune - January 11, 2010
A lot of folks in education have been working for weeks on a broad and rigorous plan to more thoroughly evaluate the performance of public school teachers and principals in Illinois. At first blush, it looks pretty good. Read more...

Schools move forward on Race to the Top
Journal Star - January 7, 2010
Even though they're not quite sure what they're getting into, administrators and school board members from District 50 and District 308 have taken the first step toward applying for federal Race to the Top funds. Read more...

Illinois gubernatorial candidates tackle education
Chicago Tribune - January 11, 2010
Politicians who declare education to be a top priority are nothing new, but the field of Republicans running for next month's nomination for governor promises to shake up the state's schools system and demand greater accountability from students and their teachers. Read more...

Promises and Facts on Charter Schools
The New York Times - January 10, 2010
Charter schools ï¿½ which are run with public money but subject to fewer state regulations ï¿½ have a lot of supporters in Washington. Education Secretary Arne Duncan wants states to close some chronically failing schools and turn them into charters. Congress is so enthusiastic that it has created a $50 million fund and given Mr. Duncan the authority to directly finance charter school operators who want to replicate or expand successful programs. Read more...

Pending law could allow certain children to start first grade at 5
Daily Herald - January 10, 2010
A law awaiting Gov. Pat Quinn's signature could lower the first-grade age requirement to 5 from 6 years old for a select group of students next fall. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Update - Across the U.S.
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing:

Tennessee's hot pursuit of school reform dollars (Memphis Daily News)

Milwaukee reform out of Wisconsin application for money (Chicago Tribune)

700 Michigan districts back state's bid for fed grant (The Detroit News)

Massachusetts renewing push for longer school days (The Boston Globe)

North Florida school districts, unions question federal grant (The Florida Times-Union) and Teachers unions must not walk (The Miami Herald)

Pennsylvania Teachers are wary of grants program (The Patriot-News)

Minnesota Districts rushed into Race for the Top (Mankato Free Press)

Seeking Grants, New York's Gov. Paterson Urges Education Changes (The New York Times)

School bills are due, but state won't pay
The Beacon-News - January 4, 2010
Say the words out loud to get a feel for the size of it: Forty-five million, two hundred and six thousand, six hundred and fifty-four dollars, and sixty-one cents. Read more...

Racing to National Tests?
National Review Online - January 6, 2010
Any national tests and standards need to be strong, substantive, and well administered. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Update - Across the U.S.
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing:

New Jersey education commissioner unveils system tying student performance to teacher evaluations (The Star Ledger)

Tennessee's Gov. Bredesen: Session to Focus on Education (MyFox Memphis)

$250 million initiative for science, math teachers planned
The Washington Post - January 6, 2010
President Obama will announce a $250 million public-private effort Wednesday to improve science and mathematics instruction, aiming to help the nation compete in key fields with global economic rivals.   Read more...

New Orleans Casts A Wide Net For Teachers
NPR - January 5, 2010
Walk into a New Orleans charter or public school, and you're likely to meet teachers from all over the country working in the classrooms. It's not like that in many school districts in the nation, where teachers often work not far from where they went to school themselves. In fact, one study found that more than half of all New York City teachers were teaching just 15 miles from where they grew up. Read more...

Focus on Instruction Turns Around Chicago Schools
Education Week - January 5, 2010
Talk of ï¿½turning aroundï¿½ troubled schools has become synonymous with firing educators, but a nonprofit organization here with a successful track record takes a different approach. Read more...

What Makes a Great Teacher?
The Atlantic - January/February, 2010
For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication. But for more than a decade, one organization has been tracking hundreds of thousands of kids, and looking at why some teachers can move them three grade levels ahead in a year and others canï¿½t. Now, as the Obama administration offers states more than $4 billion to identify and cultivate effective teachers, Teach for America is ready to release its data. Read more...

Second Study Gives Thumbs Up to N.Y.C. Charters
Education Week - January 5, 2010
Students in New York Cityï¿½s charter elementary and middle schools make bigger learning gains than their regular public school counterparts in math and reading, according to a new study, the second in five months to find good results for the independently run public schools in the nationï¿½s largest school system. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Update - Across the U.S.
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing:

Race to the Top for Indiana? School districts ponder playing a role in seeking money (South Bend Tribune)

Tennessee teachers oppose Gov. Bredesen plan to use student test scores in evaluations as state vies for education federal stimulus funds (The Commercial Appeal)

California set to pass education overhaul plan (San Francisco Chronicle) and Local districts helping with Race to the Top (KMJNOW News Talk Radio)

Obama to honor teachers from across the country
USA Today - January 4, 2010
President Obama is recognizing teachers from across the country for excellence in math and science. Read more...

School Board to discuss overhaul
The State Journal-Register - January 4, 2010
The Springfield School Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 20 to discuss how to move forward on overhauling the cityï¿½s three high schools. Read more...

Study Tries To Track Louisiana Teachers' Success
NPR - January 4, 2010
ow do you train the best teachers? Leaders at the nation's teacher education programs still don't really know, but it's something educators are trying to figure out. Read more...

Chicago schools revamp career programs
SouthTown Star - January 5, 2010
Chicago wants to improve career and technical programs for high school students. Read more...

Vocational education upgrade: Chicago schools roll out 7-year makeover
Chicago Tribune - January 5, 2010
The Chicago Public Schools system is overhauling its Career and Technical Education program to provide about 25,000 teens the skills they'll need to land well-paying jobs -- such as those in the medical or electrical fields -- right out of high school. Read more...

Making Teaching a Profession
Inside Higher Ed - January 5, 2010
After spending much of the fall calling for major reforms to the nationï¿½s teacher preparation programs, Secretary of Education Arne Duncanï¿½s pleas appear to have begun to encourage action, as a major accreditor begins an effort this week aimed at bringing major changes to colleges of education and school districts alike. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Update - Across the U.S.
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing:

Wisconsin tries to pass critical ï¿½Race to the Topï¿½ legislation (Journal-Sentinel)

Michigan Gov. Signs new ï¿½Race to the Topï¿½ Legislation (Bay City News)

State Teacherï¿½s Unions in Florida and Minnesota Balking at ï¿½Race to the Topï¿½ Plans (Education Week)

Michigan Teaching School Tries Something New
NPR - January 4, 2010
At the University of Michigan School of Education, Dean Deborah Ball and her faculty have taken apart their training program and reassembled it, trying to figure out what skills teachers really need. Read more...

Gauging the Dedication of Teacher Corps Grads
New York Times - January 3, 2010
Teach for America, a corps of recent college graduates who sign up to teach in some of the nationï¿½s most troubled schools, has become a campus phenomenon, drawing huge numbers of applicants willing to commit two years of their lives. But a new study has found that their dedication to improving society at large does not necessarily extend beyond their Teach for America service. Read more...

'Race to Top' Viewed as Template for a New ESEA
Education Week - January 4, 2010
Educators hoping for a glimpse at the next rendition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act may want to take a close look at the rules for the Race to the Top program, which pushes states to adopt education redesign principles that federal officials say are likely to be the cornerstone of the Obama administrationï¿½s plans for a new ESEA. Read more...

Springfield Schools Could Benefit from "Race to the Top"
State Journal-Register - Dec. 30
Lanphier and Southeast high schools in Springfield are ranked in the lowest 5 percent of schools in the state, according to a list recently compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education.
Though disappointing, the two schoolsï¿½ designation could help the Springfield School District apply for federal stimulus funds to boost student performance. Read more...

Race to the Top Contest Ties Cash to Changes
Chicago Tribune - Dec. 26
**Advance Illinois in the News**
Enticed by the prize of $4.35 billion in federal money for schools, Illinois and other states are polishing their academic credentials, legislating away obstacles to reform and turning on the charm. Read more...

New State School Board Members
The Governor announced three new members of the State Board of Education and a new member of the P-20 Council. You can read about all of them in the Governor's press release here.
The State Journal-Register profiled one of those new members, former Springfield School Board member and retired educator Melinda LaBarre. Read more...

"Race to the Top" Update - Across the U.S.
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing:

An editorial in Michigan praises work done by the legislature on "Race to the Top"
A second Michigan editorial agrees, but argues it should just be the beginning, not the end.

EdWeek reports that the competition has spurred reforms across the country, even before the applications have been filed and awards granted.

Georgia's Governor is taking charge of the ï¿½Race to Topï¿½ application, calling it a ï¿½almost a Nixon-goes-to-China opportunity.ï¿½ (Journal-Constitution)

Michigan's State Supt of public instruction thinks the reforms aimed at winning the "Race to the Top" are the right things to do, regardless of the federal opportunity. (Free Press)

The Washington Post focuses on the various strategies used to turn around a struggling school, a key component of any state's "Race to the Top" application.

Extra Homework for States Applying for "Race to the Top"
New York Times - Dec. 26
The Department of Education, preparing to dole out hundreds of millions of dollars to winning states in a $4 billion grant competition, has estimated how long it should take each state to prepare its grant proposal: 681 hours.
Not 680, not 700, but 681 hours.
States have until Jan. 19 to submit applications for the competitionï¿½s first round and until June for the second, and officials describe it as a challenging task. States must outline their long-term agenda for improving public education and bolster their case with a history of progress already made on raising student achievement. Read more...

Central Illinois School Joins in Push for State Money
State House News - December 21, 2009
The sign outside LeRoy High School has a seemingly simple message. It says Illinoisï¿½ IOU: $253,000. But the public statement is more than just a reminder that the state is late with school aid payments. The sign is a sign that schools are fed up with waiting for what theyï¿½re owed. Read more...

Dundee-Crown HS to benefit if Illinois wins "Race to the Top"
District 300 has received notification from the Illinois State Board of Education that Dundee-Crown High School is one of several dozen schools across the state considered ï¿½high priorityï¿½ in needing further improvement. Read more...

Springfield School Benefits from Federal Stimulus Funds
Few Springfield schools have as many challenges as Matheny-Withrow Elementary, where nearly all students come from low-income families and a quarter qualify for special education services.Itï¿½s a school perfectly suited for a portion of the $8.4 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (aka economic stimulus) funds allocated to the Springfield School District for special education and low-income students. Read more...

Race to the Top Roundup
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing.

Week of Dec. 21st

Rhode Island sets an aggressive agenda ahead of "Race to the Top" (Providence Journal)

Maryland's Governor wants to apply in Phase 1.

Indiana rolls out its "Race to the Top" Plan

Michigan passes legislation aimed at "Race to the Top" but some in the state aren't so sure.

Illinois is #4 for New National Board Certified Teachers
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards - December 16, 2009
Read the news releases about the top 25 states with the largest number of new 2009 National Board Certified Teachers. Read more...

Federal Bucks Would Help Education, Budget
Decatur Herald-Review - December 15, 2009
In the Illinois state budget for education, $400 million is a lot of money. The state has a chance to secure that amount from the federal government, but there is some work to do. Read more...

Freshman Year Reports Reveal Crucial Information for Tackling Chicago Public Schools Dropout Problem
Press Release - December 14, 2009
The Consortium on Chicago School Research at the University of Chicago has released nearly 100 individualized school reports that reveal which Chicago public high schools have made progress towards getting freshmen on track to graduate. Read more...

Louisiana serves as model in teacher assessment
The Washington Post - December 13, 2009
In the fluorescent glow of Room 46 at J.W. Faulk Elementary School, second-year teacher Shannon Bower saw big challenges ahead for her fourth-graders who are struggling in reading and math. "I do what I can," she said during a recent class. "I move them up a little, but I can't do two years in one." Read more...

California's neediest high school students have the least prepared teachers, study says
The Los Angeles Times - December 14, 2009
The neediest students in California high schools are being taught by the least prepared teachers, a new study shows. Read more...

Race to the Top Roundup
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing.

Week of December 14, 2009

New York Improves its chances in the big Race (Huffington Post)

Want Race to the Top funds? Prepare to make big changes, DOE tells districts in Florida (Orlando Sentinel)

New York Regents to push Race to the Top school turnaround strategy today (Gotham Schools)

Federal grant may give Florida schools up to $700 million (Miami Herald)

California Local school districts wary of 'Race to the Top' initiative (Contra Costa Times)

Louisiana School Board Association opposes Race to the Top program (Shreveport Times)

Michigan Rules on teachers, schools could change to snare aid (Detroit Free Press)

Arkansas Preparing New Teacher Evaluations (Associated Press)

In Nevada, Gibbonsï¿½ failure to lead (Las Vegas Sun)

In Florida, More class time is the key to better results, educators say (Miami Herald)

Politics dominate California education reform effort (AP)

Week of December 7, 2009

Advance Illinois Urges State to "Act Boldly" and Win "Race to the Top Funds (Catalyst-Chicago)

Districts in Illinois Watching "Race to the Top" competition carefully (Illinois StateHouse News)

States race for education dollars (Effingham Daily News)

Illinois Urged to Make Bold School Reform (Evanston Roundtable)

Louisiana revamps "Race to Top" application, including a change in teacher evaluation. (Baton Rouge Advocate)

Pennsylvania Educators Join Preparations for 'Race to the Top' Competition (PR Newswire)

O'Brien seeks input about bettering schools for grant competition in Colorado (The Coloradoan)

Schwarzenegger pushes lawmakers to reform schools in California (The Mercury News)

New Jersey to seek first round of U.S. school stimulus (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Detroit schools' test results could fuel reform push in Michigan (The Detroit News)

Illinois prepares application for 'unprecedented' money (Chicago Current)

California Legislation would give parents new power to trigger change at a school (Los Angeles Times)

Ohio striving for more federal education money (Zanesville Times Recorder)

Analysis: Many fed education reforms don't fit Michigan (The Chicago Tribune)

Connecticut Considers Shifting Charter-School Tuition Costs To Local School Systems (The Hartford Courant)

Decatur Sees Success on Kindergarten Readiness
Aggressive work by community members in Decatur, led by the Decatur Area Education Coalition, increased kindergarten readiness dramatically. Read a report from Education Coalition here.

Finally some sense about 21st century skills--part two, the Wagner book
The Washington Post - December 11, 2009
Commentary on the latest book by school improvement activist Tony Wagner: "The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need." Read more...

County educators attend training session with leader in reform
The State Journal-Register - December 10, 2009
A leader in education reform whose research is shaping changes in the Springfield School District spent a couple of days training Sangamon County educators on how to improve area middle and high schools. Read more...

Urban school reform is about helping boysï¿½
WhyBoysFail.com - December 9, 2009
ï¿½which is why Arne Duncanï¿½s Race to the Top initiative matters so much. Read more...

Plans Set for National Certification of Principals
After years of talk and stalled efforts, the creation of a national certification program for principals is finally under way, with plans to launch the initiative formally sometime in 2011. Read more...

Regional schools head warns of program closings
The Peoria Journal Star - December 8, 2009
Peoria County's regional superintendent of schools warns his organization will be forced to borrow by month's end and possibly shutter education programs by February, including the state's Illinois Virtual School, without the release of money by the state. Read more...

Do Charter Schools Deserve The Spotlight?
National Journal - December 7, 2009
President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have made it clear that expanding charter schools is a critical part of successful education reform. But two major studies on charter schools released this year had dramatically different findings. Read more...

Educators take first steps toward opening Chicago's first public boarding school
Catalyst Chicago - December 7, 2009
Leah Marshall feared the worst when one of her students, Jermaine, became homeless his senior year. As a teacher on the South Side, Marshall had seen even the best and brightest of students fail classes or drop out when faced with difficulties outside of school. Read more...

Rockford schools forecast $30M shortfall
Rockford Register Star - December 7, 2009
Rockford School District officials expect a $30 million revenue shortfall in next yearï¿½s budget and say a plan to deal with it needs to be done by the end of January. Read more...

Dist. 186 broaches how to finance overhaul
State Journal-Register - December 8, 2009
Among funding scenarios being considered for the Springfieldï¿½s School Districtï¿½s $231 million plan to overhaul its three high schools is holding property- and sales-tax referendums on the same ballot next November. Read more...

Many in U-46 protest school calendar decision
Daily Herald - December 8, 2009
The Elgin Area School District U-46 board got an earful Monday night from parents, teachers and students angered at being left out of the decision to end three schools' year-round calendars. Read more...

We Know How to Turn Schools Aroundï¿½We Just Haven't Done It
Education Week - December 7, 2009
School turnarounds are not a new phenomenon, despite their increased visibility as part of the Obama administrationï¿½s education agenda. For decades, America has been trying to turn around its low-performing schools and school districts. Read more...

In Search of Education Leaders
The New York Times - December 4, 2009
For me, the greatest national security crisis in the United States is the crisis in education. We are turning out new generations of Americans who are whizzes at video games and may be capable of tweeting 24 hours a day but are nowhere near ready to cope with the great challenges of the 21st century. Read more...

Plan to raise standards for new teachers proceeds
The Providence Journal - December 7, 2009
As promised, Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist, who has made improving teacher quality the cornerstone of her five-month-old administration, is moving forward with her plan to raise the standards for prospective teachers.   Read more...

Calling Out America's Worst Schools: A $3.5 Billion Plan
Time Magazine - December 4, 2009
Like a family that has finally hit the lottery after years of hard living, the Department of Education is dropping money all over the place. Following two decades of relative poverty, its latest stimulus-supplemented gambit is to devote billions to try to fix the nation's very worst schools. Read more...

The Harlem Children's Zone
60 Minutes - December 6, 2009
Geoffrey Canada's Harlem Children's Zone has helped put historically low-achieving students in New York on academic par with their grammar-school peers. CNN's Anderson Cooper reports. Watch the report...

Race to the Top Roundup
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing.

Week of November 30, 2009

Nevada Reid, teachers group urge Gibbons to call special session on education grant (Las Vegas Review Journal)

Georgia to seek Race to the Top funds (Times-Herald)

Delaware to change education policy as state competes for federal grant (Delaware Online)

New Jersey will hold off applying for $200M to $400M in federal education funds (NorthJersey.com)

Michigan Senate ready to OK bills in hopes of qualifying for fed aid (Detroit News)

Connecticut may OK lifting limits on charter schools (New Haven Register)

Massachusetts Patrick, DeLeo reach deal on recess

Arizona may have leg up in race for education grant. (The Arizona Republic)

Education grant a 'very good start' for California. (The Desert Sun)

Finally, PBS' Newshour provides an overview, and puts the competition in historical context.Our Opinion: District 186 should alter how teachers evaluated, graded
The State Journal-Register - December 4, 2009
Apparently, teacher evaluations in the Springfield School District are much like Garrison Keillorï¿½s Lake Wobegon: All the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average. Read more...

Race To The Top Will Link Teacher Evaluation, Student Performance
Illinois Statehouse News - December 3, 2009
Illinoisï¿½ rush to get its share of Race to the Top dollars could end with ï¿½frameworkï¿½ for a merit pay system for public school teachers and principals. Read more...

One 18-year-old -- and the state that educates her -- are in a race to succeed
Medill Reports - December 3, 2009
Shandreeka Lewis has constructed a life with a single goal in mind: starting college next fall. Lewis is a senior at Chicago Public Schools' Uplift Community High School, which features a college preparatory curriculum.   Read more...

P-20 Council Announced
Illinois Statehouse News - December 2, 2009
Governor Quinn Creates Race to the Top Panel. Read more...

WBBM 780 News Radio - December 2, 2009
Quinns sets 25 to work to get federal school aid. Read more...

Chicago Current - December 2, 2009
Governor creates group to address education issues. Read more...

Catalyst Chicago - December 1, 2009
Governor names council for Illinois bid to win Race to the Top funds. Read more...

Chicago Breaking News Center - December 1, 2009
Quinn appoints panel to improve education. Read more...

Illinois Government News Network - December 1, 2009
Governor Quinn Names Key Education Council ï¿½Race to the Topï¿½ for Federal Funds Starts With New P-20 Panel. Read more...

Champaign schools pilot new teacher-evaluation system
The News Gazette - November 30, 2009
Angela Shargo went through her first evaluations as a new teacher last year, in which her principal watched her teach several times during the course of the school year. Read more...

Meeks returns to familiar ground in school-funding fight
Winnetka Talk - December 1, 2009
The last time State Sen. James Meeks spent much time in New Trier territory, it was Sept. 2 of 2008, and he arrived with more than 1,000 Chicago children and parents to register for school in protest over the inequalities of school funding.   Read more...

IEA President responds to Tribune editorial
Illinois Education Association - November 25, 2009
The editorial ï¿½Too high a price,ï¿½ implies that education employee unions, because they do not represent students, provide no benefit to students. The editorial also suggests unions are not supportive of Sen. James Meeksï¿½ fight to give a quality education to every student in Illinois. These misconceptions possibly stem from a lack of understanding of the work of education employee unions. Read more...

To pay for longer school days, some parents try raising money
The New York Times - November 26, 2009
After raising $35,000 for gym mats, musical instruments and other extras last year, parents at Disney II Magnet School in Chicago now face a more daunting price tag ï¿½ $100,000 ï¿½ to keep their children in class an extra hour each day. Read more...

Parents want bigger say in next SD 227 superintendent
Southtown Star - November 29, 2009
The failure of Rich Township High School District 227 is chipping away at the fabric of the seven communities it is meant to unite. Read more...

Two charter school studies, two findings on effectiveness
The Washington Post - November 30, 2009
As President Obama pushes for more charter schools, the education world craves a report card on an experiment nearly two decades old. How are these independent public schools doing? The safest and perhaps most accurate reply -- it depends -- leaves many unsatisfied.   Read more...

Race to the Top Roundup
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing. Special thanks to Catalyst Chicago for their reporting on Race to the Top.

Week of November 23, 2009

Stimulus rules on turnarounds softened in 11th hour. (Ed Week)

Idaho will submit Race to the Top proposal that calls for lifting charter cap andï¿½with union inputï¿½paying teachers based on performance. (AP)

Gov. Jennifer Granholm says Michigan must win RttT bid. (Gov Monitor)

White House Pushes Science and Math Education
New York Times - November 23, 2009
To improve science and mathematics education for American children, the White House is recruiting Elmo and Big Bird, video game programmers and thousands of scientists. Read more...

Obama Remarks on Math, Science and Technology Education
Washington Post - November 23, 2009
President Obamaï¿½s full remarks from yesterdayï¿½s Educate to Innovate kick off. Read more...

It's time to evaluate the evaluation
Washington Post - November 23, 2009
Jay Mathews reports one teacherï¿½s unfavorable review under DCï¿½s new evaluation system. Read more...

What the Gubernatorial Candidates are saying about education
Illinois Review - November 23, 2009
Meeks Provides Model for ILGOP on K-12. Read more...

Illinois Review - November 19, 2009
Brady Unveils Education Reform Package. Read more...

Study Finds NCLB Lifted Math Scores
EdWeek - Nov. 20, 2009
The No Child Left Behind Act has significantly boosted mathematics achievement, but no evidence exists that it has done the same for reading, according to a new study.    Read more...

An Educated Work Force
If an educated work force is the nation's human capital, business is seeing a lot of subprime these days. Read more...

Will Illinois Education 'Race to the Top'? There's Hope on the Horizon
For some reason, the State of Illinois thinks I'm qualified to teach history.   I didn't major in history, or even political science. Though I did take a couple history courses in college, they had titles like, "The History of International Institutions" and "The Hindu Novel in the 20th Century" -- not exactly the surveys of American or European history that would qualify me to teach high school. Read more...

Race to the Top Roundup
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing.

Delaware ï¿½ Starting to get the legislative ball rolling

Alabama - Union chief opposes charter schools

A decade after Decatur fracas, racial gap in school discipline widens
In the decade since mass protests over the punishment of six black students in Decatur, the state's racial gap in discipline has split wide open. It's such a gaping hole that now more than half of all Illinois children suspended from public schools are black, even though they represent less than one-fifth of the enrollment, according to an Associated Press analysis. Read more...

Gates Foundation gives $335 million to raise teacher effectiveness
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Thursday a $335 million investment in teacher effectiveness, funding experiments in tenure, evaluation, compensation, training and mentoring in three large school systems and a cluster of charter schools. Read more...

More On Sen. Meeks and the CTU
A Chicago Tribune editorial updates the dispute between State Sen. James Meeks and the Chicago Teachers Union. The latest episode makes an analogy to a video of a top official with the National Education Association. Read more...

Race to the Top Roundup
The Race to the Top competition has spurred reforms in states across the country, including Illinois. But, the progress isn't consistent. Here's a recent roundup of how states are doing.

Massachusetts governor suggests legislators stay put and pass major education bill, but House snubs his plea. (Boston Herald)

Florida may ask for $1 billion in Race to the Top bidï¿½nearly a quarter of the entire pot of money and well over the suggested $700 million cap for similarly sized states. (Miami Herald)

Alabama governor to press for establishment of charter schools in RttT bid. (Alabama Live)

Seeking RttT funds, the California State Assembly will reconvene early. (Mercury News)
Related: Economists and education experts say Californiaï¿½s school funding system is broken. (LA Times)

Missouri, slowed by former education commissionerï¿½s death, will apply in first round of RttT. (KC Star)

Connecticut legislators from the Black and Puerto Rican caucuses will launch a major initiative to close the nationï¿½s highest achievement gaps. (Hartford Courant)

And more information on Colorado, Indiana, Maryland, New York, Hawaii and Alabama.

Gubernatorial candidates weigh in on education in Illinois
Galesburg Register-Mail - Adriana Colindres - â€Ž17 hours agoâ€Ž
GateHouse News Service asked candidates for governor to respond to a series of questions about education. Seven Republicans and two Democrats were included. "Hynes said insufficient funding is "the root of most inadequacies" in the Illinois education system, and his proposed budget plan would provide more revenue. Read more...
Update: GOP Candidate Sen. Bill Brady proposed eliminating the charter cap. Read more...

North Shore education advocacy group aims to educate its own
Medill Reports: Chicago - Melissa Tussing - â€Ž13 hours agoâ€Ž
The group meets with experts in education funding to learn about the issues behind Illinois' education funding gap, in which some schools receive a lot more. Read more...

Education Week a chance to honor those who change lives
Aurora Beacon News - â€Ž3 hours agoâ€Ž
This week is American Education Week, which provides an opportunity to recognize the men and women who have chosen the education of our children as their passion and profession. Education is crucial to the foundation of our democracy and the teachers, support staff and administrators who ensure that every child in our community is provided that right deserve a huge pat on the back. Educators truly touch students' lives every day. Read more...

John Kass: Proft's past in Cicero not the usual path to revolution
Chicago Tribune - â€Ž8 hours agoâ€Ž
"And middle-class families are finding it increasingly difficult to get their kids into public universities without clout and a second mortgage. In Chicago, Proft said, only half of all public school students will graduate. "Only six out of every 100 freshmen in the Chicago public schools today will get a bachelor's degree. It's not just unacceptable, it's child abuse." Read more...

The Bipartisan Approach to Reform - National Edition
Much like Advance Illinois' bipartisan approach to reform, Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton have joined forces with Secretary Arne Duncan on a national tour to advocate for transformative of our schools. They appeared on Meet the Press Sunday and it's a strong segment that shows what can happen when those eager for reform reach across the traditional divide. See the clip here...

Board OKs $231M high school rebuild plan
The Springfield School Board on Monday approved a $231 million plan to reconstruct the cityï¿½s high schools, but did not determine how to pay for it.   Read more...

Don't save bad schools--terminate them
This year's hot education topic is fixing what is broken. The first sentence of U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's July 22 speech was: "Today, I want to focus on the challenge of turning around our chronically low-achieving schools." It is a noble quest I have long supported. But I have come to wonder if it might be a big waste of time and money. Most efforts to save such places have been failures.   Read more...

"Race to the Top" Application Released
The U.S. Dept of Ed. released the application for the $4.35 billion Race to the Top fund. The full details are here at ed.gov, including an executive summary. You can also read coverage in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Medill Reports and EdWeek (subscription site). The most significant change from the draft guidelines is a stronger emphasis on a broad range of support from the stakeholder community, including superintendents. The final application makes it clear that states can use 'innovative public schools other than charter schools' when discussing charter school innovation. The executive summary includes how many points each criteria area is worth (Effective Educators are worth 138 points; Standards 70; Data Systems 47 and Struggling Schools 50). As many had expected, the deadline for Phase 1 has been moved to mid-January (the 19th), and phase 2 is in April.

"Race to the Top" Speeds School Reform in Illinois
Medill Reports
Like a nervous high school senior, the state of Illinois is going to great lengths to fill out an application this winter. At stake is a share of $4.35 billion dollars in stimulus money designed to reward and support states making major strides in education reform. Read more...

Closing a school option in Morton
Twelve of 14 architects' options for renovating District 709 facilities suggest closing Jefferson Elementary School. Eight of 14 advocate closing Morton Junior High School. Read more...

Time for School?
Education Next - Winter 2010
Students in the United States spend much less time in school than do students in most other industrialized nations, and the school year has been essentially unchanged for more than a century. This is not to say that there is no interest in extending the school year. While there has been little solid evidence that doing so will improve learning outcomes, the idea is often endorsed. Read more...

Illinois Moving Ahead on Race to the Top, But Governor Has Yet to Name Key Oversight Council
Catalyst - November 9, 2009
Even among its emerging strengths, Illinois has loose ends to tie off before the US Department of Education closes the door on applications for incentive grants under the Race to the Top initiative. Read more...

Williamsville Schools Climb Out of Budget Hole
State Journal-Register - November 9, 2009
When Dave Root became Williamsville school superintendent in July 2007, the district had an $800,000-plus deficit and was being scrutinized by the Illinois State Board of Education. Read more...

IMSA Named Intel's Top School Nationally for Science Excellence
Chicago Tribune - November 9, 2009
It's not all serious science experiments and knotty math problems at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. The state-funded public school for gifted students got downright rowdy with cheers and laughter last week during a celebration of the school's selection as Intel's top school nationally for science excellence. Read more...

North Carolina Launches New Race to the Top Web Site
The Gov Monitor - November 9, 2009
Gov. Bev Perdue today launched racetothetop.nc.gov and called upon North Carolinians to participate in the federal ï¿½Race to the Topï¿½ initiative. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Race to the Top is a federal $4.5 billion competitive grant fund that rewards states for educational innovation and achieving significant improvements in how students perform. Read more...

The New/Improved ESEA
NCLB signaled the commitment of leadership to measurement, school accountability, public school choice, teacher effectiveness, and most importantly, equitable outcomes. These aims are more important than ever and should undergird reauthorization of ESEA. Read more...

School Districts Retooling How They Evaluate Teachers
Chicago Tribune - November 9, 2009
Teachers in Evanston- Skokie School District 65 used to be judged on what they did in the classroom. Now their evaluations -- and their pay -- will also depend on what their students do. Read more...

School Districts' Salary Gaps Don't Always Affect Test Scores
Chicago Tribune - November 9, 2009
Teachers at the highest-paying grade school district in the Chicago area make twice as much as their colleagues at the local elementary school paying the lowest wages, according to the 2009 Illinois School Report Card. Read more...

School Board Candidates Line Up in New North Mac District
State Journal-Register - November 9, 2009
Fourteen school board candidates have filed to represent the new North Mac School District. Voters in the Virden and Girard school districts last spring approved merging and forming the new district. Read more...

Ratings Have Little to Do with Teaching
Washington Post - November 9, 2009
Those unfortunate people in the District might worry about the quality of their teachers and wait anxiously for the results of the school system's controversial new evaluation of classroom techniques and test score improvement. But those of us in the Washington area suburbs don't have to worry because we already know that close to 100 percent of our teachers are entirely satisfactory. How? Our school districts say so. Read more...

More Oregon Students are Getting Math
The Oregonian - November 7, 2009
Oregon math teachers have moved middle schoolers far enough ahead in math that the typical eighth-grader now can do math at nearly the same level as many high school sophomores. Read more...

Charter School Group Sees Roadblock
Peoria Journal-Star - Nov. 5, 2009
An effort by a group of prominent business and education officials to get Peoria's first modern-day charter school off the ground may be in jeopardy. Read more...

Talking Tough on What's Needed in Schools
Sen. James Meeks and the Chicago Tribune have each written tough pieces on schools in the past few weeks. In an op-ed entitled "Their Blood is on our Hands," Meeks makes a link between the recent violence at Fenger High School and reforms he'd like to see implemented. The Tribune editorial page reinforces the message with a stinging editorial.

Obama Touts "Race to the Top" in Anniversary of Election
President Obama focused on education reform and the historic "Race to the Top" competition in an address in Wisconsin on the anniversary of his election. Read more in the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor or Chicago Tribune. You can also read the text of his address here.

Summit Ties High School Dropout Rate to Economy
Pantagraph - Nov. 4, 2009
To encourage more students to see education that way, about 500 students, educators, community leaders, parents and business people gathered Tuesday at the Illinois Dropout Prevention Summit at Illinois State University's Bone Student Center. The event was part of a nationwide effort to increase the graduation rate of students. Keynote speaker Alma Powell, chairwoman of America's Promise Alliance, stressed that helping teens graduate from high school is vital to the nation's economic future. Read more...

Obama to Spotlight Education Reform Efforts
November 4, 2009
President Obama will highlight education reform efforts in 10 states where governors and lawmakers are maneuvering for a piece of the $4.35 billion to be awarded in the "Race to the Top" competition that will begin in the next several weeks. Read more in the Washington Post, USA Today and New York Times.

Program Based on Harlem Initiative Shows Promise
Chicago Tribune - November 4, 2009
Former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton famously drew on an African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," to explain her vision for American children more than decade ago. Now the Obama administration is looking to another village -- local urban communities -- to serve the educational and social needs of children in poverty with its Promise Neighborhoods, an initiative modeled on the transformative and widely touted Harlem Children's Zone. Read more...

Illinois Data on Stimulus-Related Jobs Don't Add Up
Chicago Tribune - November 4, 2009
More than $4.7 million in federal stimulus aid so far has been funneled to schools in North Chicago, and state and federal officials say that money has saved the jobs of 473 teachers. Problem is, the district employs only 290 teachers. Read more...

Teach Your Teachers Well
New York Times - Nov. 1, 2009
Op-Ed Contributor Susan Engel argues for more rigorous teacher training: "If we really want good schools, we need to create a critical mass of great teachers. And if we want smart, passionate people to become these great educators, we have to attract them with excellent programs and train them properly in the substance and practice of teaching." Read more...

The Question of Turnarounds
National Journal - Nov. 2, 2009
The National Journal's panel of experts tackle the question: Are Turnarounds a Losing Strategy?
Read more...

A Short Term Fix, "Hold Harmless" Remains Years Later
BND.com- Nov. 2, 2009
What was supposed to last three or four years has now been in place for about 10. But with the state in financial chaos, many thought this would be the year the temporary program finally was shelved. Instead, the General Assembly has shelled out $20.2 million in hold-harmless money for 2010 to schools across the state. Nearly $1.2 million of that is going to schools in the metro-east.Local school leaders say not only do they deserve hold harmless funds, it's their faulty school funding program that makes them necessary in the first place. Read more...

Case of the Missing Juniors
Chicago Tribune - Nov. 1, 2009
School districts statewide are using a loophole that allows them to define what constitutes a "junior." By ratcheting up the credit hour requirements, schools are disqualifying thousands of third-year high school students from taking the 11th-grade exam that is the primary tool to hold the schools accountable for student achievement. Many then take the test as seniors, but their scores are not used for state and federal No Child Left Behind accountability purposes. In fact, the state does not even track how well seniors perform on the test. Read more..

Stimulus Saves Classroom Jobs
Chicago Tribune - Nov. 1, 2009
A quick drive around Chicago -- on an interstate or neighborhood streets -- and a driver quickly sees signs advertising the $787 billion federal stimulus at work on roads. But it is in the classroom where the impact might be felt most. Of the 24,448 jobs created or retained in Illinois from the historic spending package, the state reported that 14,330 jobs were in the education sector. Read more...