Mila Koumpilova
Senior Reporter, Chalkbeat Chicago
Mila Koumpilova is a Senior Reporter at Chalkbeat Chicago. She previously wrote about higher education and immigration at the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis. Mila has also covered education at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and The Forum in Fargo, N.D. A former North Dakota Rookie Reporter of the Year, she has received recognition from the Education Writers Association, the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists and others. She is a graduate of the American University in Bulgaria and the Missouri School of Journalism.
Chicago schools’ budget strategy is to lobby for more state dollars, officials said.
Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson disagree about how to give under-enrolled campuses a boost
The district is counting on an after-school program expansion, earlier interventions and other measures.
The district said principals have asked for expanded camera coverage on their campuses.
Tracking enrollment and attendance in a decentralized system remains a challenge.
The campuses will get help in strategizing to improve completion rates for students of color and low-income students.
Chicago Public Schools says it’s doubling down on programs that proved effective before the pandemic hit. New research from the University of Chicago provides a road map to improve retention.
Some of the 18 charter schools and networks that received renewals this week pleaded for longer renewal periods.
Chicago and other districts are adopting a University of Chicago questionnaire that asks students about learning conditions in their classrooms.
The district is giving families a week to weigh in on the proposed calendar.
Mayor says outreach to to educators at Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges was an “honest mistake” by a staffer.
The Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol inspired Anne-Michele Boyle to step up her media literacy curriculum.
The school district says it’s taking the time it needs to get an updated parental leave policy right.
In 2022, investigators found dozens of instances of sexual misconduct and abuse, schools mislabeling truants as transfers, a surge in overtime payments, and an end to automatic JROTC enrollment.
Chicago’s public schools saw a historic investment in technology thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and federal dollars. But the district has struggled to keep track of inventory and lacks a cohesive plan for using the new devices to accelerate learning, WBEZ and Chalkbeat found.
Students will have to pass more subjects, but getting help will count too.
Chicago schools CEO Pedro Martinez wants to offer more career prep courses for high schoolers.
Pearl-Cohn and other academies provide a model for Chicago and others seeking to expand career and technical education
District officials say the effort is a key tool to prevent violence and self-harm, but some advocates are skeptical.
District attendance remained well below pre-pandemic levels last school year.
The document was required as Chicago gears up to transition to an elected school board.
Some districts in Chicago’s south suburbs stand out for spending small portions of their COVID recovery dollars as reported to the state.
Dolton West’s superintendent wants to use technology to reimagine the school day and week.
Urban Prep leaders blasted the vote by CPS board members and claimed long-standing unfair treatment by the district.
The district is recommending that the school board pull Urban Prep’s charters following reports alleging sexual misconduct and financial issues.
Nearly 83% of students graduated in four years in 2022 and 88.8% of freshmen are on track to graduate, the district said Monday.
Chicago officials voice concerns about slipping NAEP results on the “nation’s report card,” but also highlight bright spots.
Bogdana Chkoumbova, the district’s chief education officer, spoke about her plan to help students bounce back academically.
Career academies, community hubs, incubators for democracy: Chicago Public Schools eyes new models for small South and West Side high schools.
The University of Chicago compared COVID-era grades to those before the pandemic. High schoolers fared better than elementary school students.