Federal investigation targets Chicago schools’ long-awaited Black Student Success Plan. State law mandated the Chicago Board of Education create a plan to “bring parity between Black children and their peers.”
The Illinois legislative session is scheduled to end on May 31. Lawmakers are considering several education bills and negotiating the fiscal year 2024 budget. Here is what Chalkbeat is following.
A presentation used to brief school board members and obtained by Chalkbeat outlined potential cuts, many of which include staff and programs supported by federal COVID relief money. District officials and school board members look to lobby City Hall and Illinois lawmakers for funding.
The school board’s vote seals the contract with the teachers union. The final deal includes limits on class sizes and more preparation time for elementary school teachers.
The school board has delayed its charter renewal votes for two months, leaving many charter families and educators wondering about the future of their schools.
Federal investigation targets Chicago schools’ long-awaited Black Student Success Plan. State law mandated the Chicago Board of Education create a plan to “bring parity between Black children and their peers.”
The Illinois legislative session is scheduled to end on May 31. Lawmakers are considering several education bills and negotiating the fiscal year 2024 budget. Here is what Chalkbeat is following.
A presentation used to brief school board members and obtained by Chalkbeat outlined potential cuts, many of which include staff and programs supported by federal COVID relief money. District officials and school board members look to lobby City Hall and Illinois lawmakers for funding.
The school board’s vote seals the contract with the teachers union. The final deal includes limits on class sizes and more preparation time for elementary school teachers.
The school board has delayed its charter renewal votes for two months, leaving many charter families and educators wondering about the future of their schools.
The committee is mandated by state law, which was amended at the same time lawmakers drew electoral districts for Chicago’s first school board elections.
More privately-run, public charter schools in Chicago have closed in recent years. In a first, Chicago Public Schools is poised to convert five back to district-run campuses.
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, a lawmaker from Illinois, along with other Democratic lawmakers, want the U.S. Department of Education to reverse track on firings in office that serve English learners.
Martinez was one of three finalists for the job as commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The board’s choice must now be confirmed by the state’s secretary of education.
Chalkbeat sat down with Elizabeth Todd-Breland, the coauthor of a new memoir chronicling the life of former CTU President Karen Lewis.
Illinois' switch back to the ACT has been a bumpy ride. On April 8, a technical glitch prevented 11,000 students from finishing the exam on the same day.
Victor Hurtado came to Chicago as a teenager from Mexico and graduated from Schurz High School in the 1990s. Today, he’s the math department chair at Schurz and teaches bilingual teens advanced algebra and calculus.
Illinois child care providers worry what will happen to children and families if the Trump administration cuts funding to Head Start, a federal program that provides services to low-income families.
This is at least the second public education job Martinez has sought and become a finalist for since his firing in December.
The union said Monday that 85% of members voted on the deal over the course of last Thursday and Friday. Of the ballots cast, 97% ratified the agreement.
The U.S. Department of Education demanded states certify that they are not promoting “illegal DEI” programs. The Illinois schools chief challenged the department to define which programs are illegal.
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The Chicago Board of Education has not yet launched a state-mandated committee focused on Black students. Advocates are pushing board members to create it.
The Trump administration closed 5 out of 10 Head Start regional offices, including one in Chicago. A group of U.S. senators from the Midwest want to know what’s next for child care providers and families.
The district is hosting a series of virtual and in-person hearings to get feedback from families and residents as it starts work on its 2025-26 capital budget.
Illinois teachers unions want the state to fix tiered pension benefits this legislative session. What would a change mean?
The Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, the union representing principals, would like more protections against harassment and bullying of school leaders and more time to focus on teaching and learning.
The federal education department told state education leaders they must certify within 10 days that their schools do not participate in practices the administration deems illegally promote DEI.
Local education leaders have underscored their commitment to the LGBTQ+ community, but some say officials must do more.
Illinois says the federal government’s plan to rescind $77 million in COVID relief funds will impact programs in 27 school districts statewide.
The tentative four-year contract would raise teacher pay, add prep time for elementary school teachers, and increase recess time for students.
Advocates say waivers have gotten broader and, in some cases, parents sign away their rights for years. A new bill aims to fix the problem.
The declaration from seven school board members means the city does not have enough support from the Board of Education to get the $175 million it is seeking from Chicago Public Schools.
A resolution passed by the Chicago Board of Education Thursday requires the next CPS CEO hold a superintendent’s license. The 21-member, partially-elected school board is tasked with hiring a new leader in the coming months.
School board President Sean Harden said the board will revisit the budget amendment after the district lands a tentative agreement with the CTU.
The U.S. Department of Education is opening a Title IX investigation after a complaint was filed by two conservative groups against Chicago, suburban Deerfield, and the Illinois State Board of Education
The mayor and the school board president characterized the meeting as productive. Chicago Teachers Union leadership and CEO Pedro Martinez emerged frustrated.
The Afterschool for Children and Teens Now coalition went to Springfield on Wednesday to request funding for after-school programs and to advocate for bills that would create an advisory group.
The complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights against the Illinois State Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools alleges the state and district are violating Title IX rules by extending discrimination to include gender identity.
A five-page memo from Baker Tilly outlines the risk of cuts and possibilities of refinancing debt as the new partially-elected Chicago school board faces its first significant vote on its budget, labor contracts, and relationship with City Hall.
Artificial intelligence is becoming more a part of our daily lives. Educators and lawmakers want the state to come up with guidance to ensure that AI-powered tools are safe for students.
Ald. Jason Ervin and Chicago’s Chief Financial Officer urged school board members to approve a $175 million pension reimbursement and consider refinancing debt in order to foot the bill.