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Chicago's charters and options
The district is adjusting bell times and creating transportation hubs in order to provide busing to more students.
The leadership change at the city’s largest network of charter high schools comes as Chicago’s Board of Education has increased scrutiny on charters and school choice.
Critics urge the district to push for more funding — and more spending — rather than cuts.
In its budget proposal, Chicago Public Schools is giving charters a slight funding boost overall, although some could still get funding cuts.
Appeals court says board’s vote did not violate state law on school closures. What happens next to Urban Prep’s students is unclear.
The teachers union propelled Johnson to City Hall with an education platform promising more funding and staff at neighborhood schools, housing for homeless students, and free public transit passes.
Students were assessed based on test scores, grades, school rankings, and their neighborhood’s socioeconomics in the CPS high school enrollment process.
Chicago teachers are trying out different strategies to get young students between kindergarten to second grade interested in math, build their foundational skills, and improve their test scores.
The vote represented the first round of charter renewals under the current board.
They’re responding to signals that Johnson and the school board want to shift resources to neighborhood public schools.
How much the district will try to change the city’s school choice system will depend on community feedback.
The Board of Education extended the contract with the troubled charter school network following a court order.
The move puts in motion Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign promise to reinvigorate neighborhood schools.
Chalkbeat followed students and their parents through the high school application process in Chicago.
The admissions process has built up a reputation for being stressful on families, but many value the ability to choose a school they see as the best fit for their child.
Illinois is one of the few states that have not expanded their voucher-like program. During the veto session, lawmakers did not move a bill that would have extended the state’s program, known as Invest in Kids.
As Mayor Brandon Johnson and his hand-picked school board exert their influence, charter families and advocates see challenges ahead for the sector.
Families use the application for entry to a variety of schools, including selective test-in schools and neighborhood schools outside of their attendance boundaries.
The shift raises questions about who schools are serving, how they should be resourced, and what the district — and the city — can do as it continues to lose students.
Leaders with the nationally-recognized charter school network said Wednesday they filed a lawsuit to keep control of its remaining two campuses serving Black boys in Englewood and Bronzeville. Chicago Public Schools has said it plans to keep the schools open under district management.