Education

Failing Chicago Students Still Receive State Aid

by Michael Wille On Thursday, a state Senator provided further evidence of the state’s inability to manage its education dollars. A hearing revealed last week that students with failing grades at Chicago State University continued to receive educational assistance dollars. Senator Edward Maloney indicated the following: Maloney, who requested state financial aid information after the Tribune report,...

Raising the Bar: A Performance Review of Downstate and Suburban Charter Schools

Summary This report focuses on the seven downstate and suburban charter schools that enrolled K-12 students during the 2009-10 school year. Charter schools that focus exclusively on reenrolling high school dropouts are excluded from the analysis. Also not included in the analysis are Peoria’s Quest Academy, Rockford’s CICS Patriots Charter School and Southland College Prep,...

By Collin Hitt

Graduate Early and Receive $4,000

by Mark Cavers During their latest session Indiana’s legislature passed and Governor Mitch Daniels signed into law a bill that will reward students who graduate from high school a year early. Under the program, Indiana high school students who graduate in three years will receive a $4,000 scholarship to attend any Indiana university or trade school. Providing a cash...

There Is Hope: Youth Connection Charter School

by Mark Cavers Youth Connection Charter School is a hybrid school that combines direct classroom instruction (think traditional school) with an online curriculum and enrolls students who have dropped out of other high schools. This unique learning environment allows teachers to tailor individual lessons to meet each students’ needs. Here is a short film detailing YCCS...

Illinois Needs to Learn to Fix Its Schools

by Aon Hussain Just last week, the Chicago Sun Times published an interesting article about the state of rising teacher salaries. In some parts of Illinois, it is not uncommon to see some teachers earning six figures. In addition to high teacher salaries, administrators of various school districts are making a lot of money even as school...

Chico Takes on Job Ripe with Opportunities

by Mark Cavers Earlier today, Governor Quinn announced his appointment of former mayoral hopeful Gery Chico to the head of the Illinois State Board of Education. Chico will face a challenging job as he oversees schools in communities as diverse as Chicago and Sparta. He is charged with overseeing all 868 school districts, 2.1 million...

Government Monopolized Education Is Ineffective

by Sameer Warraich New leadership is set to take control over Chicago Public Schools, and parents and students are pondering whether these new policy makers will be successful in reforming Chicago’s public school system. With a deficit that exceeds $720 million, CPS is in dire need of reformers who can simultaneously reduce costs while increasing the...

Update: Performance Counts Bill (SB7) Passes

by Mark Cavers Update: Today is a big day for children in schools across state. Senate Bill 7, which represents a significant step forward in the effort to give all our children an excellent education just passed the House! By a margin of 112-1-1 the Illinois House of Representatives sent a strong message that they...

72% Say Taxpayers Not Getting Value on Public Education

by Brian Costin On Tuesday, May 24 we will host pollster Scott Rasmussen to discuss the intersection of public opinion and free market principles. The renowned founder of Rasmussen Reports will share what “big ideas” are trending nationally and provide takeaways for Illinois residents, officials, and business leaders. This week, Rasmussen Reports released the results of a new poll showing heavy dissatisfaction...

Americans: Schools Are Wasting Money

by Collin Hitt A new poll from Rasmussen Reports finds that most American voters think public schools are wasteful. Interestingly, Americans also understate the amount of tax money that schools receive. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 11% of voters think the taxpayers are getting a good return on that investment. Seventy-two percent...

Digital Learning in Illinois

by Collin Hitt The Chicago Tribune carried a good story over the weekend about online learning in the Chicago area. Technology-led learning will be playing a larger role in education in the area. Included was a quote from yours truly, regarding the uneven spread of online learning statewide. “There is no real, robust, state-led effort in online...

By Chris Andriesen

Emanuel Names New Head of CPS

by Mark Cavers Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel has named Jean-Claude Brizard to serve as the new head of the Chicago Public Schools. Mr. Brizard spent the past three years as the Superintendent of the Rochester School District where he pushed for a number of the education reforms that Chicago will need to implement to give our kids...

By Chris Andriesen

Who Do Vouchers Help?

by Mark Cavers Today the New York Times published an article asserting that the main beneficiaries of vouchers are “church-affiliated schools.” In truth, vouchers are above all else about helping the neglected students of our worst performing schools. But by ignoring the kids and framing their opposition on this ground, opponents in the White House,...

Teacher Tenure or High Performance?

by Collin Hitt We’ve reached an important moment for education reform. Teacher tenure – the impregnable job protection held by teachers good and bad – could soon be replaced by a system that protects only high performance. The threat of strikes could be diminished. And school districts could no longer be forced to bargain away...