School choice boosts teachers effectiveness
School choice boosts teachers effectiveness
Charter schools are at the forefront of evaluating teacher effectiveness.
School choice changes lives: Chicago student goes from CPS dropout to top of his class at YCCS charter
School choice changes lives: Chicago student goes from CPS dropout to top of his class at YCCS charter
YCCS, one of the 22 campus sites, prides itself on accommodating students individual needs by matching their educational level upon matriculation with a uniquely tailored, innovative learning environment.
School choice breeds innovation, success
School choice breeds innovation, success
Organizations such as School of One which operates a math program at three New York City public middle schools are proving that innovation can occur in a public education system that is resistant to change.
School choice gives parents, students the freedom to flourish
School choice gives parents, students the freedom to flourish
Choice means giving parents the right to decide which educational option is best for their children, whether it be public schools, charter schools, private schools, online learning or homeschooling.
School Choice Week
School Choice Week
Josh Dwyer Director of Education Reform National School Choice Week is centered on the belief that parents should be empowered to choose the best educational environments for their children From Friday, January 22 to Saturday, February 2 organizations around the country will be sponsoring events related to promoting school choice. Celebrate and promote the ongoing...
CPS free lunch program plagued by fraud
CPS free lunch program plagued by fraud
Illinois education financing system is rife with poorly designed policies.
CTU’s school closing delusions
CTU’s school closing delusions
The newest education fight in Chicago is over school closings.
Sweden shows that school choice works
Sweden shows that school choice works
If you’ve ever heard Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis give a speech, you know she has a thing for Finland. She points to it as a shining example of how an education system should work. She extols its collaborative teaching environments, its tenure system and its short, four-hour workday. Now, school choice supporters have...
How teachers’ salary schedules make pay increases misleading
How teachers’ salary schedules make pay increases misleading
If you want to begin to understand what’s wrong with our current public school system, look no further than teachers’ salary schedules. Public school teachers unions across Illinois have clung to these outdated pay schemes, despite evidencethat shows salary schedules reward teachers for things that have little to do with improving student outcomes. Still, it is...
Education straitjacket: how teachers’ salary schedules limit meaningful reforms
Education straitjacket: how teachers’ salary schedules limit meaningful reforms
Like the school calendar, teachers’ salary schedules are a relic of the past. They were originally created in the 1920s to address the concerns of female elementary school teachers who thought that their secondary school counterparts – who were overwhelmingly male – were making more because of their gender. Now they are being used to...
The backdoor CPS bailout
The backdoor CPS bailout
Chicago Public Schools cannot erase its $1 billion budget deficit alone – it’s going to need some help. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the school board know the situation is dire. This is why they have proposed closing 120 schools next year, a move that could save $500,000 to $800,000 per school closed. But, to...
Obama’s likely to continue focusing on big government solutions for education
Obama’s likely to continue focusing on big government solutions for education
Unlike four years ago, a vote for the re-election of President Barack Obama was not about change. It was about maintaining the status quo. This is no truer than in the issue of education, where Obama will continue to use the federal government’s purse strings to incentivize states to pursue his top-down agenda. The two...
Georgia paves way for more charter schools
Georgia paves way for more charter schools
Georgia parents spoke loudly last night. They want more school choice. By a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent, Georgia voters approved a new constitutional amendment, granting the governor, lieutenant governor and the state House speaker the authority to appoint a board that will be in charge of approving new charter schools in the...
Education spending skyrockets while test scores still disappoint
Education spending skyrockets while test scores still disappoint
Despite a struggling economy and a backlog of unpaid bills, per-pupil education spending in Illinois rose to an all-time high this year. Instructional expenditures per pupil – costs associated with teaching – reached $6,284, a 46-percent increase since 2002. Operating expenditures per pupil – costs associated with operating a school district – rose to $11,664,...