Illinois’ public schools are in trouble. As if shuttering schools, the faltering Chicago Public Schools system and unfunded pension liabilities weren’t enough, it seems the teacher licensing system is mired in clout and corruption. A front page story from the Chicago Tribune on July 12 details findings of “nearly 100 cases in the past five...
In the next bad surprise for taxpayers and Illinois’ downstate teachers, the Teachers’ Retirement System, or TRS, announced that the shortfall in its pension fund has increased by $6 billion. The bigger shortfall means that without real pension reform, teachers may see their pensions cut and taxpayers may be called on to bail out the nearly insolvent...
Chicago Public Schools, or CPS, officials announced yesterday that the district laid off a group of teachers and other staff. Overall, 1,150 school district employees, composed of 550 teachers and 600 clerical support staff, are being let go by the school district. This round of layoffs comes a year after CPS let go a further...
It’s hard to deny just how poorly Chicago’s public schools are performing when it hits you in the face. Such is the case with Paul Robeson High School’s 2014 prom theme: “This is Are Story.” That image came from veteran investigative reporter Chuck Goudie, who posted this image on his Facebook page. Some people might...
It’s easy to be apathetic when it comes to effecting change in Illinois. Rampant corruption, legislators voting on bills they don’t read and the oversized influence of lobbyists all make trying to change public policy for the better a seemingly impossible task. But this doesn’t have to be the case – there are plenty of...
Is the school your child attends as good as you think it is? New research by Lance Izumi – senior director of education studies at the California-based Pacific Research Institute – shows that a large number of suburban Illinois public schools aren’t making the grade. His study complements research conducted by the Illinois Policy Institute...
After months of hounding by Illinois legislators, the Illinois State Board of Education has finally released a preliminary analysis of Senate Bill 16, a proposed education funding bill that completely transforms how the state distributes money to local districts. Proponents of the bill say the bill makes education funding more equitable. But, as many suburban...
State Rep. Chapa LaVia’s constituents oppose her efforts to limit school choice. The representative has launched a full-scale assault on school choice this legislative session, sponsoring more than a half dozen bills that would limit the growth of charter schools and put strict limits on digital learning. Two – House Bill 3754 and House Bill...
Watch the event here at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 22. We will be streaming live from Josephinum Academy. Having trouble viewing the livestream? Click here to watch on YouTube.
Meet Jailyn Baker. She’s a senior at Josephinum Academy – an all-girls school in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. Jailyn is like many Chicago students: she works hard in school and she dreams of a bright future. What makes Jailyn’s experience unique, however, is that she has an hour-and-a-half commute both ways to go to school....
Should this Twitter ad be illegal? State Rep. Chapa LaVia, a Democrat from Aurora and head of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, thinks so. She’s the chief sponsor of a bill that would prohibit “any and all marketing and advertising to the public for charter school enrollment and recruitment made by a charter...
Madigan’s new tax proposal — which levies a 3 percent surcharge on income over $1 million to provide funding to schools — is packaged as an easy political sell. Who can argue with a pitch that cries: “More money for children!” But it’s not so simple. A look at the data about education spending and...
When House Speaker Michael Madigan issued a press release about his new tax proposal yesterday – which levies a 3 percent surcharge on income over $1 million, which Madigan said will provide funding for schools – he highlighted the struggles of districts across the state to balance their books. Unfortunately, he neglected to mention these...
Most people assume that Chicago is home to Illinois’ lowest-performing schools. And that’s not a far-fetched belief – Chicago’s lowest-performing schools are doing a dismal job of teaching students the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the future. But Chicago is home to only 45 percent of the state’s lowest-performing elementary schools and...