"Principals and teachers at Chicago Public Schools are gearing up for the school year that begins next week, and some say they're doing it without a needed chief education officer."  (CPS Principals Feeling 'Lost at Sea' WBEZ)

 

It's a story we've heard a thousand times -- a low performing neighborhood school pressured as new families move in and want more options for their kids. Last year it was Pulaski. The year before it was... I forget. The Chicago Journal has the latest version of the story, involving Smyth Elementary (Parents: Smyth not good enough):  "As families with school-age children continue to move into the redeveloped South Loop, school space is becoming scarce at nearby magnet schools. And, the space allotted at Smyth school is just not good enough to some who criticize Smyth as a non-racially diverse program that performs at the bottom of the charts and is full of poor kids."

How do top schools fill openings without listing job availabilities and getting swamped with candidates?  I'm not sure.  But it seems to happen all the time, based on comments and emails like this one from a reader:  "I interviewed yesterday for an English opening at Payton (didn't get it) and also was tipped off about an opening at Lincoln Park HS (which the department chair said they just filled). Neither of these jobs was posted on the district website, yet others are. I was under the impression that schools have to post the openings."  Also, while we're on the topic of hiring, does it really cost a school anything more to hire a veteran teacher?  I was under the impression that the district gave schoosl teacher slots and average salary costs but that the true actual costs weren't absorbed by the schools but rather averaged across the district.  Please fill me in.

Crane High School student killed ABC7:  This shooting comes two days after a 15-year-old CPS student was gunned down in Humboldt Park... Darrell McKinney, 15, Killed In Gang Crossfire: McKinney, "an exemplary student and athlete" at Orr High School, was shot in the chest as a gang member was reportedly chasing and shooting at someone else... Jody Weis' Secret Gang Summit: City Officials Have Mixed Feelings Huffington Post:  In the days since the Chicago Sun-Times made the meeting public knowledge on Saturday, some members of Chicago's City Council have been harshly critical of Weis' approach... Mokena pair makes school year brighter Herald News:  This year, they've collected thousands of notebooks, binders, colored pencils, calculators and teacher supplies from 25 different schools. Any cash donations they get go to the schools to buy new supplies or school uniforms... Four Chicago neighborhoods to give input on school improvement Catalyst:   The communities--Englewood, Grand Boulevard, Humboldt Park and Austin--all have struggling schools that are prime targets for some type of action from the district.

 

The Chicago New Teacher Center is back -- sort of -- thanks to a slew of foundations chipping in to pick up where CPS left off.  As you may recall, the program was cut and the coaches were fired.  CNTC has also gotten funding to start a new principal mentoring program.  Catalyst's Rebecca Harris has the details (Funding for New Teacher Center). 

 

 

Want to tour Chicago public schools in mid-November?  Sure you do.  And now you can, thanks to the IASB.  And if all goes well then maybe next there will be a tour bus or musical based on the school system. Click here (PDF)

 

 

"Reading In Motion is bringing its innovative arts-based reading programs to 15 schools on Chicago's Northwest Side for the 2010-11 school year as part of a partnership with the Chicago Public Schools. The expansion into kindergarten and first grade classrooms in CPS' Area 1 means RIM will be in about 25 elementary schools throughout Chicago this school year." If RIM is so good, then why only on the NW side?  See full press release below.

Illinois recently became the first state in the nation to mandate preschool bilingual education screening (EdWeek) -- even as suburban communities propose English only legislation and the nation debates so-called anchor babies.  All that and more will be discussed at the November 16 conference sponsored by the New Journalism on Latino Children (NJLC) project. Join the discussion at DePaul University in Chicago on Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (latinopolicyforum.org) Does CPS already do preschool ELL screening?  Do kids get ELL services along with the screening or does that just take effect when they get to "real" school?

Thanks thanks thanks to the reader who sent along this fascinating (yes!) PowerPoint presentation from the principals' meeting at UIC last week. So much interesting information in there (like results from the Scantron pilot and school safety data comparisons from year to year).

 

Take it all with a grain of salt -- and please feel free to any parts that seem interesting or obscure (2010-2011 Principal's Conference.pdf).  Thanks again -- a million Internets! --for sending this in.