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Posts in category "Foundation Follies"

Meet The "PRI"

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A day later we know a little -- but not much -- more about the big 100-school CPS initiative that was revealed in the Tribune yesterday thanks to some materials that have been shared with me on background.  How does it work?  Will it work?  Here are some of the few things I can tell you... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
May 18, 2012 at 7:25 am
• 14 comments

100 New Schools (60 Charters)

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UPDATED 11:50AM;  Finally some details on the proposed 100 schools we were hearing about last month, via the Tribune (here).  The gist is that CPS wants to create 60 more charters over five years, effectively doubling the percentage of Chicago kids who go to charters to 25 percent, plus 40 more other schools to make... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
May 16, 2012 at 11:57 pm
• 31 comments

Update On National Reform

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Over the weekend I jotted down some additional houghts about last week's NewSchools summit in San Francisco, including mostly issues related to the evolution of the school reform movement but also a little bit about where Rahm (and Chicago) fit into that picture.  (Speaking of pictures, this one is of Rahm waiting to go onstage (sitting next to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, btw) is from Twittter via @sethlavin.)... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
May 7, 2012 at 8:31 am
• 4 comments
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Homeboy Chicago?

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LA doesn’t have CeaseFire (that I know of) but Chicago doesn’t have Homeboy Industries, LA’s long-running nonprofit social services program (that I know of), either. Homebody  isn’t technically an education program, but the initiative  – described in Douglas McGray’s recent Fast Company article, “House Of Second Chances” — is full of education connections and lessons for... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
May 4, 2012 at 7:05 pm
• 5 comments

"KONY2012" As An Education Issue

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Speaking of online videos:  One of these days there will be a viral education video out there like Kony 2012, the Internet meme of the moment (and perhaps of all time, says the Atlantic Wire). Don’t laugh — I’m sure there are folks out there trying to create a viral hit about schools as we speak.  Your... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 12, 2012 at 10:25 am
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WBEZ Picks Up CNC Reporter

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The bidding war for CNC’s education reporter, Becky Vevea, has been resolved and the winner is WBEZ.  I’m told Vevea will join Linda Lutton covering the education beat starting April 2. No word yet on how they will divide the beat.  Seems like a good move, considering how much is going on and the time... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 9, 2012 at 9:48 am
• 10 comments
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Walton Foundation Love

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The Walton Family Foundation gave out a lot of school reform money last year, and a good chunk of it — roughly $3 million — was spent on Chicago.  Walton is somewhat different from Gates in that it is still very much focused on expanding the number of charter schools nationwide and also supports private... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 8, 2012 at 9:02 am
• 1 comment

Teacher Advancement...But Not Much More

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Today’s news is all about the LSC deadline extension but you knew about that already (see previous post) and probably don’t care (sorry!), so let’s focus instead on the new evaluation of the TAP program in Chicago that just came out and is covered in this EdWeek story. As you may recall, then-CEO Duncan funded the... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 8, 2012 at 8:51 am
• 3 comments

New Groups Vs. Old Ones

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Oh, good.  More folks claiming to represent the interests of children.  Don’t they know that the teachers and the Democratic Party are already doing that job so very well? (Eye roll.) State and national school reform groups are popping up all over the place and WBEZ has an update on the two latest arrivals here... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
March 1, 2012 at 9:31 am
• 2 comments
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Did Schools Coverage Doom CNC?

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There's an interesting conspiracy theory out there, courtesy of former Chi-Town Daily head Geoff Dougherty, who tells media watchdog Jim Romenesko that the reason the MacArthur Foundation declined to continue funding Chicago News Cooperative is that CNC was writing stories that were too critical of CPS and CHA.  There are several City Hall connected folks on the MacArthur board. You get the idea.  Both CNC and MacArthur have denied there's anything to the story, and thus far neither Dougherty nor anyone else has provided any real evidence that MacArthur had problems with CNC's coverage or defunded CNC over it. There are at least three things worth noting, however, beyond the inherent delights of contemplating a new conspiracy.  ... Read more »
By Alexander Russo,
February 25, 2012 at 8:35 am
• 8 comments