A few years ago, José Grimaldo found himself at a crossroads when he lost his job as a welder at a factory in Illinois. With three children and a wife to support, what was he to do? Grimaldo, like many others who have found themselves jobless during t…
Continue Reading →SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A state commission studying education spending has concluded that Illinois schools could save hundreds of millions of dollars by sharing information and resources but that forcing small districts to consolidate would be a …
Continue Reading →Published Online: April 13, 2012
By Sarah Karp, Catalyst Chicago
At 6, Maria Martinez’ son barely spoke a sentence, and when he did, it came out garbled. His reading and writing skills also were below grade level.
He was enrolled in a small Catho…
The five states that narrowly missed winning a slice of the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Fund will get a chance to compete for $133 million in new money, the U.S. Department of Education announced today.
Eligible for this round: Colorado,…
CHICAGO (AP) — One child doesn’t talk, rocks rhythmically back and forth and stares at clothes spinning in the dryer. Another has no trouble talking but is obsessed with trains, methodically naming every station in his state.
Autistic kids like th…
By Chastity Pratt Dawsey, Detroit Free Press , (MCT)
Detroit Public Schools is planning radical changes for the next school year in an effort to bring in money and become a smaller system of autonomous schools after years of enrollment and state-aid …
Published Online: April 2, 2012
Published in Print: April 4, 2012, as Federal Dysfunction Poses Stiff Challenge For State K-12 Chiefs
Christopher Koch, left, Illinois’ schools superintendent, chats with other attendees at the Council of Chief Sta…
Continue Reading →Published Online: March 28, 2012
GRANITE CITY, Ill. (AP) — A southwestern Illinois school district has denied a student’s request to wear a kilt to senior prom in recognition of his family’s Scottish heritage.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http:/…
As I stood in front of the class on my first day as a teacher, my knees were knocking – literally! How would I ever learn the names of the 33 students sitting in front of me? Would I be able to control a rowdy group? Had I prepared enough material? W…
Continue Reading →By John Byrne, Chicago Tribune
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is touting the benefits of a partnership with U.S.-based high-tech companies that will allow high school students in the city to develop technology skills and prepare for possible jobs at the …