Janice Jackson
Three years in the making, the Skyline project was previewed as the top leadership team exits the district.
The district has engaged an Illinois-based firm to conduct a national search, but some observers say it will be challenging to find the right fit in this moment.
Advocates insist that budget reform efforts could still lead to important changes, and that the need for equitable funding is all the more urgent.
In a letter to educators and parents Friday evening, Chicago schools chief Janice Jackson offered a first glimpse at what school could look like in fall and said the district was preparing for the possibility of reopening classrooms.
Despite push, some students still lack devices, and some districts aren’t providing data about who’s logging on
The purchases of Chromebooks, IPads and laptops are part of $32 million the district has spent so far to respond to the coronavirus crisis.
Chicago officials are weighing calls by the teachers union and others to shift to a pass/fail approach, as districts nationwide re-examine grading amid remote learning.
We’ll be updating this blog regularly with news, insights, and information. Have tips or questions or suggestions of what we should cover? Email us at chicago.tips@chalkbeat.org.
Profound income disparities among its students and the size of the district pose a challenge as Chicago seeks to roll out an effective and equitable e-learning strategy.
As the number of the new coronavirus cases worldwide continues to rise, we are monitoring the impact on Chicago schools and their families and will post updates here. Illinois is one of 35 states with confirmed cases,
Parents have wanted to know everything from how concerned they should be about their children’s possible coronavirus exposure to where they can take kids as a statewide closure begins Tuesday.
Members of Lincoln Park High School’s governing body say they want to meet with Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools chief Janice Jackson in an effort to reinstate their campus administration.
Whether you’re just catching up, or you’re curious about big picture implications, here are six questions to consider as the investigation unfolds.
Neither Mayor Lori Lightfoot nor district leaders seems ready to take on the tough topic of underenrollment, even though propping up struggling schools drains others and deprives some students of rich course offerings and opportunities.
There’s no decision yet whether school ratings will be penalized if students don’t show up, which has some Chicago principals worried.
Follow along here for live updates as we track negotiations, rallies, and more.
After a tense 24-hour stalemate that saw hopes raised and dashed of a possible deal, delegates for the Chicago Teachers Union voted 364 to 242 in favor of a tentative contract — but it comes with a caveat: the mayor must agree to let the members make up their missed days and earn their pay.
Chicago entered the eighth day of a teachers strike in a precarious stalemate between the two sides, as parents continued to fork out money for strike camps and weigh sending children to minimally staffed schools.
With no deal reported, the Chicago Teachers Union still got a national boost: Chance the Rapper wore a red CTU sweatshirt on “Saturday Night Live.”
Facing enrollment drops and low expectations for students of color, Chicago Public Schools is betting on a new approach to steer more of them into the college-prep courses.
As the city enters a fifth day of canceled classes and rallies, we’re summarizing where each of five core issues stands — and what could happen with them as negotiations continue.
After pulling back most of its negotiators for a day in protest, the Chicago Teachers Union said it spent Tuesday “rebuilding” and will return to the bargaining table in full force to pursue a contract.
Chalkbeat Chicago reporters be providing updates throughout Day 3 of the Chicago teachers strike — from picket lines and poncho drop-offs to negotiations and public appearances by the mayor and union officials.
The problem is so widespread and acute — and thus costly to resolve — that rank-and-file picketers acknowledge that the likely contract solution, which is to provide more money to schools to hire more classroom aides, will generally fall short.
For weeks, Chicago has been riveted by jousting between the Chicago Teachers Union and City Hall. But now that a strike is all but assured, attention is turning to the 300,000-some students whose teachers and support staff will be walking out of schools.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and schools chief Janice Jackson have said the 514 district-run schools impacted by the strike would remain open and minimally staffed by principals and non-unionized support personnel.
If negotiations between Chicago and its teachers union fail to yield a deal, teachers will walk out and potentially shut down 500-some public schools on Oct. 17.
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