Chicago high schools that removed police in the last few years saw a slight dip in the most serious types of student disciplinary violations, according to a new study released Wednesday. 

The study, from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, comes as Chicago Public Schools plans to launch a new safety policy for the upcoming school year that will unilaterally remove school resource officers, or SROs, from all campuses...

How does your child’s school approach school discipline and school climate? The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research recently released a toolkit called Family Playbook: School Suspensions, Discipline & Restorative Justice. The playbook summarizes research and data on school discipline and includes actions you can take to learn more about how your child’s school approaches discipline and climate in school. 

With school districts across the country still grappling with learning loss due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chicago Public Schools announced Thursday that students in grades 3-8 appear to have performed better on English language proficiency tests, on average, than they did in 2018-19, the last full school year before the pandemic disrupted in-person learning. 

Overview

National context: Schools across the United States have long grappled with the role and impact of school-based police officers, often referred to as school resource officers (SROs). Proponents for school-based policing believe that SROs contribute to school safety by preventing or addressing crime and violence in schools. Opponents of SROs in schools argue that the presence of SROs criminalizes students and increases the likelihood of school-based arrest, particularly for students of color. Policies around SROs vary in districts across the country. 

Chicago Public Schools students who live in direct proximity to a homicide often suffer in the classroom afterwards, but a new report from the University of Chicago examined the ways schools can mitigate the impact that violence has on kids. 

The findings of that report, published this week by UChicago’s Consortium on School Research, show the ways some schools are already working to limit the negative effects that living near violence can have on students...

Some Chicago schools excel at curbing the academic and social-emotional fallout experienced by students who live near where homicides happen, a new University of Chicago study found. 

In 2021, Chicago Public Schools launched a $135 million curriculum called 'Skyline'. And this school year they've added an additional $25 million. This is one of the largest educational initiatives in CPS history...

Understanding student discipline and suspensions data and research can empower parents to help their children and school communities flourish. 

This playbook summarizes research and data that shows suspensions negatively affect all students; some students are suspended more than others; the positive effects of restorative justice; and more. It also includes actions parents can take to learn more about their child’s school’s approach to school discipline and school climate.

Launched in 2023, Prep Period with the UChicago Consortium on School Research is a collaboration with The White Rhino Blog for educators who work with low-income students of color. The episodes bring the Consortium's research together with student, family, and teacher voices for insights on the most important conversations in schools today.