The K–12 issues at stake in the Chicago mayor’s race were neatly distilled earlier this month, when a bizarre standoff ensued between supporters of the two candidates.

I recently participated in a half–day advisory board meeting in which Teach for America shared its new approach to coaching recruits. It was a treat to learn more about the Cultivate Survey, developed by my colleague Camille Farrington who manages the UChicago Consortium on School Research. Camille is currently adapting the survey for use by TFA coaches to use with new corps members.

City Council members act quickly to cement some of their power before the next mayor comes in. Where the candidates stand on education. And the latest on a suburban bakery harassed for drag shows...

Alexis Mennis has a light breakfast around 5 a.m. then heads off to the Greek American Rehabilitation & Care Centre in Wheeling, where she works as a certified nursing assistant. After her shift, the Rolling Meadows High School senior goes to a physiology class at Harper College, then wraps up the day practicing with the high school track team.

Key Findings

• 28% of eligible students participated in Chicago Connected by May 2021—68,385 of 242,471 eligible students.
• Participation rates were higher for students in households for lower economic means.
• English Learners and students with disabilities were more likely to participate in Chicago Connected—but differences in participation rates for students with disabilities was not statistically significant in our multilevel models
• There was notable va

Key Takeaways

• When schools foster socioemotional development (SED), students are more likely to thrive in high school and beyond.
• Many 'school quality' measures miss the important ways in which high schools foster student thriving. 
• School climate is strongly and positively tied to school effectiveness.
• Effective schools are rigorous and relationship-oriented. 

Key Findings

• High schools that fostered eighth- to ninth-grade student growth across multiple dimensions positively influenced students’ social and academic traj

Chicago’s two mayoral candidates have starkly different visions for reckoning with the city’s steep enrollment losses and under-enrolled schools...

Steven Herkert is director of ROE services at Regional Office of Education 8. He is also a principal mentor with the Illinois Principals Association, and a passionate advocate for the 5Essentials Culture and Climate Survey. In this episode, he talks about mistakes he made as a principal, what he got right, and how principals can use data to make their schools better...

To support learning acceleration post-pandemic, and ensure all teachers have access to high-quality instructional materials, Chicago Public Schools developed an all-inclusive system of online curricular resources, called Skyline, as well as related professional learning (PL). The Consortium is conducting a three-year mixed-methods study examining the ongoing implementation of Skyline+PL.