In Chicago and beyond, the pandemic strained the ties between schools and families like never before: Some students tuned out virtual instruction, disengaging from learning completely. Once students were back in the classroom, parents craved information and reassurance about how schools were keeping their children safe amid surge after COVID surge.

Bryan is from Chicago, where he attended the University of Chicago Charter School Woodlawn campus in high school. He currently attends Denison University as a first-year where he majors in politics and public affairs, with a minor in Black studies.

Illinois school districts are reporting a shortage of bilingual education teachers with as many as 100 vacancies, as of October.

To help fill the void, the Illinois State Board of Education announced the launch of a $4 million grant to cover tuition costs for teachers interested in becoming licensed to teach English-language learners...

This study provides a summary of what happened in one district—Chicago Public Schools (CPS)—as district staff and educators worked to promote change in instructional practices in math and science aligned with the new standards.  Researchers used districtwide student and teacher surveys; interviews with educators, school leaders, and district officials; and student achievement data between 2014–15 and 2017–18.

While CCSS-M and NGSS standards were the focus of this study, the findings are broadly relevant to standards-driven instructional change.

Micah Daniels is currently in her second year at the University of Chicago at Illinois. Although she is on her way to get her neuroscience degree, she has a background in spoken word that began when she participated in Oak Park and River Forest High School’s competitive spoken word team, where she graduated from in 2020. She has then gone on to become a published poet and has recently had another poem published in a book titled Respect the Mic, a collection of poems that just recently came out in February.

Chicago Public Schools is asking for feedback on two proposals that would alter the selective enrollment admissions process in a way the district says would ensure low-income students have a better chance at snagging those coveted seats.

Both district proposals would affect how seats are distributed within the tier system, which is rooted in the socioeconomic status of Chicago’s neighborhoods...