Responding to an Illinois law that took effect in 2010, the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA), Chicago Public Schools (CPS) created and implemented the REACH (Recognizing Educators Advancing Chicago's Students) educator evaluation and support system. REACH was piloted in 2012-13. It is still being implemented as of the 2019-20 school year…

Incisive research from the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute on the prevalence and consequences of absenteeism in Chicago schools has highlighted the dramatic effects of even moderate amounts of absences on grades, graduation rates, and student success in college. These insights spurred not only an ambitious 98% attendance goal on…

Racial discrimination in schools in the U.S. has resulted in a disproportionate number of Black students receiving exclusionary and punitive consequences, in which they are more likely to end up part of the School-to-Prison Pipeline and less likely to graduate. The researcher completed interviews with eight elementary school principals in Chicago…

Data about compensation received by employees in Illinois' 48 public community colleges are gathered by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). Data in the "Fiscal Year 2021 Salary Report," which derive from the ICCB Faculty, Staff, and Salary (C1) Data and Supplementary Faculty, Staff, and Salary Information, reflect the census…

Data about compensation received by employees in Illinois' 48 public community colleges are gathered by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). Data in the "Fiscal Year 2022 Salary Report," which derive from the ICCB Faculty, Staff, and Salary (C1) Data and Supplementary Faculty, Staff, and Salary Information, reflect the census…

Previous studies about ELs have reported data on active English Learners--defined as those students who have not yet reached proficiency on a state English test--at a specific moment in time. This study, for the first time, analyzed the long-term trajectories of 18,000 CPS students who began kindergarten as ELs and followed their progress all the…

In this column, we demonstrate ways to connect four commonly taught poetic genres to better explore the intersectionalities ("The University of Chicago Legal Forum";140:139-167, 1989; "Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment," 1990) in the texts and students' own lives through two…

We conducted an inductive analysis of 166 interviews from a longitudinal study of 26 Chicago Public School principals. Test-based accountability pressures played a visible role in principals' views of and relations with parents. Some principals reported banning parents from classrooms based on the need to protect instructional time to raise test…

This paper examines the first mandatory Black history curriculum in a US public school system, implemented in Chicago Public Schools between 1942 and 1945. Researched and designed by Madeline Morgan, the curriculum supplemented existing social studies lesson plans with Black people's contributions to US society. How did she win approval for the…

This study borrows its title from the hashtag #CopsoutCPS, which is a student-led movement in Chicago to end the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program and divest from policing in Chicago Public Schools. This case study cross-analyzes student, staff, and community narratives on the transitional developments in alternative safety and student…

During the 2012-13 school year, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) reported 18,669 students were enrolled in the Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS) program. In this paper, we seek to discuss school closings in relationship to their impact on poor, unstably housed, black students in Chicago. Critical race theory (CRT) constructs of (1)…

Responding to an Illinois law that took effect in 2010, the Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA), Chicago Public Schools (CPS) created and implemented the REACH (Recognizing Educators Advancing Chicago's Students) educator evaluation and support system. REACH was piloted in 2012-13. It is still being implemented as of the 2019-20 school year,…

In order to reach black students academically, we must first know where they "live" socially, culturally, and emotionally, says Horace Hall, a mentor in Chicago Public Schools. In his work with Chicago teens, Hall has learned the importance of understanding the significant challenges these youth face, both within and outside of school,…

Chicago Public Schools (CPS), like most large urban school districts, has been confronted in recent years with challenges related to inequity. In May of 2018, CPS posted an open position for a chief equity officer with the goal to create an office that will address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion for staff and students leading to…

The important role that education plays in shaping young people's lives has been well-documented. Students who complete higher levels of education are more likely to earn higher salaries, have greater life expectancy, and report higher levels of life satisfaction. Compared to a decade ago, thousands more Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students reach…