Newly-elected Chicago mayor and former White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, has promised to fix the city’s broken school system. But as this video illustrates, plenty of school successes already exist in the Windy City.
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Articles tagged with chicago
Chicago prep school may have lessons traditional schools can draw from
Over the years, there have been a number of success stories in urban educationstories of individual schools that have beaten the odds and raised their students to a high level of academic performance.
It’s also proven surprisingly difficult to replicate these successes to the rest of their school systems.
Yet research about the Englewood campus of Chicago’s Urban Prep Academies, an all-boys charter school, has me wondering. This school’s strategy for working with one of the city’s worst-performing student populations appears relatively straightforward.
You see, Urban Prep puts a singular focus on academics.
I know what’ you’re thinking. Every school makes a similar claim.
But how many schools take matters to the extreme of Urban Prep, which brazenly strips down instruction to its essentials?
At Urban Prep, students take a double period of English, plus a period of math, science, social science, and foreign language. Electives are almost non-existent. With few exceptions, students focus entirely on the core subjects.
Students also spend eight hours a day at schoolfrom 8:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m., a schedule that almost adds the equivalent of another school year of instruction over a student’s four years of high school.
(more…)
We’re in Chicago!
Besides providing you with award-winning coverage of education news, trends and analysis through the pages of ASBJ, School Boards News, and other publications, one of NSBA’s key offerings is its annual conference, which officially kicks off today in Chicago.
We hope to see you here, but if not, the entire publications staff has been dispatched to the Windy City to provide you with the next best thing: real-time reporting of the informative sessions and workshops featured in this multi-day extravaganza of knowledge sharing and networking.
Find out, for example, the hot topics in school law, how to form a collaborative working relationship with your union, and what you can do to promote a positive school climate.
You’ll also get a front row seat to conference speakers First Lady Michelle Obama, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, and broadcast journalist Charlie Rose.
About the only thing you won’t get from us is a slice of deep dish pizza. But don’t worry, we’ll have one in your honor. For everything else, however, follow us here through Tuesday, when we head back to the office.
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Cash incentive programs in Chicago may be hitting the dust
For anyone who’s read this blog consistently, which I’m sure all of you do, you know my feelings about cash incentive programs for students who get good grades, stellar test scores or have perfect attendance.
But in case you missed it, I’m of the opinion that exchanging money for student performance is misguided and sends the wrong message. Yes, supporters argue, such financial enticements are no different than bonuses employees receive for a job well done and its the end result that matters anyway.
Of course, I disagree. I don’t think the ends always justify the means. What sets quality employees apart from their average counterparts, who when incentivized (thanks Arne) do quality work, is pride in workmanship and that’s a trait that can’t be cultivated purely with money.
So, here’s comes another reason why I don’t think cash rewards are a good practice for getting students to do the best they can do: the funding sources can dry up, as they have in Chicago, which launched its “Paper Project” program in 20 high schools just last year.
Officials aren’t writing off the program, just yet, but given the poor economy and the fact that the private donors who completely funded the project are surprise, surprise feeling the pinch, district officials are weighing their options as they also start prioritizing their spending.
“It’s not just a discussion of does the The Paper Project get funded,” Chicago schools’ CEO Ron Huberman told ABC News. “It’s a bigger discussion of— in these difficult times, with funding being cut everywhere— where should we be using those dollars most effectively to have the best outcomes for our kids?”
Hey, Ron, in this economy, I think the best lesson kids can learn is that money can come and go but their performance can stick with them forever.
Senior Editor, Naomi Dillon
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