November, 2002

A 'Disturbing Trend'

Table of Contents

• Suburban Districks Asking State for Help By: Sarah KarpChicago schools are not the only ones grappling with the education of former and current foster children. Eight south suburban school districts have turned to the state legislature to ask for help with such students. > Read Article
  
  
• Flanagan Shenanigans By: Heather J. ParkerMost voters don't know much about judicial candidates and judges seeking retention, experts said. As a result, voters might skip over judicial races on the ballot or select candidates based on their last names or gender. Some said such arbitrary choices undermine the quality of the judicial system. > Read Article
  
  
• Loyola's Program Narrows its Focus By: Rupa ShenoyUntil this year, Loyola University Chicago's Asian and Asian American Studies program was praised in national academic circles for its focus on Asians in the United States. > Read Article
  
  
• Few Hired, Fewer Tenured In 2001, minority professors were less likely to be tenured at Chicago-area universities and colleges > Read Article
  
  
• Losing Ground Faculties at Chicago-area universities have grown more diverse, but, in 2001, the share of tenured minority professors still lagged behind that of minority undergraduates. > Read Article
  
  
• Fewer Mentors Chicago-area colleges and universities have far more minority students for every tenured minority professor than white students per tenured white professor. Experts say low numbers of tenured minority professors can hinder the development of both minority and white students, who might look to such faculty as mentors. > Read Article
  
  
• Experts Dispute 'Poor Pipeline' By: Rupa ShenoyIn 1985, the state legislature created two programs to increase minority doctorates in Illinois: the Illinois Minority Graduate Incentive Program and the Illinois Consortium for Education Opportunities Program. > Read Article
  
  
• Looking to a Mentor By: Rupa ShenoyJackelin Brooks believes that black youth need more black role models. > Read Article
  
  
• Minority Faculty Finish Last on Tenure Track By: Rupa ShenoyFour-year colleges and universities in the Chicago metropolitan area have made little progress on improving tenured faculty diversity since 1993. > Read Article
  
  
• Falling Behind During the 2001-2002 school year, the 32 elementary and high schools with the most children living with foster parents or other non-relative guardians ranked far behind the city’s remaining schools in reading and math scores. Students at the 32 schools were more likely to be black and poor, and to change schools often > Read Article
  
  
• Concentrated Kids During the 2001-2002 school year, one-fifth of all students with non-relative guardians were enrolled in 32 of the city’s 600 public schools. These schools were located in poor, predominantly black community areas on the city’s South and West sides. > Read Article
  
  
• Agencies Take Issue with Data By: Sarah KarpThe officials who work most closely with foster children disagree on the accuracy of the data used in this investigation. But none tracks, or can provide, comparable numbers. > Read Article
  
  
• Foster Children Clustered in Few Schools By: Sarah KarpLike Tyrone McGhee (above), thousands of foster children end up concentrated in a small number of troubled Chicago public schools, and they are struggling. But officials can’t agree on what to do about it. > Read Article