Chicago Reporter (https://www.chicagoreporter.com/category/25th-anniversary-almanac/)
A weekly dive into Catalyst archives. Chime in on Twitter (#ThenNowNext) and Facebook (CatalystChicago). Send questions to almanac@catalyst-chicago.org.
Fro years, schools taught social-emotional learning on a piecemeal basis, but state and district policies have slowly moved to a more systemic approach. But low-income schools, where students could use the most support, have been largely left behind. Holding schools accountable for teaching these skills is tricky.
Twenty years ago, Paul Vallas began what became a trend: to favor preparation for college over preparation for a job. For example, he scheduled career training courses outside regular school hours. Today’s voc-ed reform efforts center on connecting academics and career training.
Chicago’s push to increase college-going has given the work of high school counselors a sharper focus. Even in tough fiscal times, counselors are honing their skills, and the district is bringing in nonprofit partners to support their work.
Last month, City Hall gave a few inches of ground in the battle over using TIF funds to plug the Chicago Public Schools’ budget hole. Though there’s a long history of TIF funds coming back to CPS for school construction, it could take major governance change to see more TIF money return to the district.
Most efforts to change teaching in urban schools die very young. In contrast, the Chicago Reading Initiative has been around for 15 years. Yet it doesn’t seem to have produced much bang for the buck, for a variety of reasons.
The last time CPS finances imploded, arts education took a devastating blow. Will three decades’ worth of organizing and policy change protect the arts now?
Since the end of court-ordered desegregation in Chicago, magnet school policy has focused more on offering quality options than on fostering diverse school environments.
In 2001, the Academy for Urban School Leadership launched as a teacher training program. Though AUSL’s work on turnaround schools has taken the spotlight, turnaround staff point to AUSL’s teacher residency as key to their progress.
In Chicago, when school budgets tighten, school libraries typically take a hit. Under school-based budgeting, new mandates for gym and art draw on the same pot of money, putting an even greater squeeze on libraries. Read more about school libraries in this Catalyst Then, Now, Next Almanac post.
Federal School Improvement Grants sent big bucks to struggling schools in the hopes of making big improvements. For the most part, they were still too little too late.
Harold Washington fanned the flames of a movement for democratic school governance in Chicago. The fire has dimmed since his days as mayor in the 1980s. But a spark has recently been struck. Will it spread?
