Education
Comprehensive education coverage for Chicago, including public schools, higher education, the Chicago Teachers Union and everything parents and students need to know.
The former president and first lady read “Where the Wild Things Are” to students from William H. Ray Elementary School. The Obamas opted to build a public library at the presidential center, instead of a traditional National Archives research center.
Hundreds of thousands of borrowers in Illinois, and millions more nationwide, need to select a new student loan repayment plan if they don’t want to end up on a more expensive plan by default.
With an enrollment of just 140 students projected for the new year, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced the school’s closure. It follows allegations that a former substitute teacher inappropriately touched a second grader.
That 10% rise in gun violence was not found near open schools in similar neighborhoods or near closed CPS buildings that were repurposed after 2013 closings, researchers said.
These are some of the longest term lengths that the board has approved in recent years, but Chicago Public Schools officials said these new contracts are paired with a new oversight process.
A $300 million no-interest county loan program will help local governments relying on tax revenue they won’t get on time, but Chicago Public Schools don’t qualify for the loans.
Republicans on the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee are expected to grill CPS Supt. Macquline King at a hearing Wednesday. She will likely be questioned about the district’s Black Student Success Plan and policies affirming transgender students’ rights at school.
The district’s eight graders will take the PreACT 9 Secure exam in October instead of the current HSAT. The new test is more than twice as long and won’t be offered in multiple languages, like the current exam.
Four of the five candidates for school board president are facing challenges. But in a surprise move, the Chicago Teachers Union says it didn’t file any challenges. The union has been accused of leaning on this strategy to remove candidates from the ballot in past elections.
The decision to hear the case is significant because the Vatican often declines to do so. The group of parents who appealed to the pope is also calling on the Archdiocese of Chicago to institute a three-year moratorium on Catholic school closings.
Over 40 Tilden students, staff, violence prevention activists and family members walked from the high school at 4747 S. Union Ave. to Ramirez’s vigil at 51st and Throop streets in the Back of the Yards.
Simeon Career Academy is known for its sports and trades programs. So when the Chicago high school decided to put on its first play in recent memory, students had no idea what they were in for.
Judy Mahoney and Byrne Elementary staff and students gathered Tuesday outside the Southwest Side school to call for Chicago Public Schools to retain her position permanently.
Illinois will soon join 35 states that have already prohibited or limited cellphone use in classrooms after state lawmakers took action on Sunday. The legislation is expected to go into effect for the 2027-2028 school year.
Hyde Park Academy recently booted out two community groups that provided staff to help students keep calm and resolve conflicts. Students say it’s an especially bad time to lose extra support because they’re still processing the deaths of several classmates.