Facing reality
It’s the end of August 2010. A group of Illinois State University teacher candidates has just been transplanted to Chicago for a program that will put them in Little Village and Auburn Gresham schools...
View ArticleNo time to waste on longer day
Chicago’s children deserve better. The majority of the city’s public school students today are not being prepared for success in this increasingly competitive global economy. Without dramatic change,...
View ArticleTeachers outline a new career vision
A report released today by Advance Illinois argues that to improve teaching and learning, teachers should be given resources to collaborate with each other, to share leadership responsibilities with...
View ArticleFor the Record: Teacher diversity
The Center for American Progress released a report recently, “Teacher Diversity Matters,” detailing the “teacher diversity gap” state-by-state. The findings paint a sobering picture of minority...
View ArticleTeachers can't thrive as 'lone rangers'
In my dozen-plus years as a social studies teacher at Thornton Fractional South High School in south suburban Lansing, Ill., I’ve become well practiced in the art of doing more with less. Most of my...
View ArticleTeachers tell Department of Ed about RESPECT
Members of the Advance Illinois Educator Advisory Council met with a federal “teacher ambassador” on Tuesday to give feedback on a 12-page draft proposal for the RESPECT Project, a proposed $5 billion...
View ArticleFor the Record: Teacher basic skills test
Despite plummeting pass rates, the Illinois State Board of Education recently held the line on the rigorous cut-off scores on the basic skills test for prospective teachers. The scores were raised back...
View ArticleHow not to judge teacher education
Like so many interested in the challenges to improving education in Chicago and the nation, we rely heavily on the incisive reporting that Catalyst Chicago is known for and for which it has garnered...
View ArticleGolden Apple to recruit, train teachers for South Side
CPS has approved a $1 million agreement with the Golden Apple Scholars program to provide 175 new teachers—many of whom will likely be minorities--during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years. The...
View ArticleSteps to improving teacher ed
The National Center on Teacher Quality Teacher Prep Review, the first-ever look at how this nation’s college and universities are preparing new teachers, didn’t just uncover a field of...
View ArticleTo boost teacher diversity, state scraps limits on basic skills test-taking
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) voted on Wednesday to scrap a policy established just four years ago that set a limit on the number of times prospective teachers could take the required...
View ArticleTeacher candidates to face new performance assessment
Some students and educators in teacher preparation programs say they were caught off-guard when the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) approved a single-source contract two months ago with NCS...
View ArticlePreschool teachers may get more time to meet bilingual requirements
Preschool teachers in Illinois may get two more years to obtain the required qualifications to teach children who don’t speak English. The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) voted on Wednesday...
View ArticleTeachers need a “road test” to ensure good teaching
The preparation of new teachers is receiving a lot of attention these days. Recently, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) released a review of educator preparation programs. Meanwhile, the...
View ArticleState sets higher bar with revamped teacher test
Fewer teacher candidates are expected to pass the state’s revamped assessment of teaching practice, under new cut scores approved by the state board on Tuesday. But the new test will be short-lived:...
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