Results tagged “publicschools”

CPS CEO Ron Huber(super)man saved six schools from being closed, leaving 16 schools on the list of those that will be closed and/or consolidated.

The Sun-Times takes a look at "elimination communication," a technique some parents are using to toilet train their very young children. Perhaps you read about it. In the New York Times. In 2005. [S-T, NYT.]

"At this point it is unclear why she did something like this but after talking to the teacher involved and the principal, it’s clear that the incident did in fact take place.

Continue reading "Teacher Tapes Student to Chair"

Yesterday was Principal for a Day, er, day at Chicago Public Schools, and over 1,600 business leaders, politicians and other bigwigs— including 27 aldermen, five players from the Bears, 30 people from JP Morgan Chase, 71 people from Merrill Lynch, and a bunch of White Castle execs—participated. It's a weird, weird list that you can download from District 299, our go-to CPS blog. But CPS has issues that can't be solved with Charles Tillman's suggestion...

Last weekend we were at Bridgeport Coffee House restocking on their "Stockyard" blend when we noticed a blend we hadn't seen before, "Ravenswood Roast." We asked owner Mike Pilkington when he started making blends honoring north side neighborhoods. "I'm not" was his answer. He then explained that the "Ravenswood Roast" was part of a new fundraising arm of his wholesale business. The idea began in spring, when a customer came into the shop inquiring about...

Anyone know the artist behind this work? Ian's dying to know, and frankly, so are we. Crain's is reporting today that Apple, Puma, Zara, J. Crew and Coach are all in talks to set up shop in the Block 37 project. File under: Things We Will Believe When We See Them. Also, we cannot hear "Block 37" without thinking "Block. Thirty. Seven. Starbucks." Alleged dirty cop Jerome Finnigan waived his hearing today, which means...

We always thought it was pretty ridiculous when students at other schools got the second-tier holidays off of school — you know, your Columbus Days and your Presidents' Days. It seemed almost as ridiculous (read: unfair) as when the kid down the street got ten dollars from the tooth fairy while we got a quarter. Why celebrate some presidents' birthdays by sitting at home but celebrate another's when it rolls around? And didn't they "discover"...

A tentative contract deal was announced yesterday between the Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union. Although the details were not discussed publicly, our sources tell us that nothing too radical was agreed upon. The teachers are expected to get around 4 percent each year of the deal. CTU President Marilyn Stewart suggested to Crain's Chicago Business that the CTU managed to restore some of what was lost in the previous contract, which was...

Ah, yes. First Turd Blossom, now Fredo. Yup, we're dancing a jig this evening. Are Cubs fans still waiting to exhale? Illinois' number one team - don't believe us, check the map - is only two games back. Billy Corgan will say anything to promote Zeitgeist. One viewing of this video and you'll say to yourself that at least the Chicago Public Schools aren't that bad. Illinoisans have more to love. Video of Frank...

Here are some other newsworthy items on the day the earth stole Heaven. A Southern Baptist Church in Romeoville had problems with their divorced pastor remarrying, but turned the other cheek when they allowed another preacher/convicted sex offender to become more involved in church business. Both resigned last week. A local plastic surgeon was reprimanded by North Carolina authorities for unprofessional conduct when a woman seeking laser hair removal died undergoing treatment at a...

When we went to school, we didn't have any fancy phones to text on all day, we couldn't have any unexcused absences without threat of Saturday school and our shorts and skirts had to come down to our knees. That's why we were absolutely shocked to read the results of a survey of Chicago Public Schools found that the average freshman missed 19 (!) days in an academic year and had 2.6 F's. F's! Is...

We painfully remember a certain teacher at our high school that was completely and utterly against giving out passes to students to use the bathroom. Our syllabus at the beginning of the course had an entire page dedicated the many ways he planned on not letting miss days, let alone minutes, of his Marine Biology class. Which, on more than occasion, included watching Hawaii 5-0. We shit you not. The class, what we like to...

Faced with declining revenues, the Tribune plans on placing advertisements on the bottom of its front page. Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons isn't the only person charged with running a dog-fighting ring. So is 29-year-old South Holland resident Kevin Taylor. Like he needs the money: Oprah's throwing a fundraiser for Barack Obama at her California estate. Chicago Public Schools chief Arne Duncan makes his case for money from Springfield. Oak Park supports same-sex...

The Agudas Achim North Shore Congregation in Uptown was robbed late Friday of computers, audio-visual equipment and donated food on Friday. This is just one of several crimes committed at the synagogue in the last year. We're not sure how we feel about this ... Wendy's International will begin selling breakfast in Chicago, part of a national expansion into the breakfast market, the Dublin, Ohio-based hamburger chain said last week. Steve Irwin is helping...

Finally, the State Senate voted about a budget for the state of Illinois, even if it did not exactly vote on one. By a margin of 34-19 it adopted a sense-of-the-Senate resolution, spelling out objections to the budget document endorsed by the Illinois House last month. Mayor Daley's stalled plan to put the financial squeeze on parents of young graffiti vandals will be advanced by City Council, but only after the maximum fine is...

Finally, the State Senate voted about a budget for the state of Illinois, even if it did not exactly vote on one. By a margin of 34-19 it adopted a sense-of-the-Senate resolution, spelling out objections to the budget document endorsed by the Illinois House last month. Mayor Daley's stalled plan to put the financial squeeze on parents of young graffiti vandals will be advanced by City Council, but only after the maximum fine is...

Just as Arne Duncan announced that Chicago Public Schools has to delay decisions about its budget until the cracker jacks in Springfield stop embarrassing the hell out of their constituents, he got some bad news: The Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Board of Education is recommending that the state board of education pay back $16.8 million in federal funds CPS may have misused. The feds aren't really saying that CPS didn't need...

Hey, we just had an idea — don't spray pepper spray in a school filled with young children! (Or, incidentally, at a party filled with drunk college students dressed in 80s fashion; we speak from personal experience.)

Jan Lorys, Director, Polish Museum of America

Greg Christian used to be a rock-star chef. Think Anthony Bourdain before he stopped doing the partying and started writing books and appearing on the Food Network. Christian cooked hard, partied hard and essentially lived every chef's dream; working at the now-closed Gordon’s restaurant under executive chef John Terczak and then ultimately starting his own catering company. Hungry Mag has a great profile of Christian up, in which his story of discovering the organic food...

Remember to crack a window. You don't want to die from inhaling Liquid Plumr fumes, like this guy. The Bulls are teaming up with WFP to feed hungry schoolchildren in Darfur, Sudan, with a $100,000 donation. Chicago Symphony Orchestra donated $60k worth of musical instruments to Chicago Public Schools. Jewel is closing Starbucks' in-store cafes and Dominick’s is adding them. Rivalfish shows how terribly white they are by trying to put together a remix...

We’ve been told many things over the years, guidelines we should follow to ensure a safe and happy life. Don’t get in a car with strangers. Drink your milk. Look both ways before crossing the street. Don’t give out your Social Security Number. For 1,740 former Chicago Public Schools teachers, however, that last bit of advice was for naught, as their SSNs and home addresses were mistakenly included in a mailing about health care coverage....

Chicagoist never liked riding the bus to school, but maybe if we’d had a cool ethanol-powered bus, we would have felt a little better about it. Actually, that probably wouldn’t have mattered. But we digress. Chicago Public Schools and Falcon Transportation have announced that they’ve converted 27 school buses from diesel fuel to an ethanol-diesel blend. The cost per bus is between $500 and $600, paid for by the national CityHome program, which promotes the...

With its brand new capitalist outlook — don't tell them that's what it is — China is gobbling up shares of American investments at a "torrid pace" (the Trib's $5 word for the day). Where in the past businesses would have run at a steady pace away from the behemoth country, most are now scrambling to make sure Chinese investors are watching them, and Chicago's are no exception. World Business Chicago and the Chicago Council...

Chicagoist is keen on keeping up with the latest news at CPS, especially when it’s good news. Mayor Daley and CPS CEO Arne Duncan announced yesterday that $27.5 million in federal money came through for a program to help retain good teachers at some of the schools which need them the most. As several local papers report, the program aims to reward teachers individually and schools as a whole for jobs well done. Some of...

One of Chicagoist's favorite movies of 2005 was the adorable documentary, Mad Hot Ballroom, which told the story of New York Public School students who cha-cha-cha-ed and fox-trotted in a local competition with training they received in extra-curricular dance programs. We were apparently not the only fans of the film, as former Chicago School Board President Michael Scott brought a similar program to Chicago Public Schools after seeing the film. Current Board President Rufus Williams...

If you asked Chicagoist to recall our top ten fondest memories from grade school, nine of them would come from recess. Not that we didn't like school, it's just that our best times came during our time off. That's just the way kids are. But perhaps having those good times mixed in with the academic parts of school encouraged us to submit to the hard work too. Why not do some phonics, we knew we...

Several members of the Chicagoist staff are proud graduates of the Chicago Public Schools system, K-12, the whole 9 yards. We also dream of some day being super wealthy so the Tribune’s look at private donations to CPS really hits home. Private grants are up to a total of $23 million last year from $2 million five years ago. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation even gave $9 million! We wonder if they count...

Now that we’re finished with school, Chicagoist gets a little nostalgic this time of year. We’re always a little jealous of the kiddies we see shopping for their pencils, notebooks and Trapper Keepers, or whatever it is they’re buying these days. We would have hated that stupid Easy Button, by the way, because the shopping was one of the best parts about going back to school. We also liked catching up on all the gossip...

You know those days when your life adds up to nothing? When you scan your years, and you see nothing but incoherent days and inebriated nights? When your creative mind is as empty as a Pabst Blue Ribbon at 6:00 in the morning? Well, if you happen to be having one of those days today, you might want to stop reading. When we checked out the website for freelance writer Elaine Soloway, we became overwhelmed...