Archive for April, 2009
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation made an investment of $21 million in Chicago Schools to strengthen the students’ preparation for college. The gift funds the Chicago High School Redesign Initiative, which will provide for major improvements in high school curriculum and instruction to ensure the students are prepared to succeed in college and career.
Under this initiative, the coursework structure and teaching methods of 50 high schools will be transformed. The goal is to give all students access to a high quality education, while keeping them motivated throughout their high school years. Courses will be offered to capture student interest, while providing them with the knowledge needed to graduate and go on to college or another form of post-high school education. The initiative also will provide teachers who are well prepared and able to inspire these young people with a love of learning and desire to excel.
Like many other large urban districts, traditional high schools in the chicago schools struggle to provide challenging and relevant coursework with the personalized instruction necessary for all students. Currently in the Chicago schools, only 47 percent of graduates go on to college, while 46 percent of 9th graders dropout before graduation. Many of those who continue on to college find they need remedial classes to cover content they should have mastered in high school.
The Gates Foundation chose Chicago schools to be one of the first big cities to meet this challenge for today’s youth. The Chicago schools were eager to partner in this endeavor.
Initially, Chicago schools will implement the transformation plan with 14 high schools, starting with the 9th grade. The redesign initiative then expands to other grades and to 36 additional high schools over the next three years. The initial 14 schools are:
⢠Bowen Environmental Studies Team (BEST)
⢠Carver Military Academy
⢠Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville
⢠Clark Academic Prep High School
⢠Crane High School
⢠Dunbar Vocational High School
⢠Dyett High School
⢠Fenger Academy High School
⢠John Hope College Preparatory High School
⢠Kenwood Academy
⢠Wendell Phillips High School
⢠School of the Arts, South Shore Campus
⢠Mose Vines Preparatory Academy at Orr Campus
⢠George Washington High School
The goals of the broad redesign initiative are to improve classroom instruction, provide more options and opportunities for students and their parents, and to make Chicago schools performance more accountable to parents and the community. The five most significant challenges to be addressed by the Chicago schools are strengthening the curriculum, increasing rigor and relevance of coursework, adding depth to course content, improving professional development, and providing better school-based support.
The curriculum areas of focus are English, mathematics and science with teachers providing more instructional support in these subjects. A new school accountability tool for parents is the scorecard. The card tracks a school’s performance in areas, such as graduation rate, school climate, teacher information, and student achievement. One area of improvement of benefit to teachers, students and parents, alike, is the recruitment of and professional support for high quality principals for the Chicago schools.
The initiative is one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive approaches to high school reform in the nation with its aim of raising expectations and preparing every student for success after high school.
The initiative gives chicago schools the potential to significantly impact the quality of education students receive in high school and put them on the right track to succeed after graduation.
This information on Chicago schools is brought to you by www.schoolsk-12.com.
Patricia Hawke
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-invests-21-million-in-chicago-schools-37662.html
Welcome to the brutal inner-city neighborhoods of Chicago.
Duration : 0:0:53
Video segment of the Wed. May 14th 2008 chicago city council Meeting, which repealed the Foie-Gras Ban.
Four minutes is how long it took the city council to raise and repeal Chicago’s April 2006 foie-gras ban.
Mayor Daley calls Alderman Joe “Foie Gras” Moore.
Mayor Daley once called it the silliest ordinance ever passed by the city council, and calls Alderman Joe “Foie Gras” Moore.
http://www.chicagomachine.org
Duration : 0:4:30
President-elect Obama announced Arne Duncan as his nominee for education secretary at an elementary school in Chicago.
http://www.change.gov/copyright
Duration : 0:14:6
Community week inspired me to get off my and make this video. I’m so nervous! FAIL.
Duration : 0:1:58
O.K. What are we talking about here. Why in the world would we be happy about the bad enonomy? Just one reason. THE DEAL FELL THROUGH TO LEASE MIDWAY AIRPORT! This is the only reason we are doing the happy dance about the economy. Our mayor and city council are looking to get a bundle of cash by leasing Midway Airport. Same deal as the parking meter lease. Turn over operations and daily handling of CHICAGO’S MIDWAY AIRPORT to an investment group, who would lease the airport, run the airport, and destroy the airport! Don’t know this for sure, but if the lease of the parking meters is any indication, imagine! If the airport deal goes through, look out. I wonder if any of the aldermen and women have actually read the lease agreement for the airport. As we know, the details of the parking meter lease were not read. As Dick Mell told us, “We have so much to read, we can’t read it all” Really? I thought as our representitive, it was your job to read, study, and base your decision on what is best for your constituancy? Oh wait. Pardon me. This is Chicago. This is where the Mayors “Guys” come in and TELL our aldermen what the mayor wants them to do. Not even an wink, wink, nod, nod. “Just Do It”, as they say. And Guess What? They Do It! When is the last time we saw our aldermen oppose ANYTHING the Mayor wanted? Does Everyone Have “Power” shoved so far up their butts that they can not take the time to read, study, and responsibly vote on an issue? Makes you wonder why we have elections, but better yet why we keep voting these people in.
O.K. It is getting to be spring in Chicago. This is the time of year that we, as Chicagoans begin to forget all the political nonesense that went on all winter. We take ourselves downtown and walk around the beautiful lakefront. There really is no prettier city in the spring and summer than Chicago. Navy Pier is a great spot to stop on a Saturday. You can walk the pier, jump on the Ferris Wheel and look in awe at the unbelievable Chicago skyline. Maybe listen to whatever band in playing, enjoy a cocktail and stay for the fireworks. A great night in Chicago.
How about a walk over to Millinium Park. Check out the beautiful gardens, take your picture next to the “bean”, walk a bit to the water sculptures and watch the kids run through the water.