Illinois Schools

Recess Could Become Mandatory In Illinois Schools

Posted 05.22.2012

Read More: Video, Illinois Child Obesity, Illinois Schools, Mandatory Recess, Illinois Mandatory Recess, Illinois Health, Illinois Fitness, Kimberly Lightford, Illinois Sb 636, Illinois Politics, Child Obesity, Illinois Student Health, Illinois Recess, Chicago News

A bill passed by the Illinois Senate earlier this month will make recess mandatory in schools statewide if Gov. Pat Quinn and the House follow suit an...

Read Whole Story

Downstate Schools Could Be Crippled By Teacher Pension Change

Posted 05.08.2012

Read More: Illinois Teacher Pensions, Chicago Teacher Pensions, Illinois School Budget, Video, School District Teacher Pensions, Illinois Schools, Gov Pat Quinn, Illinois School Pensions, State Teacher Pensions, Pat Quinn Teacher Pensions, Illinois State Budget, Chicago News

A report released last week by the Illinois Policy Institute includes findings that seem to support Gov. Pat Quinn's suggestions that schools should b...

Read Whole Story

Broke State Could Soon Charge For School Bus Rides

Posted 04.25.2012

Read More: Goreville Illinois, Illinois School Buses, Video, Illinois Schools, Illinois Students, School Buses, Illinois Students Bus Fare, Illinois Education, Illinois Politics, Illinois School Bus Charge, Illinois School Bus Fee, Chicago News

As school districts statewide complain about the mounting costs of transporting their students, the Illinois State Board of Education could soon allow...

Read Whole Story

Another $133 Million Available For Race To The Top Early Learning Grants

AP | Posted 04.09.2012

Read More: Video, Early Education, Rttt, Illinois Schools, New Mexico Schools, Wisconsin Schools, Early Learning, Race to the Top, Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge, Oregon Schools, Early Learning Challenge Fund, Race to the Top Education, Colorado Schools, Education News

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has announced that five states that were finalists in an earlier competition for millions in federal dollars to...

Read Whole Story

Illinois Schools Drop Writing Section From This Year's ACT Test, Forcing Some Students To Re-Take

Posted 01.11.2012

Read More: Illinois Standardized Testing, Writing Tests, Illinois Schools, Writing Skills, Illinois Act Scores, Illinois Writing, Chicago, Illinois Act, Illinois Act Exam, Standardized Testing, Illinois, Illinois Writing Tests, Isat, Chicago News

Illinois educators are warning high school juniors that the decision earlier this year to cut the writing portion from the ACT exams administered in p...

Read Whole Story

Japanese Strategy For Improving Teachers Catches On In U.S.

| Linda Lutton | Posted 03.11.2012

Read More: Teacher Training, Armstrong Elementary, Toshiakira Fujii, Japanese Teachers, Jorge Prieto Elementary, Japanese Teaching Methods, Chicago Teachers Union, Lesson Study, Video, Illinois Schools, Chicago Schools, Improving Teachers, Chicago, Japanese Teaching in America, Japan, Teachers, Japanese Teaching, Education News

This piece comes to us courtesy of The Hechinger Report. In the sunlit library at Jorge Prieto Elementary on Chicago's northwest side, an experimen...

Read Whole Story

State High School Graduation Rates Plummet Under New Formula

Posted 12.31.2011

Read More: Illinois Standards Achievement Test, Video, Arne Duncan, Illinois Schools, Rahm Emanuel, No Child Left Behind, Illinois Graduation, Illinois Graduation Rates, Illinois Education, Jean-Claude Brizard, Chicago News

On Monday, Illinois released report cards for each of the state's schools under a new formula bringing the way it reports school graduation rates in l...

Read Whole Story

Half Of Illinois Public High School Students Failed Important Exam

Posted 12.20.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Illinois Student Test Scores, Illinois Standards Achievement Test, Video, Failed Standardized Tests, Illinois Students Fail, No Child Left Behind, Illinois Education Reform, Half of Illinois Students Fail Exam, Prairie State Achievement Exam, Illinois Student Achievement, Illinois Public Schools, Illinois Education, Chicago News

Nearly half of all Illinois public school students failed the annual 11th grade Prairie State Achievement Exam, the worst statewide performance record...

Read Whole Story

Yet Another State Stops Teaching Cursive In Schools

Posted 10.01.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Common Core State Standards, Cursive, Indiana, Teaching Cursive, Cursive Handwriting, Indiana Schools, Education, Cursive in Schools, Keyboarding, Cursive Writing, Illinois, Hawaii, Handwriting, Teaching, Hawaii Schools, Keyboard Skills, Common Core State Standards Initiative, Teach Handwriting, Education News

Hawaii is joining several states across the country that are dropping cursive writing from mandatory school curriculum. The Aloha state has adopted...

Read Whole Story

State Drops Writing From Standardized Tests, Worrying Educators

Posted 09.05.2011

Read More: Illinois Standardized Testing, Writing Tests, Writing Skills, Illinois Schools, Chicago, Illinois Writing, Standardized Testing, Illinois, Illinois Writing Tests, Isat, Chicago News

The state of Illinois will no longer test its high schoolers on their writing skills, in a move that is designed to cut costs but leads some educators...

Read Whole Story

Will Guzzardi

Defeated Mayoral Candidate Named Chair Of State Board Of Ed

HuffingtonPost.com | Will Guzzardi | Posted 08.08.2011

Read More: Isbe, Illinois Schools, Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Schools, Chicago, Gery Chico, Gery Chico State Board of Education, Illinois Budget Crisis, Illinois, Illinois State Board of Education, Chicago News

The second-place candidate in Chicago's mayoral race wasn't deterred from public service by losing an election. In fact, he's moved up to state-level ...

Read Whole Story

Illinois Senate Passes Sprawling Education Reform Bill

Chicago Sun-Times | Posted 06.15.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Illinois Senate, Pat Quinn, Illinois Education Reform, Illinois Education, Chicago News

SPRINGFIELD -- A sprawling education-reform package that could lengthen the school year in Chicago, give school districts new powers to oust poorly pe...

Read Whole Story

Students Grow Ideas To Green Their Schools

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Green Schools, Find Your Footprint, Arkansas Schools, National Geographic, Michigan Schools, New York Schools, Massachusetts Schools, Education News

In a clear role role reversal, kids across the country are schooling their teachers and communities about reducing waste. These students have come u...

Read Whole Story

Country's Richest, Poorest Schools In Chicagoland Area

Chicago Sun-Times | Accepted Admissions Almanac | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Chicago Education, Chicago Poverty, Chicago Schools, Schools and Poverty, Chicago News

Providence St. Mel on Chicago's West Side and Hinsdale Central High in the southwest suburbs represent the poorest and wealthiest of 12 schools profil...

Read Whole Story

Illinois SAT Scores DROP In All Subjects

Chicago Tribune | September 13, 2010 10:15 AM | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Chicago Public Schools, Illinois Test Scores, Illinois Sat, Chicago Education, Chicago Schools, Illinois Education, Chicago News

Average SAT scores in Illinois dropped across all subjects for the class of 2010, but there was good news too: The graduates showed they could outwrit...

Read Whole Story

Ill. Schools: Mediocre Student Scores Are OK

Chicago Tribune | Diane Rado | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Education News, Standardized Tests, Sat, Illinois Standards Achievement Test, Act, Chicago Public Schools, Illinois Schools, Education News

Thousands of Illinois schools are like mediocre students: Most of their pupils are passing -- but not distinguishing themselves -- on state achievemen...

Read Whole Story

WATCH: Bill Brady Deemed 'Phantom Of Illinois' In IEA Spoof

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Bill Brady, Illinois Governors Race, Illinois Governor, Governor Bill Brady, Illinois Education Association, Pat Quinn, Illinois Teachers, Illinois Schools, Illinois Teachers Union, Bill Brady Schools, Political Ads, Midterm Elections, 2010 Midterm Elections, Video, Chicago News

The Illinois Education Association has been campaigning against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady for months, saying that he will slash th...

Read Whole Story

50 Area Schools Make Newsweek's 'Best' List

Chicago Sun-Times | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Chicago Education, Education, Newsweek Best Schools, Schools, Chicago Schools, Illinois Education, Chicago News

Every year, Newsweek rates "America's best high schools," based on the percentage of seniors taking Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate of...

Read Whole Story

THOUSANDS Swarm State Capitol SUPPORTING Tax Hike

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Governor Pat Quinn, Illinois Taxes, Pat Quinn, Springfield Tax Rally, Springfield Rally, Education Funding, Illinois Budget, Illinois Budget Crisis, Illinois Tax Rally, Save Our State, Illinois Capitol Building, Illinois Deficit, Tax Tally, Pat Quinn Budget, Jim Edgar, Video, Chicago News

An estimated 15,000 people gathered at the Capitol in Springfield Wednesday calling for a tax increase that could stave off major budget cuts. The gat...

Read Whole Story

Four Day School Week: Illinois Senate Rejects House-Approved Plan To Shorten Week

Chicago Tribune | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Senate, Illinois Schools, Four-Day School Week, Illinois Four-Day Week, Illinois, Illinois Four-Day School Week, Four-Day Week, Chicago, Chicago News

An Illinois Senate panel today killed a measure that would have given local school boards the option of setting four-day school weeks. The House appro...

Read Whole Story

Suburban School Board President: Stop Paying Taxes To 'Deadbeat' State

Naperville Sun | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Illinois Department of Revenue, Indian Prairie School Board, Chicago, Illinois School Funding, Illinois, Illinois Budget Crisis, Aurora, Chicago News

Calling the state a "deadbeat entity," the president of the Indian Prairie School Board is proposing the district not send the state the money it with...

Read Whole Story

School Budget Crisis: Illinois Loses Much-Needed 'Race To The Top' Funds

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Department of Education, School Budget Crisis, Race to the Top, Chicago, Arne Duncan, Illinois School Funding, Illinois, Illinois Budget Crisis, Chicago News

The already grim Illinois public education budget got even bleaker Monday, with the announcement that a desperately-needed infusion of federal cash is...

Read Whole Story

Schools In Trouble: Layoffs Could Top 20,000 In State School Districts

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Layoffs, Chicago School Funding, Illinois Schools, Illinois School Funding, Illinois Budget, Illinois Budget Crisis, Illinois Unemployment, Illinois Layoffs, Teacher Layoffs, School Layoffs, Chicago News

Larger class sizes. Fewer sports and arts programs. No more special treatment for gifted, special-ed and ESL students. These are some of the many har...

Read Whole Story

FED UP: Teachers, Students Take To The Streets To Protest Budget Cuts As Execs Take Raises

Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Illinois Schools, Chicago Teachers, Chicago Public Schools, Pat Quinn, Slidepollajax, Cps, Illinois Budget, CPS Budget, Chicago Education, Chicago Teachers Union, Governor Pat Quinn, Chicago Schools, Chicago Board of Education, Illinois Education, Ron Huberman, Chicago News

The fate of many state programs now lies in the hands of Governor Pat Quinn. After threatening to chop $1.3 billion from the education budget if a tax...

Read Whole Story

29 Of Illinois' School Districts On Financial Life Support

Chicago Sun-Times | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Financial Watch, Illinois Schools, Illinois Budget Crisis, Illinois, Illinois Public Schools, State Board of Education, Chicago, Chicago News

Twenty-nine school districts statewide landed on the board's annual "financial watch" list, based on low scores they received on financial reviews in ...

Read Whole Story