CATALYST CHICAGO :: Independent Reporting on Urban Schools

News And Analysis

No small plans for high schools December 2005

Phillips High in Douglas

Arne Duncan recently outlined a series of reform projects to the city's civic leaders. First up: hiring outsiders to bring in new and improved curricula and intensive coaching for teachers. But those working in schools are skeptical, fearing that the board’s plan will end up as a passing fad.

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How much should schools pay for teachers? December 2005
A new budgeting system could shift the mix of inexperienced and veteran teachers at some schools. Some think that making schools pick up the full tab for teachers salaries would level the financial playing field and may even raise teacher credentials or experience at hard-to-staff schools. Others argue that this strategy is too politically volatile, as it can create seismic monetary shifts, and may create incentives for principals to base teacher hiring decisions on salary rather than quality.

Opinions

Letter From the Editor

Using economics to influence where teachers go to work A Catalyst Chicago analysis of teacher salary data found that certain types of schools—catch-up high schools for kids left behind and schools with the highest poverty rates—tend to have the lowest-paid teachers on staff. -December, 2005

Letters From Readers

Special ed discipline abused, too Please continue to look into and bring forth the opinions and experiences of teachers and students who are affected by the indiscriminant mainstreaming of many students who would be better served in a more controlled, attentive environment. -December, 2005

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In Other News

NYC cutting bureaucracy New York Times—Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein said yesterday that he would undertake another sweeping reorganization of the school system bureaucracy, seeking to cut $200 million from central and regional administrative budgets and freeing at least 150 more schools from the oversight of superintendents provided they meet specific performance goals.Full text -December, 2005

D.C. Chief: more power to schools Washington Post—As D.C. School Superintendent Clifford B. Janey sees it, the 59,000-student school system is about to get a much-needed makeover. Janey wants to replace the top-down, authoritarian approach of the central office with a user-friendly, service-oriented system that shifts much of the decision making power to the schools. Full text -December, 2005