Adolescents who struggle with reading and literacy face significant challenges in academic and future success. This Spotlight focuses on effective interventions to address learning gaps and support literacy development. From optimizing tutoring to emphasizing the importance of reading support classes, these articles offer valuable perspectives.…

Data about compensation received by employees in Illinois' 48 Illinois public community colleges are gathered by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). Data in the "Fiscal Year 2016 Salary Report" reflect the census date of October 1, 2015. In an attempt to minimize the number of separate requests for salary data received by public…

From their beginning, community schools have expanded the learning day as a central component of their comprehensive strategy. Community schools of the early twentieth century served as centers of the community where students, families, and community members came to learn, to become civically engaged, and to prepare for the workforce. In this way,…

The consequences of failing core academic courses during the first year of high school are dire. In the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), only about one-fifth of off-track freshmen--students who fail more than one semester of a core academic course and/or fail to earn enough credits to be promoted to 10th grade--graduate high school, compared with…

Credit recovery is one strategy to deal with high failure rates. The primary goal of credit recovery programs is to give students an opportunity to retake classes that they failed in an effort to get them back on track and keep them in school (Watson & Gemin, 2008). Most recently, as schools across the nation struggle to keep students on track…

High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase…

Few decisions by a school district are more controversial than the decision to close a school. School staff, students and their families, and even the local community all bear a substantial burden once the decision is made to close a school. Since 2001, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has closed 44 schools for reasons of poor academic performance or…

Few decisions by a school district are more controversial than the decision to close a school. School staff, students and their families, and even the local community all bear a substantial burden once the decision is made to close a school. Teachers and other school staff must search for new employment, students are faced with a multitude of…

High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase…

High-quality out-of-school-time (OST) programs have a positive effect on youth development, but many cities have found it difficult to address the challenges of expanding and improving the quality of programs offered to underserved and high-need students. In response, The Wallace Foundation sponsored an initiative to help five cities increase…

A summer school program stressing basic skills for migrant children in a rural Illinois community was assessed according to Stake's responsive evaluation model. Informal communication, program activities, audience needs, and participant values were emphasized in this case study. This evaluation method provided useful information for the state's…

In the spring of 1995, the Chicago Public School system, the nation's third largest and, arguably, one of the most troubled, made national headlines when it was taken over by Mayor Richard M. Daley, then starting his third term and the most popular mayor since his father, Richard J. Daley, held the office for 21 years. By far the biggest reform…

THE COMMITTEE ON COMPENSATORY EDUCATION UNDERTOOK A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF CHICAGO'S PROGRAMS FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE CULTURALLY DEPRIVED. GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS MOST IN NEED OF COMPENSATORY EDUCATION WERE IDENTIFIED, AND THEIR POPULATION GROUPS STUDIED. MAJOR GROUPS RESIDING IN SUCH AREAS WERE FOUND TO BE THOSE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF ABSORBING NEW…

DESCRIBED IS THE USE OF AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS IN PROGRAMS IN SCHOOLS IN NEW YORK CITY, MILWAUKEE, SAN DIEGO, DETROIT, AND CHICAGO. THE PROGRAMS OFFER INSTRUCTION IN SUCH AREAS AS LANGUAGE SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT, READING, CULTURAL ENRICHMENT, DRIVER EDUCATION, HEALTH EDUCATION, AND JOB TRAINING. SOME OF THESE CITIES HAVE DEVELOPED AUDIOVISUAL…

AN ATTEMPT TO OFFER MORE THAN A REMEDIAL PROGRAM TO UNDERACHIEVERS, THIS PROJECT WAS A 6-WEEK SUMMER SESSION DEVOTED TO TEACHING BASIC READING AND MATHEMATICS CONCEPTS IN AN INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING SETTING. EMPHASIS WAS ON CULTURE AND THE COMMUNITY, BUT PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND RECREATION WERE ALSO INCLUDED. UNDUE CONFLICT, COMPETITION, AND PRESSURE…