catalyst-chicago.org

The rapid growth of Latino and other immigrant populations in Chicago’s suburbs is outstripping the ability of public schools to provide bilingual programs mandated by Illinois, and government financing for the programs is shrinking, state records show, according to a Catalyst Chicago story that appeared in the New York Times.

Catalyst Chicago’s latest issue of Catalyst In Depth covers bilingual education.

Local School Council members, helped by the Chicago Teachers Union, are asking a Cook County court to intervene before the Chicago Board of Education votes on 17 proposed school closures and "turnarounds" later this month. (Tribune)

A coalition of local school council members filed a lawsuit Thursday to stop CPS from moving forward with its proposed school closings, phase-outs and turnarounds. (Catalyst)

Tempers flared and insults flew Thursday as opposing sides on the school closing issue held dueling news conferences in the lobby of Chicago Board of Education headquarters. Local School Council members who had planned an 11 a,m. news conference about a new suit seeking to block proposed school shakeups loudly chanted over the tail-end of a 10:45 am ministers’ news conference when the clergys’ message ran into the LSC members’ time slot. (Sun-Times)

High school principals or guidance counselors who are interested in nominating a student for the Chicago Tribune's 27th annual All-State Academic Team can find details and a nomination form here.

IN THE STATE
A record number of Illinois high school students took Advanced Placement, or AP, exams last year. And the increase was especially notable among Latino students, as the number of Latinos taking AP classes has quadrupled in the past decade, the Illinois State Board of Education says. (Sun-Times/AP)

IN THE NATION
Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Roy Roberts announced a big shake-up in the district Wednesday, closing nine schools next year and converting four into charters, to save $7.5 million in annual operating costs. (Huffington Post)

The waivers being granted to 10 of 11 states that applied for flexibility under the No Child Left Behind Act would allow them to make potentially broad changes in how school performance and the performance of student subgroups are judged under the decade-old law, the Obama administration announced Thursday. (Education Week)

Sixty-five percent of Philadelphia's young adults without a high school diploma are unemployed. (Education Week)

In analyses of long-term data published in recent months, researchers are finding that while the achievement gap between white and black students has narrowed significantly over the past few decades, the gap between rich and poor students has grown substantially during the same period. (The New York Times)