Moving Day
OK, then.  This is the last blog post I'll be making here at Catalyst, after nearly two years.  Thanks to everyone involved, especially Linda Lenz, the Catalyst founder and publisher who brought the blog to Catalyst a year and a half after it began, and Mark Royko, the web designer who developed and maintained the blog even when reader comments threatened to blow up the site (or I made ridiculous requests like that Facebook share button). 

Of course, there were occasional disagreements over what was an appropriate post and how many millions of dollars Catalyst should pay me.  I chafed at how slow the magazine was to embrace the real-time, interactive nature of blogging and integrate it into their reporting.  They groaned at how inflammatory and crass some of my posts were, and the critical things that I (and many of you) wrote about their work and some of their funders' favorite programs.  It wasn't a perfect fit, but over all it was a good run and I had a lot of fun. 

The blog is now at a different location (here) part of the Tribune's ChicagoNow blog empire.  As here, I have complete editorial control, and you can write whatever you want.  They are in the process of moving over this summer's posts and comments. But you can start commenting now -- no valid email required (just put in a made-up one if you want) -- and I look forward to seeing you over there.   Thanks! / Alexander

WBEZ Does This Week's Board Meeting
Coverage of the Board meeting by WBEZ's Linda Lutton.

"Today we’re starting a new segment called “Cheat Sheet,” and it’s meant be a quick and dirty peek into Chicago’s often contentious school board meetings and the issues that are brought up there."

It's a welcome addition.  I can't believe no one's done it before. I hope they keep it up.

Cliff's Notes:  the Latest Chicago Board of Ed Meeting

Unfiltered:  Regular Chicago Board of Education Meeting


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Free At Last.
At last, popular Chicago schools can let more white kids in. 

No more pesky 35 percent rule (WBEZ).






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Friday Morning News
CPS Head Defends Out-of-State Contract WBEZ
Chicago schools chief Ron Huberman is defending his decision to bring in an out-of-town group to help curb youth violence. Huberman says the Pennsylvania-based Youth Advocate Programs, Inc., or YAP, has been successful with ...

Youth Violence From a School Bus Driver's Point of View WBEZ
School Bus Driver and organizer for 2nd annual Stop the Violence Walk Cynthia Johnson has more on what she sees from her seat at the front of the bus.

Student claims he needed handgun for protection Tribune
A 17-year-old Palatine High School student charged with bringing a handgun to school said he needed the weapon for protection, police said today.

Journalist Alex Kotlowitz Addresses Violence in Chicago WBEZ
Writer Alex Kotlowitz talks about his studies in Chicago violence, and what to do about it.

Poor Chicago Neighborhoods Denied, Now Suing Reporter
West Englewood, Englewood, Lawndale, West Lawndale and Roseland had 13 percent of new foreclosures in 2008* and one-third of their residents living in poverty.

Ed Sec'y Duncan going to Oct. 2 Olympics meeting AP
Education Secretary Arne Duncan will travel to Denmark next week to support his hometown of Chicago's Olympic bid. Duncan will join first lady ...

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Stimulus Trouble Brewing For IL

For Once, The Tall Black Guy Isn't The One From AUSL The folks at AUSL were kind enough to send along this picture of one of their folks in DC last week.  Apparently, AUSL is going to help Chicago get the Olympics.  Another reason to like or hate them.



They even provided a helpful caption:  "Rob Harman, wrestling coach at the Academy for Urban School Leadership’s Howe School of Excellence, with President Barack Obama at the White House Wednesday for a rally supporting Chicago’s 2016 Olympics bid." 

Thursday Morning News
Daley defends principals' role in school admissions Sun Times
After dedicating the new, $41.6 million Mark T. Skinner West Elementary School — long-viewed as the elementary school equivalent of Whitney Young — Daley once again found the silver lining in the clout admissions investigation at CPS.

Judge Announces Timeline PURE
After hearing oral arguments from both sides in the LSC lawsuit, Judge Sophia Hall announced that she will render her verdict in court on October 6th at 11 am.

Test gains not enough for federal mandates Pioneer Press
Overall, of Chicago's 101 high schools, of all types, 80 did not meet AYP standards for the 2007-08 school year. Many, like Taft, are multiyear members of that club.

Difficult to compare Taft's progress to N.W. Side peers Pioneer Press
Taft has three seventh- through 12th-grade hybrid peers: Harlan Community Academy High School and Kenwood Academy High School, both on the South Side, and Morgan Park High School, on the West Side. They all had similar ISAT results from the 2007-08 school year.

Dogfighting Ring Busted At Suburban Day Care Huffington Post
Cook County sheriffs raided a suburban day care Tuesday after learning it was being used as a front for what officers described as one of the most gruesome dogfighting operations they had ever seen.

Palatine H.S. student charged with bringing gun to school Tribune
A Palatine High School student was arrested this morning after police said a loaded, semi-automatic handgun fell out of his pocket as he was exiting the school bus.

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What To Do With $38M In Violence Prevention Funding Ignoring the obvious self-interest involved, who do you think should be getting money to implement Huberman's violence prevention program -- familiar folks like the ministers and CeaseFire or unfamiliar out of town folks like YAP with their magic out of town powers?

South Side ministers irate over CPS anti-violence plan Tribune
Saying that Chicago schools chief Ron Huberman had "purposely disrespected" them, a group of Englewood neighborhood pastors said this morning they will protest the award of a $38 million contract by CPS to combat youth violence.

Chicago Looks to Out-of-Town Group for Help With Youth Violence WBEZ
Tio Hardiman, director of the anti-violence group Cease Fire Illinois, says the pick is a slap in the face to groups with Chicago roots.

And, was it a smart or dumb move of Huberman not to have cut off a slice of the funding for folks who he had to know would make a stink?  He wouldn't have been the first to have paid off community folks and organizations. Vallas used to give money to local universities to quiet their complaints about his programs, and Duncan for a while gave training money to community groups while he was busy undercutting LSCs.

Me, I'm wondering why CPS still hasn't released the list of 38 schools that are most at risk, the methods used as part of Huberman's fancy-schmancy analysis (what if he did it on the back of an envelope?), or -- most important -- the much-mentioned list of 200 students who are most likely to die this year. 

I mean, seriously. Who are these guys?  Name them. Then hire bodyguards for each.  Send them to Club Med if things get particularly hot.  Problem solved.  Send the leftover millions to my PO address. Or, want us to take your plan seriously, release the details. 

Jobs Jobs Jobs Want a job?  Here's a job. Just not in a classroom.  

Wednesday Morning News
One more problem with Chicago schools' first day attendance claim Catalyst
The calculation included all students in attendance on Sept. 8, even if they were in one of the 132 Track E schools whose first day was Aug. 10.

Chicago Looks to Out-of-Town Group for Help With Youth Violence WBEZ
Tio Hardiman, director of the anti-violence group Cease Fire Illinois, says the pick is a slap in the face to groups with Chicago roots.

Third Week of School, Kids Still Lack Teachers WBEZ
Amundsen's subs were among 124 the district sent to 35 high schools- an insurance policy against a flood of extra kids. Amundsen, for instance, got nearly 200 extra students this year.

Not much big news today, though the Board meeting being held downtown could bring news of some kind, I suppose.  Here's the agenda (PDF), including the usual this and that (a $400M note, a slew of attendance area changes, some charter school renewals and approvals, etc.)