Black male conundrum
Nearly one in four black male students in Chicago Public Schools was suspended at least once last year, a rate that is twice as high as the district average. This finding is also part of an upward...
View ArticleThree friends
Four years ago, Dyett High School’s principal suspended more than two-thirds of the black male students at least once—far more than most schools in the district. Micah Williams, Cassius Rodriguez and...
View ArticleA place of their own
When Lorenzo Russell walked into West Garfield Park’s Ryerson Elementary School in 2007, the impeccably dressed, soft-spoken man got a sinking feeling. The walls were pale beige and had no bulletin...
View ArticleSearching for role models
One in four CPS students is an African-American boy, but just one in 16 teachers is an African-American man. And the percentage of black male teachers is on a downward spiral, creating a teaching gap...
View ArticleCoaching students
Paul Bunch, a 6’11” junior at North Lawndale College Prep Charter School, blocks a lot of shots for the city’s top basketball team. The trouble is, he’s rarely on the court. “Paul is our main guy that...
View ArticleLopsided discipline takes toll on black male students
African-American boys face a peculiar dilemma in Chicago’s public schools: how to get a solid education when, more than any other group of students, they are singled out for harsh punishments and sent...
View ArticleWebExtra: Starting young to manage misbehavior
One by one, the three young boys walk into the cozy office and sit around a small round table. It’s mid-morning on a school day, but rather than learn about reading and math, these boys will spend some...
View ArticleWebExtra: Mentoring to a new beat
A newly unveiled 5,000-square-foot space inside Harold Washington Library is Ground Zero for a program that teaches new-media skills to teens from Chicago Public Schools. The Digital Youth Network,...
View ArticleWebExtra: Teaching leadership skills
Michael Stinson had one last lesson for the 13 young men he had spent months mentoring. It was the last meeting of the school year for Julian Middle School’s Leadership Academy for African-American...
View ArticleWebExtra: A disconnect in reading
As a teacher, LaVerne Coke has no trouble finding books that might appeal to girls. But when it comes to books for boys, especially black boys—including her own 8-year-old son—she has to search harder....
View ArticleReaching boys with books
Good books featuring black characters are hard to find, but they’re out there. Here’s where to start: Coretta Scott King Book Award winnersEstablished in 1969, the award honors African American...
View ArticleEd Week: High dropout rate for black males in KIPP
KIPP charter middle schools enroll a significantly higher proportion of African-American students than the local school districts they draw from, but 40 percent of the black males they enroll leave...
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High-mobility, low-achieving schools more likely to have lower-quality...
Preschool quality can influence students’ learning and ultimately,their readiness for kindergarten. But some of the children who needhigh-quality preschool the most are not always getting it,...
View ArticleRace and Education: A Look at the Chicago Public Schools
In a forum on race and education, Terry Mazany, president of The Chicago Community Trust and former interim CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, talks about the need to raise achievement for all students...
View ArticleSuspended because I 'didn't know when to keep [my] mouth shut'
[Editor's note: During August, Catalyst Chicago is featuring op-eds from our archives that relate to current news in the education world. This column on one young black man's experience with school...
View ArticleFeds should take greater role in funding education for poor students
The American Dream really boils down to one simple proposition—the circumstances of an individual’s birth should not limit his or her future. Regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, income level or...
View ArticleLatino students need resources, college-going culture
One of our nation’s most enduring themes is that education and prosperity go hand in hand. As we move deeper into a global economy dominated by knowledge, technology and innovation, and an increasing...
View ArticleNew report gives mixed reviews for Illinois charters
Illinois elementary charter school students made more academic gains than students in comparable district-run schools, according to a new report from Stanford University. Latino charter students posted...
View ArticleFor the Record: Digging deeper into suspensions data
CPS has spent the last week touting what officials say is a big decrease in suspensions, culminating with a school visit and press conference by Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday, where the mayor declared...
View ArticleIn the News: Lessons learned from Brown v. Board of Ed
With the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling approaching, a new paper says the decision failed its mission. School segregation is still a problem, and initial school integration...
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