Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Future of Teaching

Examining the divisive push to rate, reward, improve, and remove teachers

Top teacher

Tennessee
September 20, 2018

Franklin educator is Tennessee’s 2018-19 Teacher of the Year

Melissa Miller, a 19-year teacher who works at Franklin Elementary School, receives the state's top honor for excellence in the classroom.

PSA

Colorado
September 20, 2018

Have you thought about teaching? Colorado teachers union sells the profession in new videos

The Colorado Education Association has made a series of ads with the theme, "Change a life. Change the world."

out of pocket

Colorado
September 18, 2018

Pencils, shelving, wiggly chairs: What Colorado teachers bought for their classrooms — and why

Chalkbeat reached out to teachers around the state to ask how much they spent out of pocket on their classrooms.

NEW DATA

Detroit
September 17, 2018

Michigan’s ‘band-aid’ for filling teaching jobs is expanding. Here’s what you need to know.

There aren’t enough qualified teachers to fill classrooms across Michigan — and especially in Detroit. That’s why state officials have opened the door to…

Race and equity

Indiana
September 14, 2018

Looking for the ‘Wakanda factor’: 3 tips for breaking down barriers facing educators of color

It’s a persistent problem in schools across Indianapolis, the state, and the nation: Too few teachers look like their students.

How I Teach

Detroit
September 14, 2018

For this Detroit teacher, math is about teaching ‘what makes something true’

Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we ask educators who’ve been recognized for their work how they approach their jobs. You can…

Talent office

Chicago
September 14, 2018

With the alarm sounded statewide over shortages, Chicago forges ahead with a teacher experiment

Katrina Johnson was working as a special education classroom assistant in a Greater Grand Crossing school when she received an email several…

Asked and answered

Chicago
September 11, 2018

Teachers’ union chief Jesse Sharkey on school closings, contract battles, and life after Rahm

What the CTU president says about Chicago schools chief Janice Jackson, being called out by investigator Maggie Hickey, and union challenges post-Janus.

on the money

National
September 5, 2018

The salary slide: as other professionals see growth, teachers’ pay stagnates, new report finds

Teachers now earn about 20 percent less than other college-educated workers, according to a new report by the Economic Policy Institute, a union-backed think tank.

sold

Colorado
September 4, 2018

An initiative that helps teachers buy a home is expanding to 15 Colorado districts

Using philanthropic dollars, the initiative pays for part of an educator’s down payment.

Education Funding

Chicago
Updated September 4, 2018

What crowdfunding is telling us about the future of Chicago education

Cushioned seating, compost bins, standing desks, even a science kit for forensic investigation — these are some of the things Chicago teachers are…

Background checks

Chicago
September 2, 2018

Chicago schools start Tuesday, but 511 employees don’t have clearance yet

With back to school right around the corner, the majority of Chicago schools’ 43,000 employees have cleared background re-checks, the district said Sunday.

Plus

Colorado
August 29, 2018

Aurora school introduces out-of-the-box redesign with more electives, more teacher collaboration

The Aurora district has worked with School by Design to try to raise school achievement without increasing spending.

inside success

New York
August 27, 2018

A college student is teaching economics at Success Academy — founder Eva Moskowitz’s son

Culver Moskowitz’s role is the latest move to raise eyebrows at Success Academy High School for the Liberal Arts.

Letter to teachers

Chicago
August 27, 2018

Here’s what outgoing union chief Karen Lewis told Chicago teachers this morning

Retiring Chicago Teachers Union chief Karen Lewis, who has been fighting brain cancer, sent a note to Chicago teachers this morning urging them to support…

state of the union

New York
August 22, 2018

New York’s teachers unions say they’re staying strong after Janus case, but there could be a battle ahead

This summer, New York teachers received a startling message from their state union. In all capital letters, a Facebook post warned: “Fraud alert!”…

Take our survey

Chicago
August 22, 2018

Chicago teachers: What’s on your mind this year?

Since Chalkbeat Chicago launched earlier this summer, we’ve written about new troves of data around school choice, a spate of policy changes that…
Indiana
August 21, 2018

Indiana lawmakers want a renewed focus on workforce in schools. What role should counselors play?

For years, Indiana lawmakers and education leaders have grappled with a major shortage in school counselors, and this week that conversation will…
Chicago
August 21, 2018

Chicago schools want to delay plan for tackling the gifted gap

Chicago Public Schools wants to delay for a year a plan to make gifted services available to more children outside of selected enrollment,…

survey says

National
August 21, 2018

Support for boosting teacher pay is at a 10-year high, new survey finds

After a year of teacher protests, an increasing number of Americans think teachers should be paid more, according to a new national survey. Sixty-seven percent…
Indiana
August 16, 2018

Undocumented students face hurdles getting into college. Here’s how Indiana teachers have helped them succeed

Helping teachers identify pathways to college for their undocumented students was a focus of a panel discussion put on by WFYI Public Media and the Teacher Project.

positive discipline

Indiana
August 10, 2018

How this Indiana district is rethinking discipline to keep kids in school

A new approach to discipline is forgoing traditional punishment in favor of interventions that better support a child who has gotten in trouble.

Asked and answered

Chicago
August 9, 2018

Longtime advocate (and current First Lady) Diana Rauner sizes up the challenges ahead for early education in Illinois

Fluent in the languages of developmental psychology (her Ph.D., from the University of Chicago) and finance (her MBA, from Stanford University), Illinois First…

value added?

National
August 5, 2018

Eight years ago, the L.A. Times published teachers’ ratings. New research tells us what happened next.

"You shine a light on people who are underperforming and the hope is they improve. But when you increase transparency, you may actually exacerbate inequality."

meet the new boss

Colorado
August 3, 2018

New Colorado teachers union chief: Spring walkouts raised public awareness of school needs

Amie Baca-Oehlert, a school counselor from the Adams 12 district north of Denver, recently took the helm of the 35,000-member Colorado Education Association.

research shows

National
August 3, 2018

More students are taking AP exams, but researchers don’t know if that helps them

“AP is such an important element of high school for kids and teachers, and we don’t really understand how it’s impacting student experiences."
Chicago
August 3, 2018

How Chicago teachers really feel about safety, discipline, and school choice

More than four in 10 Chicago teachers feel unsafe at school, a markedly greater percentage than teachers nationally — but at the same…

mental health

Chicago
August 1, 2018

Trauma can make it hard for kids to learn. Here’s how teachers learn to deal with that.

There’s no debating that childhood trauma seriously impacts how students learn. Researchers have tied stressful events such as divorces, deportations, neglect,…

educators of color

Colorado
July 30, 2018

Denver’s newest group of teachers is its most diverse ever

Hiring more teachers of color has long been a goal for the urban district.

How I Teach

Indiana
July 30, 2018

Why one teacher relies on the power of music to engage immigrant students

This Indianapolis Public Schools teacher is using music to help students who are new to the United States acclimate to a new environment.

How I Teach

Chicago
July 30, 2018

This Chicago preschool teacher is touting an alternative to the traditional playground

Here, in a feature we call How I Teach, we ask educators who’ve been recognized for their work how they approach their jobs.

How I Lead

New York
July 27, 2018

A Bronx principal explains secret behind $25,000 award: teachers learning along with students

The money will go towards supporting an initiative in which teachers share and create innovative ways to provide students with a strong conceptual understanding of math.

turnover paradox

National
July 25, 2018

Black teachers leave schools at higher rates — but why?

National data shows the problem isn’t just recruiting teachers of color, but retaining them as well.

Race and equity

Chicago
July 24, 2018

Here’s some advice for CPS’ future Chief Equity Officer in year one

When a small group of central office staff met earlier this year at Chicago Public Schools headquarters to discuss a grant, the conversation…

teacher diversity

Indiana
July 19, 2018

Indiana spends $3M on scholarships for future teachers, but few students of color win them

It’s a “disturbing” problem, education leaders say, that perpetuates the lack of diversity in teaching ranks and shows the state’s efforts to reach students of color are falling short.

It takes a village

Indiana
July 18, 2018

Here’s why Indianapolis teachers are walking away from the opportunity to own an affordable home

When Jack Hesser learned about a local nonprofit’s efforts to retain and recruit teachers to Indianapolis through an affordable housing project, he saw an opportunity…

Training teachers

Detroit
July 18, 2018

How a doctor inspired a new way to train teachers — and how that is leading to a new kind of school

Professors at the University of Michigan are making a radical change to the way teachers are trained — making it more like doctor training.

teacher diversity

Tennessee
July 17, 2018

Memphis colleges are training more teachers of color, new study shows

Teaching degree programs at four-year institutions nationwide are disproportionately white, according to new Urban Institute data. But things look different in Memphis, where…

How I Lead

New York
July 16, 2018

Meditation and mindfulness: How a Harlem principal solves conflict in her community

A Harlem principal describes the practices her community uses to improve self awareness and mindfulness.

Teaching teachers

National
July 16, 2018

Mentors matter: Good teaching really can be passed down to student teachers, new research finds

Do student teachers learn more when they’re mentored by an effective teacher? The answer may seem obvious, but there’s been little research confirming as much—until now.

First Person

Chicago
July 12, 2018

I’m a principal who thinks personalized learning shouldn’t be a debate.

This is the first in what we hope will be a tradition of thoughtful opinion pieces—of all viewpoints—published by Chalkbeat Chicago. Have an idea? Send…

Man Up

Tennessee
July 10, 2018

With Man Up, a new Memphis teacher prep program is training, mentoring men of color

Patrick Washington has teaching in his blood.   Washington’s great-great-grandfather, Richard Adkins, was born a slave in Marshall County, Mississippi. After…

teacher training

Colorado
July 3, 2018

The first year of teaching is notoriously tough. Denver is experimenting with a new approach

“Associate teachers” will teach part-time in a high-poverty school and spend the rest of their time planning, observing, and learning.

How I Teach

Chicago
July 3, 2018

How this Chicago special ed teacher is combating “compassion fatigue” and restoring the fun

How do teachers captivate their students? Welcome to Chalkbeat Chicago’s first installment of How I Teach, a feature in which we ask great…

How I Teach

Tennessee
July 2, 2018

Memphis math teacher remembers ‘sticking out.’ It inspired him to teach with compassion

Neven Holland was in third grade when his mother pulled him out of his Chicago elementary school and moved him to a school…

Q&A

Tennessee
June 27, 2018

Tennessee teachers have a new voice. Meet the next leader of the state’s largest teacher group

When Beth Brown takes office July 1 as the new president of the Tennessee Education Association, she’ll become the youngest elected leader of…

Supreme Court

Chicago
June 27, 2018

Janus decision deals a blow to the Chicago Teachers Union

Now that the Supreme Court has decided, in a 5-4 vote, the case of Janus v. AFSCME 31, the Chicago Teachers Union…

Situation Normal

Colorado
June 27, 2018

Colorado teachers unions will feel a limited impact from the Supreme Court’s Janus decision

Colorado’s teachers unions have been living in a post-Janus world for decades.

teacher unions

Tennessee
June 27, 2018

Why the Janus Supreme Court case won’t have much impact in Tennessee

The decision from the nation’s highest court has devastating implications for large unions in the 23 states that have allowed such fees; Tennessee is not among them.

janus v. AFSCME

National
June 27, 2018

Supreme Court decision in Janus deals blow to nation’s teachers unions

The ruling means that states and school districts will no longer be able to require employees to pay negotiating fees — which could hurt membership and power.
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