Dive Summary:
- The first long-term plan issued for Chicago Public Schools since 2011 promises an annual scorecard on the district's performance, greater system-wide accountability and the ability for the public to track the district's progress and see how many teachers and principals are rated as "high performers."
- Under the five-year plan, the district will also be aligned with the Common Core Curriculum by the 2014-15 school year, with art integrated at every grade level and social and behavioral support systems available for any student needing them.
- With the district facing a deficit budget of nearly $1 billion for the coming year, it remains unclear how proposals such as training for parents and increased art education and support services will be funded, but CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett has proposed that the district would solicit money from the philanthropic community.
From the article:
... Byrd-Bennett's education plan drew a quick rebuke from Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, who said it was put together "in the silo of CPS without any stakeholders at the table."
"It is amazing that CPS' first impulse, no matter who heads it, is toward an autocratic, top-down approach that people who actually work with kids are expected to implement without the appropriate resources or tools," Lewis said in a statement. ...
