The Chicago Reporter articles from November 2006

The Chicago Reporter archives from November 2006

Editor's note.
November 1, 2006... Anyone who survived this past election should know the importance of valuing education. Scandals, outrageous accusations and fear-mongering became more important than one of our region's most critical issues: the future of our children....

Reporter news.
November 1, 2006... Reporter Jeff Kelly Lowenstein has been selected in the 2007 Racial Justice Fellowships program of the Institute for Justice and Journalism at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication. Fellows spend a year...

Free press: free from political censorship, a Hong Kong native is striving to provide better news coverage about China.(New Voices)(Interview)
November 1, 2006... Meihua Zhou remembers the story well: On Oct. 28, 2005, federal authorities in Los Angeles arrested two Chinese couples in an alleged conspiracy to steal U.S. military secrets. It was a month after Zhou assumed her position as the World Page...

The next step: supporters of a living wage vowed to fight on after the "big box" ordinance was vetoed, but the direction of future legislation has yet to be decided.(Keeping Current)
November 1, 2006... It was 11 on a warm September evening, and Wayne Hillier was one hour away from the end of his shift. He had spent the last seven hours on his feet, standing guard in Home Depot's garden section on North Avenue. As usual, his right leg was...

Down the hole: Illinois lost nearly $10 billion in 2005 from the "social costs" of high school dropouts. Some argue that boosting school funding will lower those costs, but others are not convinced.(Social Costs)(Cover story)
November 1, 2006... One winter day during his junior year at Harlan High School in the Roseland neighborhood, Donte Webb and his buddies left the school building but decided to go back when they got chilly. Upon their return, they were met by an administrator who...

Investing early: high-quality pre-schools have been proven to make a significant difference, but a number of them have closed in recent years.(Social Costs)
November 1, 2006... It's only 9 a.m., but Debra List's preschool class is already in high gear. About 20 three- and four-year-olds dash about in their summer school room, bouncing from one friend to the next, climbing on chairs and hauling toys from one play area...

Graduated, but unprepared: many high school graduates are entering college in need of remedial classes.(Social Costs)
November 1, 2006... In June, Alex Jones graduated from Thornton Township High School in south suburban Harvey. He was ranked 14th in his class. His mother, Peggy, said she wanted Alex to come to Prairie State College in south suburban Chicago Heights because she...

Never-ending cycle: Illinois' reliance on property taxes as the major source of school funding has major consequences for communities throughout the state.(Current School Funding)
November 1, 2006... On Bradley Road in north suburban Lake Forest, cars and trucks rumble off of Interstate 94 and into one of the five industrial parks and large office buildings that stand on all four sides of the Rondout Elementary School. Less than a...

Cash, no cure all growing needs strain flush district.(Current School Funding)
November 1, 2006... On paper, Glenbard North High School in west suburban Carol Stream seems to have all the ingredients necessary for academic success. Glenbard Township High School District 87, which includes Glenbard North and three other high schools,...

Bells and whistles: money might not guarantee academic success, but it can certainly buy some of the things that may help students get there.(curren school funding)
November 1, 2006... Despite the large gap in funding between Rondout Elementary School in north suburban Lake Forest and Medgar Evers Primary School in south suburban Ford Heights, both schools saw more than 80 percent of their students pass standardized tests in...

A recipe for success: even while experiencing demographic changes, Edison Primary School has registered big test score gains without a lot of money.(current school funding for Edison Primary School)
November 1, 2006... Even though it doesn't get a ton of money, the Edison Primary School in far south suburban Kankakee has witnessed a sharp increase in test scores. The percentage of Edison students meeting or exceeding grade level on standardized tests...

The fight about funding: for many, school funding reform boils down to one question: does more money equal better scores?(Adequacy)
November 1, 2006... Bindu Batchu believes strongly that inadequate school funding in Illinois places many school districts and their students in an unfair position. "We are expecting districts to ensure that all students cross the finish line, but, [to do that],...

More than money: one principal is turning her middle school around by malting the neighbors responsible for it.(Ames Middle School)
November 1, 2006... When Lorraine Cruz walks into Ames Middle School each morning, she passes through metal detectors and an X-ray machine, devices that serve as a reminder of the situation she walked into when she became Ames' principal in the summer of 2004. ...

Oct. 14, 2006.(Partking Shot)
November 1, 2006... A young attendee at the Blackstone Bike Works open house looks in awe at a bicycle made of wood. Located at 61st Street and Blackstone Avenue, Blackstone Bike Works is a nonprofit initiative that provides training in bicycle repair and...