Chicagoans saw little democracy in closing hearings
The hearings that preceded the vote by the Chicago Board of Education to close 49 school programs were an opportunity for people to speak up, but nobody was listening, it seems.
Staff & Reporter Archive
Paul Katula
Paul Katula is the executive editor of the Voxitatis Research Foundation, which publishes this blog. For more information, see the About page.
Stories by Paul Katula
Memorial Day greetings
By Paul Katula
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On this national holiday, we take you back to a story from last year, that of a National Guard soldier who died while saving the life of an Afghan boy.
Executive order enhances access to education data
By Paul Katula
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Reporters and the general public, including entrepreneurs, will soon have quicker access to the vast amount of data stored at the National Center for Education Statistics.
Possible precedent in school closing-discrimination cases
By Paul Katula
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A US appellate court has probably established a precedent in favor of large urban districts that decide to close schools that are under-enrolled.
GAO report: Cheating suspected on tests in 40 states
By Paul Katula
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The Government Accounting Office says cheating on standardized tests used for accountability purposes is likely to have happened in 40 states.
IL subs don’t earn credit toward tenure
By Paul Katula
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Although duties of full-time subs mirror those of probationary teachers, the subs can't count their substitute teaching experience toward tenure as teachers under Illinois law.
Mercury, Venus, Jupiter in conjunction with each other
By Paul Katula
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Look northeast tonight through Wednesday: Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter will be in close proximity for the next few days near the northeast horizon just after sunset.
Audit: Md. schools misspent federal grant money
By Paul Katula
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Baltimore City and Prince George's County may have misspent more than half a million dollars in federal grant money on personal items such as dinner cruises and makeover days.
Another teacher submits resignation letter on YouTube
By Paul Katula
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We transcribe a video resignation letter from a teacher in north-suburban Chicago, who says she is quitting with a sad, heavy heart, since everything she "loved about teaching is extinct."
With today's vote, 49 public schools will close in Chicago
By Paul Katula
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Chicago Public Schools shut down 49 public school programs, most of them on the city's south and west sides. In the end, protests did little to prevent neighborhood schools from being closed.