Category: Education

So students better understand the naturalization process, State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) passed legislation in the Senate Education Committee that would allow schools to offer courses on naturalization and citizenship. “More than two-thirds of students that take the U.S. Citizenship test in their history courses end up failing,” Villanueva said. “Schools should offer instruction on citizenship so that students from all backgrounds know the effort it takes to go through the naturalization process.” The legislation would allow public high schools in Illinois to include a unit of instruction on the process of naturalization in their curricula. The course would include content from the actual citizenship test administered by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The measure allows local school boards to determine the amount of instructional time. House Bill 3281 passed the Senate Education Committee and awaits consideration before the full Senate.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) announced that a new pilot will expand healthcare programming to eight CPS high schools as part of the Chicago Roadmap, an unprecedented collaboration that increases postsecondary opportunities for Chicago’s youth. The Healthcare Model Pathway pilot program will allow students to participate in college coursework and earn up to 15 college credits along with their high school diploma. Through the pilot, students will complete early college coursework, including key biology and healthcare courses, and will have the option to complete the coursework for the Certified Nursing Assistant certificate. This fall, students at CVCA, Dunbar, Gage Park, Instituto Health Sciences, Juarez, North-Grand, South Shore, and Washington will have the opportunity to complete courses in the model pathway and choose a health pathway of interest to them by completing key biology and healthcare prerequisite courses. The offerings will prepare students to launch healthcare careers such as physicians, dentists, nurses, radiographers, dental hygienists, physical therapy assistants, respiratory care techs, occupational therapy assistants and more.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), in partnership with TEACH, announced a new PSA campaign for K-12 public schools. The campaign, titled “The Future Depends on Teachers,” celebrates the role teachers play in shaping our future and invites people to explore teaching at a time when they are needed more than ever. “I started as a teacher 38 years ago,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “Today, I could not imagine a more purposeful and rewarding career. Governor Pritzker has made Illinois schools the top priority, working with the General Assembly to revamp our funding formula to be more equitable and adopting legislation to boost teacher salaries. If you’re ready to make a positive difference in the lives of young people, and truly change the world, come join our team of educators in Illinois.” Illinois schools were looking to hire more than 1,700 additional teachers as of October 1, 2020, according to an annual survey conducted by ISBE. Viewers who visit www.teach.org/illinois will find information about teacher licensure, teacher preparation programs, and what it’s like to teach in Illinois.

La Ciudad anunció el lunes la campaña ‘Redescubrir el Verano’ de My CHI. My Future., designada a mostrar la miríada de oportunidades para los jóvenes este verano. El año pasado, la Alcaldesa y la Primera Dama Amy Eshleman, lanzaron”My CHI, My Future”. (MCMF), iniciativa de varios años centrada en la juventud, diseñada para conectar a los jóvenes de Chicago con experiencias significativas fuera de la escuela. MCMF trabaja con más de 200 organizaciones y está enfocada en organizar y conectar el ecosistema de oportunidades en Chicago y animando a los adultos solidarios de la ciudad a garantizar que todos los jóvenes tengan un plan para el verano. El domingo. 23 de mayo es el primer aniversario del lanzamiento de MCMF y el compromiso de la Ciudad de garantizar que toda persona joven se conecta a experiencias que le permitan explorar sus intereses y conectarse a sus pasiones y posibilidades. La ciudad y sus asociados se han reunido para brindar más de 200,000 oportunidades para los niños y jóvenes este verano, incluyendo One Summer Chicago, Parks Summer Camp y GreenCorps Youth Program. Además, los jóvenes y sus familias pueden encontrar oportunidades a través del sitio web renovado del MCMF, MyCHIMyFuture.org, que incluye un mapa interactivo para ayudar a los jóvenes y sus familias a encontrar oportunidades, programas de verano y eventos en su comunidad.

Para que los estudiantes entiendan mejor el proceso de naturalización, la Senadora Estatal Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) aprobó una legislación en el Comité de Educación del Senado que permitiría que las escuelas ofrezcan cursos sobre naturalización y ciudadanía. “Mas de dos terceras partes de los estudiantes que toman la prueba de Ciudadanía de E.U. en sus cursos de historia terminan reprobándola”,dijo Villanueva. “Las escuelas deberían ofrecer instrucción en ciudadanía para que estudiantes de toda procedencia sepan el esfuerzo que lleva pasar por el proceso de naturalización”. La legislación permitiría a as secundarias públicas de Illinois incluir una unidad de instrucción en el proceso de naturalización en su currículo. El curso incluiría contenido de la prueba actual de ciudadanía administrada por los Servicios de Inmigración y Ciudadanía de E.U. La medida permite a las juntas escolares locales determinar la cantidad del tiempo de instrucción. El Proyecto 3281 de la Cámara fue aprobada por el Comité de Educación del Senado y espera su consideración ante el Senado en pleno.

Las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago (CPS) y los Colegios de la Ciudad de Chicago (CCC) anunciaron que un nuevo programa piloto ampliará la programación del cuidado de salud a ocho secundarias de CPS, como parte de Chicago Roadmap, colaboración sin precedentes que aumenta las oportunidades postsecundarias para los jóvenes de Chicago. El programa piloto Healthcare Model Pathway, permitirá a los estudiantes participar en cursos de colegio y ganar hasta 15 créditos de colegio junto con su diploma de secundaria. A través del programa piloto, los estudiantes completarán cursos de colegio, incluyendo cursos claves de biología y cuidado de salud y tendrán la opción de completar el curso con el certificado de Asistente de Enfermería Certificado. Este otoño, estudiantes en CVCA, Dunbar, Gage Park, Instituto Health Sciences, Juarez, North-Grand, South Shore y Washington tendrán la oportunidad de completar cursos en la vía modelo y escoger un modelo de salud de interés para ellos, completando cursos claves de prerequisito de biología y cuidado de salud. Estos cursos prepararán a los estudiantes para carreras de cuidado de salud, como doctores, dentistas, enfermeros, radiografistas, higienistas dentales, asistentes de terapia física, técnicos en cuidado respiratorio, asistentes de terapia ocupacional y más.

La Junta de Educación del Estado de Illinois (ISBE) en colaboración con TEACH, anunció una nueva campaña PSA para K-12 de las escuelas públicas. La campaña, titulada “El Futuro Depende de los Maestros” celebra el papel que los maestros desempeñan en conformar nuestro futuro e invita a la gente a explorar la enseñanza en un momento en que se necesitan más que nunca. “Yo empecé como maestra hace 38 años, dijo la Superintendente de Educación del Estado, Dra. Carmen I. Ayala. “Hoy, no podría imaginar una carrera mejor y más gratificante. El Gobernador Pritzker ha hecho una prioridad de las escuelas de Illinois, trabajando con la Asamblea General para renovar nuestra fórmula de fondos y que sea más equitativa y adoptar una legislación que mejore los salarios de los maestros. Si usted está listo para hacer una diferencia positiva en la vida de los jóvenes y cambiar verdaderamente el mundo, únase a nuestro equipo de educadores de Illinois”, Las escuelas de Illinois pensaban contratar a 1,700 maestros adicionales para el 1º de octubre del 2020, de acuerdo a un estudio anual conducido por ISBE. Los que visiten www.teach.org/illinois encontrarán información sobre la licenciatura de maestros, programas de preparación para maestros y que significa la enseñanza en Illinois.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced a $7.5 million multi-year investment to expand high-quality academic programs for nearly 4,000 CPS students at seven elementary schools across the city. The investment will support staffing, training and learning resources for programs including International Baccalaureate (IB), STEAM, Fine and Performing Arts, and Dual Language over the next six years. Prior to developing the program award process, new programs were awarded on a rolling basis, without streamlined criteria and timelines. In order to support schools through the application process, the district held two virtual, city-wide community outreach events; targeted outreach to underrepresented regions; and provided several school workshops to help school communities determine the programs that would best meet their unique needs, complete their applications, and develop strong implementation plans. New high-quality programming will benefit a student population that is approximately 89 percent low-income and 93 percent Black and Latinx (29 percent Black and 64 percent Latinx). This investment will build on existing programs and expand programming so that more CPS students than ever will have access to high-quality academic programming next school year. The complete list of schools is:

• Bright Elementary – Fine & Performing Arts

• Nathan Davis Elementary – Dual Language

• Hernandez Middle School – STEM

• Kilmer Elementary – IB-PYP

• Nash Elementary – Fine & Performing Arts

• Ruggles Elementary – STEAM

• West Park Elementary – STEAM

A measure sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) aimed at increasing transparency in misconduct and discipline in Chicago Public Schools was approved by a Senate committee Tuesday. House Bill 15 requires CPS to provide written notification to parents or guardians of students who commit misconduct and of students who are victims of the act of misconduct, which is defined as an incident involving offensive touching, a physical altercation, or the use of violence. “Parents and guardians deserve to know what is going on in the schools their children are attending,” Peters said. “Informing the parents and guardians when misconduct occurs allows parents of the victims to ensure their children are properly taken care of. This will provide the creation of a written record that benefits the students, the parents and the schools.” The legislation is an initiative of the House sponsor, Rep. Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago), who is Peters’ own state representative. “I want to thank Curtis for all of the hard work he has put into this issue,” Peters said. “It’s an honor to fight with him for this cause.” The Senate Education Committee approved the legislation with no opposition. It will now be sent to the full Senate for further consideration.

City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Chancellor Juan Salgado announced the SEED Scholarship to increase the pipeline of talented and diverse educators in Chicago. Starting this fall, the SEED Scholarship (Supporting Emerging Educators Development) will support CPS graduates participating in Teach Chicago Tomorrow, a new partnership initiative that creates a clear path from high school to college and back to CPS as a full-time teacher. The scholarship is designed to cover most, if not all, City Colleges tuition, books, and class materials for participating students. City Colleges will offer up to $3,000 in individual scholarship dollars each year to at least 100 students, with the scholarship amount based on the number of credits taken.  Students taking 6-8 credits per semester will receive a stipend of $750/semester, students taking 9-11 credits will receive a stipend of $1,000/semester, and students taking 12 or more credits will receive a stipend of $1,500/semester. The scholarship will be renewable up to three years.  Students can also apply for other scholarships on top of SEED. To express interest in the SEED Scholarship, students should go to www.cps.edu/applyTCT.