(WTTW News)

CPS confirmed Friday that Stephanie Jones, the district’s chief of the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services (ODLSS), is stepping down from that role after four years effective immediately.

Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at City Hall alongside Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates on June 8, 2023 (Heather Cherone / WTTW News)

Mayor Brandon Johnson, along with Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates, announced that the school district is in the process of expanding its paid parental leave up to 12 weeks for birthing and non-birthing parents.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez speaks at Orr Academy High School on June 7, 2023, beside Mayor Brandon Johnson. (WTTW News)

On the final day of classes for Chicago Public Schools students, Mayor Brandon Johnson again signaled that he may be planning to keep schools chief Pedro Martinez in that position moving forward.

(WTTW News)

“The summer months are the perfect time to reinforce skills learned during the previous year and prepare them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the classroom and in life," Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said in a statement. 

(WTTW News)

The Illinois state budget passed this week included increased funding for higher education. That was welcome news to Northeastern Illinois University, which has seen some financial and institutional turbulence in recent years.

Urban Prep’s Englewood campus. (artistmac / Flickr)

After allegations of sexual and financial misconduct, the Chicago Board of Education voted to revoke Urban Prep’s charter. The state school board denied an appeal, and a CPS takeover looks imminent.

Hector Perez of the Union League Boys & Girls Clubs appears on "Latino Voices" on May 26, 2023. (WTTW News)

Kids in mentorship programs might not yet appreciate how their mentors have helped keep them on a successful path. But Hector Perez of the Union League Boys & Girls Clubs says these programs are critical to shaping productive futures.

Janice Jackson, CEO of Hope Chicago, appears on “Chicago Tonight” on May 24, 2023. (WTTW News)

Janice Jackson serves as CEO of Hope Chicago, a two-generation scholarship program that aims to remove financial barriers for thousands of CPS students and their parents by allowing them to attend college debt-free.

(WTTW News)

Speaking before the Chicago Board of Education at its monthly meeting Wednesday, Chicago Teachers Union Vice President Jackson Potter said the changes he’s seen in terms of district cooperation are “unprecedented.”

The former Trumbull Elementary School at Ashland and Foster avenues closed in 2013. The building is now used by the Chicago Waldorf School. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

Monday marks 10 years since the Chicago Board of Education's historic and controversial vote to close 50 public schools.

(WTTW News)
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State legislators are responsible for drawing the 20 districts that will comprise Chicago’s elected school board. Advocates were dissatisfied with the General Assembly’s first attempt and say a revised draft made public Wednesday isn’t much of an improvement.

Lindblom Math & Science Academy (Google Earth)

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez did not get into specifics while speaking before the Chicago Board of Education Wednesday, but reiterated that principal Abdul Muhammad “had to be pulled” from the school “for multiple reasons.”

Jerry Bowen. (WTTW News)

Every Tuesday afternoon at the Thurgood Marshall Branch of the Chicago Public Library, retiree Jerry Bowen signs “hello” to the sign language class he’s taught remotely for three years.

(WTTW News)

The glaring issue for many parent advocates is that they see the proposed map as not representative of the majority Latino student population in Chicago Public Schools. Instead, the maps are based on Chicago’s overall population, meaning fewer majority Latino districts.

(WTTW News)

Hope Learning Academy in March abruptly announced it was closing its doors at the end of this school year — a surprise to parents and teachers alike because the school had just inked a four-year contract with CPS weeks prior.

Tracie Hall, the first Black woman to lead the Chicago-based American Library Association, appeared on “Black Voices” on April 22, 2023. (WTTW News)

Tracie Hall, the first Black woman to lead the Chicago-based American Library Association, has been named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023.