Photograph; Chicago Public Schools released data on Tuesday showing privately-run charter schools expel students at a vastly higher rate than the rest of the district. (Posted on: February 26, 2014)

Disparity sure to become fuel in ongoing education debate

By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah and Alex Richards | Originally Published at Chicago Tribune. 7:23 a.m. CST, February 26, 2014
As it continues to modify strict disciplinary policies in an effort to keep students in the classroom, Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday released data showing privately run charter schools expel students at a vastly higher rate than the rest of the district.
The data reveal that during the last school year, 307 students were kicked out of charter schools, which have a total enrollment of about 50,000. In district-run schools, there were 182 kids expelled out of a student body of more than 353,000.
That means charters expelled 61 of every 10,000 students while the district-run schools expelled just 5 of


What D.C. Schools are Doing Right – and How to Make it Better
By Valerie Strauss | Originally Published at Washington Post Answer Sheet. February 27, 2014 There is a lot to celebrate about the pre-kindergarten program in the D.C. public schools. In fact, some aspects of the program are so strong that school officials would be smart to borrow […]