Survival of the fittest: Local science programs have fans, foes

Science classes in Chicago's High School Transformation Plan have evolved to provide more challenging work and get students to think about the subject differently. As the program wraps up its second year, Catherine Guiles reports on how participants are weighing in on what's worked and what needs to change.

High school transformation engages students, but questions remain

By next year, nearly half of Chicago public high schools will be a part of a multi-year transformation plan using competing curricula in English, math and science, designed to engage students in the neediest schools while coaching teachers on their technique. Jonathan Katz looks into whether a set curriculum, better resources and teacher coaching are enough to make a dent in the problems that plague Chicago schools.

 

A new species of science class takes hold in Chicago high schools

Good-bye dissecting frogs, hello saving endangered tortoises. That’s what you’ll find in a Meaningful Science Consortium class, one of three science instructional development systems being used in the Chicago High School Transformation Plan. Steven McGee, who directs the consortium, explains to Catherine Guiles how schools are adjusting to the curriculum and what it means for students’ futures.

 

South Side reading teacher embraces curriculum, says goodbye to Shakespeare

Elaine Cox, a ninth grade reading teacher at Dyett High School, jumped at the chance a few years ago to implement the transformation curriculum in her classroom. "We knew that if we didn't do something drastic, we would get shut down," she said.  "[Now], the culture has changed dramatically." Cox discusses how the new curriculum has helped rejuvenate her classroom.

Manley Career Academy one year into transformation

Manley Career Academy has completed its first year as part of the long-term transformation plan of the Chicago Public Schools. The East Garfield Park school on the West side graduates fewer than half of the students who enter as freshmen. Jonathan Katz visited the high school and talked with teachers about how it's going.

Map of high schools involved in the transformation plan

The High School Transformation Plan began in 2006-07, funded in part by $21 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to revamp math, science and English teaching at neighborhood schools, small schools, charter schools and military academies, primarily on the South and West sides. More are slated to be added in the 2008-09 academic year. Consult this map for a list of the schools and where they are in the city.

Thumbnail comparison of the three science curricula

Three different science curricula are being used in the Chicago Public Schools' Transformation Plan. Each emerges from a local university-based enterprise; one from the Illinois Institute of Technology, another from Northwestern University, and the third from Loyola University Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Here's a thumbnail on their similiarities and differences.

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