Pop diva Beyoncé is arguably the most popular performer in the world. But there's much more to her than her success as a provocative pop icon. That's the idea behind a new college course at UIC that delves into Beyoncé's role in shaping "feminist perspectives and [the image] of U.S. black womanhood."

How do you teach your children to be smart about money? New York Times personal finance columnist Ron Lieber seeks to answer that question in his new book, The Opposite of Spoiled. He joins us to discuss how to instill values and the value of the dollar in a younger generation.

The federal government is warning Chicago Public Schools against sanctions for its decision to administer the controversial PARCC test to 10 percent of students.

Two main tracks exist for professors in the academic world: tenured and non-tenured faculty. Across the nation, some non-tenured, adjunct faculty members are asking for higher wages, benefits and a more equal system. Can these two levels of professorship continue to exist? Is one becoming more predominant than the other? And what is the effect on the cost and quality of education? We discuss these questions and more with our panel.

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis is back at work and talking to Chicago Tonight about her recovery, the mayoral race, and the controversial PARCC testing.

A controversial and expensive buyout for the president of the College of DuPage has enraged critics who say the $763,000 severance agreement lacks transparency and damages the publicly funded community college's reputation. We hear from the one board member who voted against the deal. 

A new project from the University of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools focuses on preparing middle school students for college readiness.

We check in with the leaders of Get In Chicago, a violence prevention group started by the city in response to the national attention paid to Chicago's gun violence.

The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research details how students were impacted by the decision to close 50 elementary schools in May 2013.

Documentary film series, The School Project, releases its second installment focusing on the 50 schools closings conducted by CPS in May 2013. The episode centers around a Chicago family as they navigate the process and what the largest school closing in American history means for education policy in the city.

Teachers, parents, and administrators have been debating whether schools should start implementing the PARCC standardized test, designed to align with the new Common Core standards. We talk with two educators about whether it's time to put the PARCC in place and the value of standardized testing.

Confucius Institutes are academic and cultural programs financially backed by the Chinese government. These institutions affiliate themselves with colleges throughout the world, but have drawn backlash due to concerns of propaganda pushing.

Should Chicago have an elected school board? The issue separates Mayor Rahm Emanuel from his challengers. And voters from 38 wards will have a chance to weigh in on Feb. 24 when they can vote on an advisory referendum. We take a closer look.

Whether it’s been 10 years or 30 years since they dropped out of high school, men and women who went on to serve time in jail or prison are finally getting their diplomas. We explain how programs like St. Leonard’s Ministries are getting help from Cook County to keep people out of jail and reduce violence.

For the second day, Chicago Public Schools are closed because of cold weather, but not everyone agrees.

Chicago Public Schools will be closed for a second day tomorrow because of the extreme weather.