Stories by Brandis Friedman

Chicago Public School parents are having mixed reactions to the district’s new plan to bring some students back into the classroom before the end of the calendar year, just as COVID-19 cases in the city begin to increase again.

Under the district’s plan, pre-K and cluster program students would return for full-day learning, five days a week beginning next quarter.

The pandemic has upended how we work and how our children attend school. For one school network, Cristo Rey schools, the students attend school and work. Here’s a look at their model — and how it’s changing.

Chicago Public Schools students are now back in the classroom — virtually, that is. Students officially began remote learning Monday, but many people argue that nothing can replace time in the classroom.

The Chicago Board of Elections is pleading with the public in order to find election judges for Tuesday’s primary. Our politics team takes on that story and more election news in this week’s roundtable.

A Chicago woman in her 50s who works at Chicago Public Schools in the city’s Portage Park neighborhood has tested positive for COVID-19. 

In a 23-page report filed Friday, the city of Chicago highlights the steps it has taken in the last six months to make progress on implementing a court-ordered consent decree.

If you needed to build a business, how quickly could you pull together a plan? What if you had to do it without access to the internet? These men did just that – in an atypical setting. Here’s how.

Whether or not Chicago Public Schools students are gaming a standardized test system was the topic of debate during Wednesday’s CPS board meeting.

This year, the U.S. marks the 400th year since the Pilgrims arrived. But the year before that, a much darker period began with the sailing of the White Lion. We speak with New York Times Magazine journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones about The 1619 Project.

A look back at the words of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose latest book has been decades in the making.

Only 62% to 66% of Chicago Public Schools students went to class on Jan. 2 and 3 – days that were originally scheduled to be part of winter break but later converted to attendance days following the 11-day teachers strike.

Why the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Board of Education are still at odds over the teacher’s contract.

State education officials are in the process of rewriting rules for timeouts and physical restraints for students across the state. But some parents and educators say those new rules are bringing new challenges to light.

As former Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck prepares to take over the top job at the Chicago Police Department – at least temporarily – his appointment is sparking criticism. What activists have to say.

Just over three years ago, Chicago audiences were introduced to the smash hit musical “Hamilton.” We catch up with two original cast members of the Chicago production.

An internal Chicago Teachers Union document obtained by WTTW News shows the union would agree to a five-year contract if the mayor agrees to stop blocking the passage of an elected school board bill in Springfield and “getting back our bargaining rights.”

Despite a lot of back-and-forth, negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union and city negotiators appear to be deadlocked. An update on day nine of the strike from CTU headquarters.

The Chicago Teachers Union strike has surpassed its 2012 work stoppage in terms of missed school days. An update on negotiations from Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union leaders.

Tens of thousands of protesters rallied and marched on city streets outside City Hall on Wednesday morning as Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivered her first budget address.

There is still no deal between the city and the Chicago Teachers Union, and the strike is raising specific concerns for some high school seniors. Meanwhile, a former teacher-turned-presidential hopeful rallied with the CTU on Tuesday morning.

As teachers hit the picket lines for the second day, the city called on Chicago Teachers Union leaders to spend more time at the negotiating table in order to reach a deal. 

Time is running out for Chicago Public Schools to reach a deal with the Chicago Teachers Union on a new contract. 

Negotiators took a break from the bargaining table Monday as thousands of teachers and school staff rallied in hopes of securing what they called a “fair contract.” 

After another day of bargaining, negotiators for Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union appear no closer to averting a planned Oct. 17 teachers strike.

The Chicago Teachers Union has set a strike date of Oct. 17, but the deadline for the city to come to a deal with the 25,000-member union may be sooner.