Stories by Brandis Friedman

Statewide, school districts reported more than 2,000 unfilled positions last school year, with 43 percent of those in Chicago Public Schools alone.

From neighbors to roommates: How two Chicago schools are getting ready to merge as summer break begins.

Chicago Public Schools says it’s taking a crucial step to protect students from sexual abuse by teachers and staff.

Chicago Public Schools says that by August it expects to have the results of a top-to-bottom review of its practices for handling cases of sexual misconduct. More from CPS CEO Janice Jackson.

Chicago parents should have more early learning options for their 4-year-olds starting next year. 

What the state says is needed to correct violations in Chicago Public Schools’ special education program.

A new report from the Metropolitan Planning Council makes more than two dozen recommendations to reduce the economic costs of segregation.

How a “secret” menu item at Sun Wah BBQ landed the Chicago restaurant a prestigious James Beard America’s Classics award.

Chicago Public Schools gets a $14 million grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the nonprofit started by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, pediatrician Priscilla Chan.

CPS CEO Janice Jackson talks with us about school funding and investigations into special education and school cleanliness. 

For the first time in recent years, CPS principals don’t have to wait until summer to start planning for their next school year.

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 promised equal access to the housing market for African-Americans. But 50 years later, some say the landmark legislation didn’t go far enough.

It is a moment seared in the memories of so many Americans: the day in 1968 they learned that Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated. The Rev. Jesse Jackson was there, and he shares his memories with Chicago Tonight.

A shift in how news outlets can help you “take action” on the stories they report.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart drew national attention when he appointed a psychologist to be the jail’s executive director. After almost three years on the job, Nneka Jones Tapia is moving on. 

Chicago’s former top cop is expected to formally announce plans to run for the city’s top job next week, a source says. “It’s just killing me to be on the sidelines and watching what’s happening in the city,” Garry McCarthy told us last month.

A bill that would have placed more regulations on gun dealers goes down with the stroke of a pen in Springfield.

For young immigrants protected under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, the future remains uncertain.

Overcoming heroin addiction is a Herculean task. How a local program is helping former addicts recover with medication.

Whether she’s on stage or on television, it’s hard to not notice Misty Copeland, the professional ballet dancer making history as the first black woman to be named a principal dancer for the iconic American Ballet Theatre.

A local Olympian is bringing home a medal. We look back at our visit with figure skater Bradie Tennell.

In addition to new allegations of police rape, the Chicago Police Department is facing another lawsuit related to the torture tactics of notorious former police commander Jon Burge.

Fourteen percent of Chicago Public Schools principals left their schools last year, according to a new report. The district is now expanding a new strategy to keep its strongest principals on the job.

The Winter Olympics begin in just two weeks, and at least one athlete from the Chicago area will be there. Meet a figure skater from suburban Carpentersville who’s been preparing for the games for 17 years. 

A debate over reproductive health care and a $5 million TIF grant the city recently awarded to a Catholic hospital raises questions about where medical responsibility ends and religious freedom begins.

Understanding a federal court’s decision to keep the much-debated DACA program that protects young immigrants.