Stories by WTTW News

Is Chicago on the right path in fighting its chronic high school dropout problem? Our panelists – young people, educators at challenging schools, researchers and thought leaders – answer candid questions from members of our studio audience and viewers at home in a 30-minute web-exclusive conversation.

In Chicago Tonight’s American Graduate Special, we delve deeper into the city’s dropout epidemic. Young people, educators, researchers and leaders come together as panelists and audience members. Take a look at our behind-the-scenes slideshow of the American Graduate Special.

With a high school dropout rate around 35 percent, Chicago is a city full of out-of-school teenagers. Educators, activists, reformers, and district officials have competing ideas on how to reverse this trend. Yet students’ perspectives are often missing from the conversation on dropout prevention. We talk with young people – two who left CPS without a high school diploma, and one who decided to stay in school – about their ideas to change the system.

Students who are truant in their K-8 years are much more likely to drop out of high school later down the road. Elizabeth Brackett reports on one elementary school’s hands-on approach to combat the truancy crisis.

We talk with the educators who try to keep kids from falling off the grid, one student and one day at a time.

How do you narrow the college achievement gap between low- and high-income students? A new program in Chicago schools is trying a new strategy: teaching character.

Communities across Chicago are concerned with the city’s alarming high school dropout rate. But what would a comprehensive, district-wide dropout prevention campaign actually look like? And is CPS on the right path to unraveling this problem? We evaluate the big picture with University of Chicago researcher Elaine Allensworth and alternative schools leader Jack Wuest.

A new bipartisan proposal to tackle Illinois' growing pension crisis was unveiled today. We get the latest from Springfield.

Two years ago tomorrow, Toni Preckwinkle became Cook County Board President. She joins us with a look ahead at the rest of her term.

A brand new look for some of the oldest artwork at The Art Institute. We preview newly restored classical works from ancient Greece, Rome, and the Byzantine Empire.

Some are calling it another parking meter deal. Will a plan to build electronic billboards along the expressway help or hurt taxpayers? Paris Schutz has the story.

How could Rhode Island's pension reform efforts inform Cook County's solution? The architect behind some of the country's boldest pension reform joins us.

Illinois is on the way to joining two other states in giving undocumented immigrants driver's licenses. We have the latest on what happened in Springfield.

The Illinois Senate approves a bill allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses.

The nephew of former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, has been indicted for involuntary manslaughter. We have the latest on a stunning turn of events in this homicide from 2004.

The Bears' good fortune fades in overtime, as the Seahawks stage an upset at Soldier Field. James "Big Cat" Williams gives us his take on the fourth loss of the season.

James "Big Cat" Williams shares his thoughts about the murder-suicide tragedy involving a Kansas City Chiefs linebacker, and answers some viewer questions in our web extra video.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists discuss the week's top headlines.

Joel Weisman and his panel of journalists talk about Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s announcement this week of 200 new jobs. Watch the web-exclusive conversation.

Need some ideas what to do this weekend? Chicago Tonight knows what’s going on!

Thirty-two days and counting. America is still heading toward the fiscal cliff, but will we veer off before getting there? Eddie Arruza and his guests take up how you can prepare for the worst.

We visit a treasure box of a museum in the western suburbs and find out about the immigrant who built it, one stone at a time.

We asked if you thought convicted former Congressman Mel Reynolds deserves to be voted back into Congress. We read what some of you had to say in Viewer Mail.

The Illinois Senate unanimously approved a bill to extend the deadline for Chicago Public Schools to make a list of school closings.

See how the Illinois House voted on SB 0547 in our interactive graphic.

The Illinois Senate voted unanimously to allow for an April 9 election to replace Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.