City|Digital Daily|Education | Chicago Defender

Michelle Obama’s Girls Opportunity Alliance Provides $500,000 in Support to Chicago Girl-Serving Organizations Around Back-to-School

Site Editor - September 12, 2025

As students across the city go back to school, former First Lady and Founder of The Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance, Michelle Obama, announced...

Chicago Public Schools Lays Off Over 1,400 Staff, Including More Than 400 Teachers

The Chicago Defender - July 11, 2025

Chicago Public Schools is laying off more than 1,400 school employees ahead of the upcoming academic year, including 432 teachers and 677 special education...

CPS Interim CEO Dr. Macquline King Focuses on Budget, Reopening Schools—and Navigating Tough Choices

Tacuma Roeback, Managing Editor - July 11, 2025

CPS Interim CEO Dr. Macquline King (Photo Credit: Chicago Public Schools). Almost two weeks into the job, Dr. Macquline King is drawing on lived experience...

South Side Teacher Honored with $10K Award for Transformative Impact in the Classroom

Tacuma Roeback, Managing Editor - July 6, 2025

Titus Redmond (L), a longtime educator at Leo Catholic High School, received Big Shoulders Fund’s $10,000 Impact Educator of the Year Award (Photo Provided). A...

Boys & Girls Clubs of America Midwest Youth of the Year Celebration Honors Future Leaders and Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Marshelle Sanders - July 1, 2025

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America Midwest Youth of the Year Celebration spotlighted young achievers like Devez D. and Brianna C., and honored...

UNCF Raises More Than $1 Million at its “A Mind Is…” Gala

The Chicago Defender - June 20, 2025

The United Negro College Fund's 25th annual “A Mind Is…” Gala in Chicago raised over $1 million to support scholarships for students. The event...

Meet Cordell Shelby: CPS Grad and Future City Laborer Inspired by His Mom’s Legacy

Tacuma Roeback, Managing Editor - June 12, 2025

Cordell Shelby, a King College Prep graduate and Chicago Builds participant, turns his hands-on skills and South Side upbringing into a career with the...

CTU Members Approve New Contract with Raises, Smaller Classes, and More Support Staff

Tacuma Roeback, Managing Editor - April 15, 2025

Stacy Davis Gates (Photo: Facebook). For the first time in over a decade, the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools have reached a...

Chicago Teachers Union Approves Tentative Contract with CPS, Full Member Vote Next Week

The Chicago Defender - April 3, 2025

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates with fellow union members (Photo Courtesy of the Chicago Teachers Union). The Chicago Teachers Union’s House of Delegates...

CPS, CTU Reach Tentative Deal That Includes Teacher Raises, Smaller Class Sizes, and More Prep Time—Avoiding a Strike

The Chicago Defender - April 1, 2025

Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract that, if ratified, would deliver the...