“Are there better ways to do our business?”

So asks New York State Chief Judge Jonathon Lippman, who has work within New York's court system for over forty years, 15 of them as a judge. During a recent interview with The Center for Court Innovation, Judge Lippman says the title question is what led New York to begin reforming its court system...
September 20, 2011

Community-Involved Efforts Lead to Record CPS Attendance Levels

Chicago Public Schools enjoyed a 94.7% attendance rate on the district's first day of school. The turnout this Tuesday marks a four-year high, and a jump from 92.9% last year. CPS attributes the turnout largely to coordinated efforts among the schools, community organizations, and families. One of...
September 9, 2011

Links of Interest

Judicial Elections and Judiciary Reform: Last month, the Oklahoma Judicial Ethics Advisory Panel issued an opinion with guidelines on judges and the use of social media. Immigration Court Reform: On August 17, in Chicago, the Department of Homeland Security held a public hearing on its controv...
August 26, 2011

CPS Principal Pay-for-Performance Plan Opens the Door for Community Schools

Merit pay is a notoriously tricky business. Reward short-term returns and you hang the future out to dry. Or, as we've seen in a growing number of school districts across the country, you run the risk of teachers and administrators taking shortcuts (ie, cheating) to grab the brass ring. Mayor Emman...
August 22, 2011

Links of Interest

What We Read, August 12-19, 2011   Criminal Justice Court Reform: Even conservative states are adopting lighter sentencing policies in response to unsustainable prison costs, reports the New York Times.  Matthew Iglesias questions the social, political, and economic rationale behind incr...
August 19, 2011