Catalyst: Voices of Chicago School Reform
http://www.catalyst-chicago.org

This site is the online version of the newsmagazine, _Catalyst_, an independent publication covering school reform in Chicago since 1989. It is published by the Community Renewal Society, a 114-year-old faith-based organization that works to create racially and economically just communities in metropolitan Chicago. The mission of Catalyst is to help readers understand the complex history of Chicago public schools, identify and address critical reform-related issues, and speak respectfully to all of the various participants in the public schools. The site is excellently organized, with chronological and subject indexing of back issues, a timeline of school reform developments since 1985, extensive links to other resources, its own searching tool, the Eye on Education events calendar, and an opinions section.

Chicago Public Schools
http://www.cps.edu

While this site is the general home page for the Chicago Public Schools, it emphasizes school reform. There is good information on the Children First education plan, a package of school reform initiatives designed to boost academic achievement and increase system-wide accountability. One can link to an overview of this plan from the General Information page, which links to a fact sheet on Chicago Public School statistics, as well. There is also a page with biographical information on the Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees, and a page listing the May 1997 actions of this Board.

The Consortium on Chicago School Research
http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/content/index.php

From the mission statement of the Consortium on Chicago School Research: "The Consortium on Chicago School Research was initiated in 1990 as an independent federation of Chicago area organizations that have joined together to undertake a range of research activities to assist the implementation of school reform, assess its progress over time, and more generally support school improvement in Chicago. We encourage broad access to the research agenda-setting process; the collection, analysis, and regular reporting of high quality information; and wide dissemination and public discussion of research findings."

This website helps the Consortium fulfill its mission by providing information to the public on the following: current research projects; availability and content information of Consortium publications; brief professional biographies of the organization's directors and staff; and explanations of the organization's background, audiences and stakeholders, and research capabilities. This site is an excellent source of information for anyone interested in the progress of school reform in the Chicago Public Schools.

Designs for Change: Educational Research, Advocacy, Training Organization
http://www.designsforchange.org/

Designs for Change (DFC) is a multiracial educational research and reform organization with the stated mission of serving as a catalyst for major improvements in the public schools serving the 50 largest cities in the country, particularly Chicago. DFC combines applied research and policy analysis with direct involvement and advocacy in reform.

Rationale and History of Chicago School Reform
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/envrnmnt/go/93-1hess.htm

From a NCREL Policy Brief, (Decentralization: Why, How, and Toward What Ends? Report 1, 1993), this text is excerpted and summarized from the November 1990 publication, "Chicago School Reform: What It Is and How It Came to Be," by G. Alfred Hess, Jr., Executive Director, Chicago Panel on Public School Policy and Finance.