Chicago Public Schools reviews

The classrooms can be extremely overcrowded. Over-crowding can result in discipline problems. Also, teachers often do not have ready access to their contracts at the start of every school year, so they work without knowing when their contracts are being violated. There is a strong focus on raising test scores, to the point that innovation by new teachers can sometimes be discouraged. Current teaching theories are sometimes ignored. Probationary teachers and tenured teachers are sometimes judged by very different standards. Also, Chicago in the winter can be quite dismal, especially on days when you have to shovel your car out from under a snowdrift.

If you have an advanced degree that you earned before becoming a teacher it is difficult to get a job if you are not tenured. Other companies and organizations respect and award education and skills in their profession. CPS just looks at the bottom line. It is difficult to make a difference in a school if you are being released because your salary is too high (because of advanced degrees, extra professional development hours, lane credits). Many of the teachers are uncomfortable and unaccustomed to advanced technology and rely on old methods to reach children. This is a disservice to the children because they need these skills in college.