In this project, the Center for Teaching and Learning trains students from ten high schools across the state as "technology assistants" who then provide support for the technology infrastructure in their local schools.  The students provide basic maintenance on school computers and also become familiar with appropriate educational software.  They are also mentors to other students who request help in using computer and Internet resources as part of their learning activities. 

Chicago Area Alternative Education League (CAAEL) works with Severe Behavior/Emotional Disordered (SBD/SED) students, providing them with athletic and academic competitions as a therapeutic tool to increase students' self-esteem, school attendance, grades and graduation rates.  These students have traditionally been alternative school students who have been excluded from regular schools for non-compliance, extreme aggression and/or violence.  The "On Campus" Academic Challenge program is offering these athletic and academic activities within regular school buildings, so as to intervene with these high-risk SBD/SED students before inappropriate behavior causes them to be transferred to an alternative school.

This program is a collaborative effort which supports Mayor Richard Daley’s citywide effort to bring gardens, green space and corresponding educational programs to students of schools in some of Chicago’s most underserved neighborhoods.  The initiative will reach nearly 100 schools and thousands of students who will be creating school gardens to be used as living laboratories for teaching in all science areas as well as supporting teaching in other content areas.  Through the School Garden Initiative, participating children, many of whom have little or no access to any type of green space, will discover the joys of plants and gardening.

TAKEOFF! Teach & Learn with Technology helps urban public schools make good use of the considerable investment in technology being made by federal/state/local governments and corporations.  They provide training and support (both technical, and most importantly, in curriculum development) to assist educators as they learn how to strengthen the curriculum with these technological resources.  They seek to bridge the gap between the technology provided, and the educators�Eability to make good use of it to help at-risk students learn.  As computers become available, teachers must learn how to use them, and more importantly, how to teach with them.

In collaboration with the Westside Arts Learning Center and Chicago West Side public and private schools, the Chicago Opera Theater will produce, direct, and present a professional participatory one-hour opera called "Noah's Flood," written by Benjamin Britten.  Participating schools will incorporate the opera into their curriculum, utilizing opera/musical theater as a teaching tool.  For instance, designing and building sets and costumes will utilize math skills, eye/hand coordination, and creativity.  Parents and community members will also become involved, assisting and supervising children, working as crew members, etc.  The project will culminate in five to ten performances for the community.

  Since 1984, the Tutoring to Education for Aims and Motivation, or TEAM, program has assisted over 300 high-risk youth to graduate from high school and continue their post-secondary education.  In 1996, Erie unveiled its Technology Center and made it available for TEAM students.  The Technology Center will be improved to offer students the opportunity to complete research projects, maintain e-mail accounts, utilize common business application software, and take ACT/SAT review tests via computer.  TEAM used the $5,000 from the JCCC Foundation to increase and update necessary software.

The After School Program was created to foster in-depth science learning beyond the classroom.  It goes beyond a simple field trip to transform the Conservatory and the park into a living classroom where anything may be studied, from the biomes of the earth to the pollination of flowers.  The After School Program provides teachers and students with a six-week course of weekly 1 1/2 hour hands-on classes in plant science, ecology and environmental technology as well as a tour of the Conservatory.

This project provides Hanson Park math teachers and their students with modern calculators and teaches them the skills necessary to use these calculators to perform “Worthwhile Mathematical Tasks," as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics calls activities that encourage high level math thinking.  The goal of the Worthwhile Mathematical Tasks project is to overcome the long standing mathematical computational deficiencies of Hanson Park Elementary School’s low socio-economic, mostly Hispanic population.

In 1996, The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago began an educational outreach program to establish dance clubs in Chicago public middle schools.  The goals are to introduce children to and cultivate their lifelong appreciation of dance through the establishment of a "dance club" at their school.  At the dance club, held either during or after school, the children are taught about dance through classes and demonstrations.  The climax of the program is a two week intensive program whereby students learn and then perform a ballet for students at other schools.  The JBC also works with school faculty members to teach them about dance and to help them keep the dance clubs going after this 18 month program is finished.

  Schools need to help parents in their role as the child's "first teacher" by providing them with the parental skills and knowledge that will enable them to make the best decisions to enhance their child's educational opportunities.    In this project, parents of students in the district take a three-hour course a once a week for eight weeks to learn teaching skills.  Courses will include: Parents As Reading Partners, Individual Needs of Children, Conflict Resolution Skills, Physically Fit Kids, and Building a "Home".

This innovative collaborative network, involving Ariel Community Academy, Price Elementary School, and Sullivan Elementary School, explores and creates a social and experiential curriculum, by incorporating use of the Kohl Museum as a resource, that reflects the multiple intelligences and learning styles of children.  Teachers, parents, community members, administrators and Kohl staff work together to restructure the school day to give teachers time to plan and implement the curriculum, and explore ways to support and enhance the education of the students.

District 203, whose students represent 40 different ethnic or national groups and speak 38 different languages, has set a goal to include more diversity projects into the curriculum.  The Ceramic Quilt project involved art students in creating a ceramic art work to be attached to a building in downtown Naperville as part of the community’s Century Walk.  While working with Faith Ringgold, a famous painter and quilter, the students shared in Faith’s knowledge and understanding of many different cultures.  The students then researched the history of the diverse cultures in Naperville and created the Ceramic Quilt.

In 1993, The Nature Conservancy created Mighty Acorns as a way to introduce children from urban communities to natural areas in a way that fosters a personal connection to nature and encourages environmental citizenship.  Parents, community volunteers and teachers lead groups of six students (grades three through nine) in the exploration of natural areas near their schools.  While the children learn about the environment, they also make valuable contributions to the restoration of natural areas through active stewardship.  Teachers incorporate the field trip experience into classroom projects in art, science and English.  Currently, 2,500 students and 400 parents and volunteers participate.

SS. Cyril and Methodius School has implemented an innovative technology program by creating a computer lab with 36 Internet-ready computers and placing 27 other computers throughout the school.  All these computers have video-conferencing capabilities that link SS. Cyril and Methodius classrooms with others around the country.  Using the computers, teachers are also integrating a curriculum that develops the technology skills necessary for the 21st century work place. 

The goal of the Saturday Academy is to provide academic enrichment to 60 to 80 students, ages 7 to 17-years-old, and help them develop academically, socially, and culturally.  The program consists of activities/modules in science, math, multi-cultural history with an African-American focus, and communications.  Students come from local schools and the teachers are professional educators from Vernon Park’s church congregation and from Columbia College.

The project established writing/publishing centers at each of five middle schools in Waukegan.  These centers are open to teachers and classes during the school day.  The district provides stipends for adult mentors to be available during after school hours to provide guidance for students in writing manuscripts and/or producing finishing products via the computer and use of binding materials.  Students are encouraged to display manuscripts in the school library as well as submit manuscripts to the Illinois Young Authors Program.  This project provides a positive avenue for students after school and encourages abilities not always readily recognized.