Sarah Karp

Reporter, Education

Sarah Karp is a reporter at WBEZ. A former reporter for Catalyst-Chicago, the Chicago Reporter and the Daily Southtown, Karp has covered education, and children and family issues for more than 15 years. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She has won five Education Writers Association awards, three Society of Professional Journalism awards and the 2005 Sidney Hillman Award. She is a native of Chicago.

Stories by Sarah Karp

- Education
Chicago Public Schools Enrollment Plummets

Like many school districts around the country, CPS sees a huge dropoff, losing nearly 15,000 students in a year defined by the pandemic.
Oct. 16 read more
- Education
CPS Wants To Resume In-Person School For Pre-K And Special Needs Students Over CTU Objections

All other students would remain remote. CPS also hopes to add more students as early as January. The teachers union calls the plan unsafe.
Updated Oct. 16 read more
- Education
CPS Is Expanding A Gold Standard Bilingual Program. But Is It Putting The Funding — And Schools — In The Right Place?

The number of dual language schools has tripled, prompting concerns about whether support for nonnative speakers is being stretched too thin.
Oct. 13 read more
- Education
Arbitrator Rules That CPS Can’t Force Clerks To Report To School Buildings

Finding “insufficient evidence” that schools “are safe and healthful,” the ruling calls into question a bid to return for in-person classes.
Updated Oct. 2 read more
- Education
Plans Brewing To Close Three West Side Schools And Replace Them With A New School

If Chicago Public Schools adopts this plan it would be the first school closing under Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Sept. 11 read more
- Race, Class & Communities
Lawmakers Break Ground On Park Honoring Pullman Sleeping Car Porters

The park on Chicago’s South Side will honor railroad workers who lived in the community and led a nationwide strike that ultimately resulted in the creation of Labor Day.
Sept. 7 read more
- Education
CPS’ Year Ahead Comes With Many Tests. Will The School District Pass?

Will all students be able to log on? Is CPS asking for too much student screen time? What will happen with the Chicago Teachers Union?
Sept. 5 read more
- Criminal Justice
1 Dead, Several Injured In Shooting At Restaurant In Morgan Park

Chicago police say the shooting occurred just before 2 p.m. Sunday. Shots were fired from a white SUV, killing a male customer who was dining outside in a tent.
Aug. 30 read more
- Criminal Justice
Police: 2 Chicago Officers, Suspect Shot During Traffic Stop

One officer was shot twice and is in serious but stable condition. The other officer was shot once in the arm.
Aug. 30 read more
- Criminal Justice
Black Lives Matter Demonstrators Hold Michigan Avenue Vigil

About 100 protesters attempted to shut down Michigan Ave. to honor gun violence victims, but police prevented them from doing so.
Aug. 29 read more