Month: August 2016

BLACK LIVES MATTER, EXCEPT WHEN THEY ENROLL IN CHARTER SCHOOLS

The NAACP made news last week when it called for a moratorium on public charter schools, while a coalition of over 50 other groups called the Movement For Black Lives proposed “An End to the Privatization of Education.” In effect this would mean an end to charter schools that today serve millions of low-income children of color. In doing so these groups, one…

This Video Will Change the Way Adults Speak to Children

The Atlanta Speech School recently released a video that highlights the impact of how adults communicate with children in a school setting can positively or negatively affect a students learning process. According to a press release from the school, the video “demonstrates how small changes in adult behavior, both inside and outside of the classroom, can enhance a child’s approach and…

They Must Have Forgotten About Us… Again

A little over a week ago, CPS laid off 1,000 employees—half of those were teachers.  Today, in doing my daily Facebook rounds, I learned that there is an upcoming hiring fair in which CPS plans to hire 1,000 teachers.  What kind of game is the district playing? Additionally, there will be public hearings in which parents can come and voice…

Jabari Parker Writes Post About Gun Violence in Chicago

Jabari Parker, forward for the Milwaukee Bucks, was fortunate to escape the violence that ripples Chicago. However, his memories of living on the South side of Chicago are etched with gun shots. Parker recently penned a heartfelt blog post sharing his Chicago story. Check it out below: What kept me safest, though, was my neighborhood. Throughout Chicago there are little…

New Leo principal wants your time, cleaning supplies to help all-male school

When the freshman class arrives at Leo Catholic High School on Wednesday, it’ll be greeted by Shaka Rawls, a new principal with an impressive pedigree, beginning with a diploma of his own from Leo. The building, though, will feel far from new — shopworn and outdated and, to hear Rawls tell it, pretty dirty. “We’ve probably got 20-year-old dust in the school,”…

7 Rules for Radical Parents to Demand Great Education

My (almost) 5-year-old is super excited about September 12th.  That’s the day when she and her 3-year-old brother will start their fall schedule as homeschool students.  As we enter into another “Back to School” season, my heart is breaking for the thousands of families across Chicago that do not have that same sense of certainty about when school is going…

Because the Civil Rights Movement Wasn’t Just a March…

I’m probably going to piss some people off with this post but it’s a risk I’m willing to take because I’m here to tell you that…marches are not movements.   Selma didn’t just happen, ya know.  Fresh in people’s minds is Bloody Sunday when hundreds of civil rights activists were terrorized and brutalized by Alabama law enforcement while marching through…