The first day of school for Chicago Public Schools may have seemed to be a breeze, but threats of a strike still linger in the air. Here are 6 things you need to know about a possible strike: CHICAGO — With Chicago Public Schools students back in class this week, students and parents are wondering whether teachers will make it…
Author: Chicago Unheard
Activist Shaun King Speaks to Chicago’s Violence
Homicides in Chicago climbed over 500, with 13 people being killed Labor Day weekend. Many have criticized the violence in Chicago and questioned activism of citizens in the Windy City and their work to make violence cease. Activist Shaun King and editor for the NY Daily News took to Facebook to address those who ask why Black people don’t care…
DEAR MAYOR EMANUEL: I RESIGN MY POSITION AS PRINCIPAL OF THE #1 RATED NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOL IN CHICAGO
What happens when the principal of the #1 neighborhood school in Chicago resigns? He writes a very detailed blog explaining his decision. Former principal of Blaine Elementary School, Troy LaRaviere, wrote a long explanation addressed to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Here’s what LaRaviere had to say: Dear Mayor Emanuel: In 2010 Chicago Magazine ranked Blaine Elementary School as the 16th best elementary…
The Power Of Unschooling: Why My Daughters Don’t Go To School
How does a 10-year-old Atlanta-based black girl with Jamaican parents, shoulder-length locs, and zero interest in school become deeply immersed in the studies of Finno-Ugric language groups and Eurasian migration? It started with flags. And the Internet, of course. Sage would come across an image of a flag, then search online to find its related country. Then, she’d see the…
Donald Trump, Please Come to Chicago
Donald Trump has had plenty to say about the Windy City lately, which is strange, because this is the same city that shut down his rally in March. The presidential candidate confidently said he could cure violence in Chicago in one week. He also went on to say African Americans will vote for him after the fatal shooting of Chicago…
‘Empire’ Filming Forced Teens Into Lockdown At Detention Center: Lawsuit
CHICAGO — Teens and children at a Chicago juvenile detention center were confined to their rooms and banned from family visits for days so “Empire” could film at the facility, according to a new class-action lawsuit. The Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center on the Near West Side was placed on lockdown three times last summer so “Empire,” a popular TV…
These Chicago Teachers Do NOT Want a Strike
While CPS threatens to go on strike in the upcoming weeks, these teachers are trying to regularly prepare for the 2016-17 school year despite tensions that continue to thicken. We’re waking up during the night thinking about how we’ll get to know our new kids and build a community that makes them feel safe and ready to work hard. Don’t get…
Rahm Promises Schools Will Open on Time, Dismisses CPS Strike Talk
SOUTH SHORE — Insisting Chicago Public Schools “are going to open up on time,” Mayor Rahm Emanuel dismissed strike threats Monday and defended a $250 million property-tax increase as “what’s right” to fund education. Speaking in South Shore, where he touted the completion of a district-wide air-conditioning program this school year, Emanuel assured parents the fall term would start as scheduled…