We see the headlines about the new Title IX Office in CPS. The background checks. The handful of firings. But it’s harder to see what changes in culture are happening to stop sexual assault in schools. Back in the summer, I talked with experts about what CPS is doing to protect students. Today, I want to talk about what I’m…
Author: Maureen Kelleher
Enyia and Preckwinkle Slay at Mayoral Forum
If you want to know what happened at the Chicago mayoral candidate forum last night, sponsored by a raft of progressive organizations and held at the Chicago Teachers Union offices, you can read the Tweets and even watch the Facebook Live. But if you want to know how the candidates came across to this taxpayer, homeowner and mom of a…
Future Kindergarten Parents, Get Your Child’s CPS ID Now!
Attention next year’s kindergarten parents: if you’re applying to CPS schools beyond your neighborhood, you must request an ID for your child with this form. Forms are due December 2. If you miss the deadline, you’ll need a paper form to complete your GoCPS application. Because the wheels of central office grind slowly, they need two weeks to get you…
It’s Hard to Leave the School You Love, But Sometimes It’s Necessary
I’m a parent and a person who watches schools for a living. This guarantees I’m a fussy school-shopper. In kindergarten, we tried three schools in five months before settling down at dual-language Namaste Charter School. I thought Antonia had found a home to last. Unfortunately, I was wrong. After starting the year at Namaste, with Halloween and Dia de los…
At Tarkington Elementary, Kids Do Science Right
At Tarkington Elementary on the Southwest Side, kids are talking science and doing science. Sadly, that’s news. As a mom, I can say my own 4th-grade daughter hasn’t done enough real science in her elementary school years. And study after study shows she’s not alone. What’s different at Tarkington? Teachers, supported by their principal, have made science a priority. They…
Christopher House Breaks Ground on Innovative Middle School
As a toddler, Camilla Ruelas had a life-saving liver transplant. She’s now a sixth-grader at Christopher House Charter School, with her sights set on college at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and later, medical school. “I hope to learn more about the human body and anatomy to become a doctor someday,” and perform those lifesaving transplants herself, she told a…
The Buzz: Charter Teachers Vote to Authorize Strikes; New Leadership at Ogden-Jenner
It’s been a big week for school news in Chicago, starting with new state report cards and new Chicago Public Schools ratings–that don’t match. A data breach that compromised 80,000 people’s personal information. But we’ll focus on two late-breaking stories: the strike authorization vote being held today by teachers at four schools within Chicago International Charter Schools, Chicago’s largest charter…
From Chicago to Connecticut, Moms Are Fighting for Equity
From Connecticut to Chicago, moms of all backgrounds are starting a conversation about educational equity. In Connecticut, mom Gwen Samuel and parents like her are fighting to open empty seats in magnet schools to Black and Brown children. One of Connecticut’s greatest challenges in creating diverse magnet schools has been building bridges to white and affluent families who have multiple…