Friends of the Children Chicago shows us how to maintain relationships remotely and balance learning, while helping families deal with trauma and meet their basic needs.
Author: Maureen Kelleher
Mayor Lightfoot–And All of Us–Must Push Comcast to Make Good on Their Free Internet Promise
Comcast’s offer of free Internet doesn’t extend to families who owe them money. In other words, families in serious financial trouble can’t get Internet for their kids to keep learning. Read more to learn how to join our campaign to change this.
Where to Get School Meals During CPS Spring Break
Over spring break, 52 schools will continue to serve grab-and-go meals.
CPS Remote Learning Appears Remarkably Reasonable
Starting April 13, Chicago Public Schools will provide remote learning while schools remain closed due to the viral pandemic. Their plans for remote learning sound very reasonable given the huge challenges ahead.
CPS High School Admissions: Cut-Off Scores
Usually I hate the whole high school admissions process in Chicago Public Schools–it puts 7th-graders under undue stress and reminds us forcefully of the system’s baked-in inequity of opportunity. However, last night it was a pleasant relief to see parents on my Facebook feed celebrating their children’s high school acceptances. So, in hopes that talking about high school admissions is…
My COVID-19 Homeschool Doesn’t Look Like This, And That’s OK
A friend of mine–who, not surprisingly, is a teacher–planned this daily COVID-19 homeschool schedule for her kids. I’m impressed by her ability to develop such a well-planned daily routine. And, my days working from home with my 10-year-old in tow will never look exactly like this. Fellow COVID-19 homeschool parents, fear not if you don’t have your kids’ days planned…
What’s Happening to School Nurses Not Directly Hired by CPS? A Nurse Tells Her Story
For many years, the issue of school nurses in Chicago Public Schools has been a sore point for kids, parents and the nurses themselves. Last year, according to WBEZ, the district had only directly hired 300 school nurses, though it operates more than 500 schools. Since the mid-1990s, CPS has been contracting with private nurse staffing agencies to fill the…
High School Students: Codecademy Offers Free Scholarships Now
For a motivated high school student who wants to learn job-ready skills related to computer programming or data science, online boot camp Codecademy is offering 10,000 scholarships for high school and college students. Codecademy offers free courses all the time, but its paid Pro level comes with live help from advisers via chat. It relies more on text than on…