I applaud teacher unions for speaking out against abusive police officers in schools, but I hope they will go a step further and consider how their own policies make it hard for every child to have the great teacher they deserve.
Author: Maureen Kelleher
If We Can’t Trust CPS to Take Parents Seriously, How Can Parents Trust Them With Kids Next Year?
Like every other parent in the Chicago Public Schools, I’m trying to wrap my head around what next school year might look like, both for everybody and for my own family in particular. So far, the struggle has produced more questions than answers. We don’t know much yet about how CPS will handle next school year. Late last week the…
A CPS Alum Shares His Experience at Last Night’s Protests
Editor’s Note: Chris Brown is an alum of Harlan High School, an Englewood resident, a photographer, and a member of the #LetUsBreathe Collective. He attended last night’s march from Lincoln Park to the Juvenile Detention Center. A sister march started at the Chicago Public Schools offices (former Coleman Elementary) at 47th and Dearborn and ended at Chicago Police Headquarters, 35th…
Nothing Stops Mothers Against Senseless Killings from Helping Kids Learn
One year ago, Mothers Against Senseless Killings was telling Block Club Chicago about their plans to open a community school on the corner of 75th and Stewart in the Gresham neighborhood. At the time, the plan was to run after-school programs for school-age children as well as GED and job training for older teens and adults who had not finished…
Wondering How Noble Schools Are Handling Pandemic Learning? Head of School Ellen Metz Tells All
Ellen Metz, Head of Schools for the Noble Network of Charter Schools, offers creative ideas for facilities, technology and transportation so that students can have the best experience possible next school year and beyond.
Teacher Appreciation, Chicago Style!
This week, my colleague Tanesha Peeples and I want to take a moment to shout-out a handful of the many Chicago teachers we know who are working their hearts out for students every day. Take Jessica Fong, preK teacher at Velma Thomas Early Childhood Center. When schools closed due to COVID-19, half of her preK students and families began taking…
Stay Home, Hit Play and Take a Field Trip with Mayor Lightfoot
A new WTTW online and TV series takes viewers behind the scenes of Chicago’s iconic museums and cultural institutions.
Preschoolers Have the Least Access to Remote Learning
For years, most discussion of tech and young children’s learning has focused on whether screens are appropriate at all for preschoolers. But the pandemic and remote learning are forcing us to think differently about how electronic devices can help the youngest learners. I’m fortunate to know a local leader in creative use of technology with preschoolers. My friend Jessica Fong,…