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.
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…
Let’s Worry Less About What Students Aren’t Learning and Rely More on Their Communities’ Assets
Planning for next school year could be an opportunity to rebuild trust between school districts and families. Let’s lay the groundwork for an educational model that is finally worthy of the communities we serve.
I’m a Teacher Who Wants Cops Out of Schools, And Don’t Bother Asking If I Was Assaulted by A Student
The current push to remove police from schools hits a nerve among some people, even some of my fellow teachers. When I talk about it, I am frequently asked, “Well, have you ever been assaulted by a student?” Yes, I have, and that’s not the point. Usually, asking the question is a sign of white fragility and defensiveness. Here’s why.…
Back of the Yards Youth Say “Black Lives Matter”
As the next generation of adults, we know that change starts with us.
A CPS Mom Explains How the CPD Got Into CPS and How to Get Cops Out of Schools
Over the weekend there were marches advocating for the removal of police from Chicago Public Schools. I think a few things are important to understand about how we got here. Although there were sporadic instances of Chicago police involvement with Chicago Public Schools, the first formal relationship between CPS and the Chicago Police Department began in 1966, when off-duty cops…
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…
For Our Children’s Sake, We Must Not Grow Weary in Doing the Work of Anti-Racism
I am finding it difficult to get through most days without crying, without feeling like water is rising above my head, without feeling a great sense of despair. I feel a heaviness in my chest. Watching 400 years of abuse, injustice, and systemic racism play out in history and in the news has proven to be too much for many…