Enough is enough. I’m kicking off 2020 with less talk and more action. I need all concerned Chicagoans on deck at the Our Kids Can’t Wait: Education Town Hall on February 25. Our Black and Brown students are in crisis, and the only way we’ll make real progress is if the whole community unifies and puts pressure on our leaders…
Fired Up About School Performance Ratings? Take This CPS Survey
This week Chicago Unheard has focused in on equity and opportunity in Chicago Public Schools. Today is your chance to take some action and urge the district to move in the direction of opportunity and equity when it comes to school performance ratings. One way the district tries to help parents get a feel for the quality of schools and…
Hey Chicago, Let’s Stop Cheating Our Kids out of Educational Opportunity
The roots of so-called achievement gaps lie in lack of access to opportunity for disadvantaged kids. Chicago must continue to create opportunity for every child in every school, starting with access to science, social studies and the arts.
White People: Here’s Why Moving to a “Good School” in a “Good Neighborhood” Is Racist
Many White folks, especially northern white liberals who voted for Obama, would argue they are not racist, even while they actively cause harm to Black folks by their racist actions. Since so many people don’t know what racism is or how they are racist, here are three racist things that northern White liberals do: Engage in “White flight”—when poor Black…
Dr. King Would Have Shined a Light on the Shame of ‘Progressive’ Cities. So Should We.
On the day that the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was taken in 1968 he had become increasingly focused on the least of these, the poor, people suffering in the margins, families left behind as the country’s economic prosperity boomed and the U.S. found it easy to fund its war machine. Today we will once again honor Dr.…
LEARN Charter Internships Boosted This Alumna’s Career Prospects
LEARN Charter alum Taylor Stewart credits her seven years of summer internships with the organization for helping her develop vital soft skills and gain practical experience.
We Have to Get Education Right for Black Students and Families in 2020
Y’all, it’s the year 2020. There’s no reason why only 15% of Black eighth graders are reading with proficiency. There’s no excuse as to why Black kids have the lowest national averages in math. And there’s no reason why their talents should be undermined and thrown away because of the color of their skin or where they live.
Here’s Why You Want to Mentor a Young Person in Chicago
Mentoring is a rare point of connection between people who rarely share space together. When Americans show up for mentoring youth, they usually do so across lines of class and race in a way that few other activities can offer. It’s possibly one of the last remaining areas of nearly universal agreement in our left-right-black-white world. We all do better when our kids do better, right?