And that family is…mine. Regular readers here know that I made a case before the school year started for Chicago Public Schools to partner with the Chicago Park District to offer “remote-plus” learning: mostly remote at home but with opportunities for teachers and students to gather in socially distant outdoor spaces. I wanted this opportunity for my own daughter so…
Tag: Teaching During COVID-19
Expert Tips to Ease Remote Learning for Children With Disabilities
A dedicated space, a clear schedule, and good communication with your child’s teachers can go a long way to easing the pain of remote learning.
WBEZ’s Curious City Wants to Hear Your Thoughts on The New School Year
Chicago parents, teachers and students, WBEZ’s Curious City wants to hear your thoughts on the new school year!
CPS Parents Tell Kids First Chicago How to Fix Remote Learning This Year
In July 2020, Kids First Chicago spoke with 163 CPS parents about their recommendations for the upcoming school year. They included four dual-language focus groups to connect with Spanish-speaking parents. This is very important since the district and many individual schools still struggle to communicate effectively with parents who primarily speak Spanish. (Let alone parents who speak other languages!) You…
What If We Radically Reimagined the New School Year?
Monday night I sat on my back patio staring up into a rare, starry Chicago night. I squinted and made out each point of The Big Dipper and then turned to see what I decided was Mars, twinkling in the distance. My partner and I sat in city silence, wrapped in a perfect, nearly unrecognizable temperature-and-breeze blanket. For an hour…
During the Pandemic, We All Must Step Up Our Planning Game for Postsecondary Ed
In the next few years, low-income students will be faced with the choice of foregoing college for working, going to cheaper colleges with far worse student outcomes, or taking on private “bad” debt. None of these options are acceptable. Here’s how we can do better.
City Year Offers Schools A Research-Backed Guide to Plan for Next Year
Recovering from COVID-19 gives us a special chance to think creatively and collaboratively about how we catch students up academically while simultaneously supporting their social and emotional well-being. City Year near-peer mentors can play a key role in helping students recover.
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…