School is not normal. Instruction is not normal. Student engagement is not normal. So why are we still giving grades as normal?
Tag: WBEZ
As Grown-Ups Argue Over Reopening Schools, Chicago’s Kids Lose
Chicago Public Schools students are back in school. Well, some of them are. It’s complicated, and getting messier by the minute. WBEZ Chicago has more on the fight between teachers and schools on in-person instruction: About 900 CPS staff members, including nearly 30% of teachers required to work on Monday, were absent, CPS said Monday evening. This includes staff who…
Here’s How One Chicago Family Is Trying Hybrid Learning with a Twist: Outdoor Classes
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…
L.A. Parents Sue Their District Over Remote Learning. Will Chicago Parents Follow?
Yesterday afternoon, a group of Latnix and Black parents in Los Angeles announced they have filed a lawsuit agains the Los Angeles Unified School District. The parents claim LAUSD’s remote learning plan falls short of providing students what they need to learn. You can watch the conference–and hear the heartbreaking stories the parents shared regarding inadequate support for parents and…
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!
This Week In CPS: Talking Local Education Reporting
If you’re reading this post, please join City Bureau and Chalkbeat Chicago this Thursday night at Public Newsroom 75 to talk about local education reporting. The event will be held at the Mikva Challenge offices, 200 S. Michigan, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Here are the key questions for conversation: How can journalists cover schools in a way that is…
This Week in CPS: Going Deep on Kindergarten Readiness
Today, the Illinois State Board of Education released long-awaited data on how ready the state’s children are for kindergarten in three areas: social-emotional development, math and literacy. The news is sobering: 42 percent of the state’s kindergartners were determined not to be “ready” in any of the three areas measured. Here’s how they got this information. For nearly a decade,…
Progress, Problems and Politics in the Chicago Public Schools
Last weekend, I bought a subscription to the Chicago Sun-Times, which recently instituted a paywall. I love the gritty, bare-knuckles reporting and cut-through-the-noise columnists of the self-described “Hardest-Working Paper in America.” I’m even getting home delivery. Monday morning, the paper arrived with a lengthy story on “fiascoes” in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that could become a headache for Mayor…