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First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
So, how did it go, this first week of 2008-2009? Better, worse, or about the same as last year?
For me, it was tough getting started after a couple of weeks off -- I still feel behind. But exciting to have the Meeks drama to go along with the CTU feuding. And I've got reasonably high hopes for the year ahead. (Or at least I hope not to mess things up too much.)
How about you? Any high (or low) lights to share?
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Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 1:05 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
OMG. You all wouldn't believe how great an experience it is - for your child and your self - to have your child with special needs finally placed in the appropriate setting, with skilled teachers and pros. What a year this will be!!!
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 3:16 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
I had an amazing week. My students were rarin' to go and were ready to be challenged. I blew stuff up, set things on fire and asked my students what happened. Guess what??? They had great answers. I'm spending the weekend looking at a diagnostic test my colleague and I designed so that we know how to tailor our content to reach each student. I'm am so geeked about the new school year!!!
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 3:50 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Found this in Chicago Parent today:
Special Education Rights Workshop for Parents and Professionals (Chicago)
Roosevelt University
Parents of children with disabilities and their professional helpers can learn how key federal laws protect their educational rights at a workshop from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 6 at Roosevelt University, Congress Lounge (second floor). Attorney Matt Cohen will be the featured speaker on IDEA and Rehab Act Now--A partnership for success from 9 a.m.-noon. Breakout sessions with staff from the Family Resource Center on Disabilities will follow. To register call (312) 939-3513.
Special Education Rights Workshop for Parents and Professionals (Chicago)
Roosevelt University
Parents of children with disabilities and their professional helpers can learn how key federal laws protect their educational rights at a workshop from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 6 at Roosevelt University, Congress Lounge (second floor). Attorney Matt Cohen will be the featured speaker on IDEA and Rehab Act Now--A partnership for success from 9 a.m.-noon. Breakout sessions with staff from the Family Resource Center on Disabilities will follow. To register call (312) 939-3513.
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 4:01 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Teaching junior high science first year with the cmsi curriculum I'm excited in 9 years teaching this is my first year on the front end of one of these programs, for once i'm not picking through disheveled detritus of expensive initiatives.
got three nclb kids new to the mix. One of them seems VERY needy. Lost the aide who visits to help me with the kids who can't write, that blows.
got three nclb kids new to the mix. One of them seems VERY needy. Lost the aide who visits to help me with the kids who can't write, that blows.
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 6:31 PM
.
Please read the attached letter and download and print the petition for distribution at your school, click here. For a copy of the CTU Constitution, click here.
In True Solidarity...CSDU.
In True Solidarity...CSDU.
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 6:32 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
IMPACT is not alone Grade Book is even worse.
More money down the drain.
More money down the drain.
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 8:12 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
From a parent's perspective, it couldn't have gone better. The bus service (Alltown, which I had written critically about three years ago) for Thorp has been almost perfectly on time, and everyone is cheery.
The homework (second grader) is moderate, although there should be a debate about this as policy. Who decided 30 minutes per night for second grade was OK -- and for why?
The timing of school opening couldn't have been better. Most of the school-age children around here were ready, but now it's sad for the little ones (pre, pre school) left behind.
That's all from where we are. I wish I had had more time to check in on Edison, Irving Park Middle, and the other schools in this part of town that were raped by Arne Duncan's master plans, but those stories will come in time.
We're also hearing that Arne's talking up claiming that charter schools are OK to "relieve overcrowding." In this part of town, it really might be possible to get up a petiton -- and maybe plaintiffs on a lawsuit -- agains forcing public school parents to send their kids to charters. Arne is refusing to build real public schools to relieve overcrowding and then is manipulating all those goofy talking points (e.g., Edison's closing was going to help "relieve overcrowding" on the "Northwest Side") that only fly when the media don't know their way around Chicago without GPS and are in the bag for Arne anyway.
Reality this year will be a lot more fun than last year, when everyone was blindsided from September (Marilyn Stewart's massive sellout to Mayor Daley and those rigged votes) through June (when "Turnaround" evicted 320 veteran teachers from Orr. Harper, Copernicus, Howe, Morton and Fulton).
Never again.
We'll see.
The homework (second grader) is moderate, although there should be a debate about this as policy. Who decided 30 minutes per night for second grade was OK -- and for why?
The timing of school opening couldn't have been better. Most of the school-age children around here were ready, but now it's sad for the little ones (pre, pre school) left behind.
That's all from where we are. I wish I had had more time to check in on Edison, Irving Park Middle, and the other schools in this part of town that were raped by Arne Duncan's master plans, but those stories will come in time.
We're also hearing that Arne's talking up claiming that charter schools are OK to "relieve overcrowding." In this part of town, it really might be possible to get up a petiton -- and maybe plaintiffs on a lawsuit -- agains forcing public school parents to send their kids to charters. Arne is refusing to build real public schools to relieve overcrowding and then is manipulating all those goofy talking points (e.g., Edison's closing was going to help "relieve overcrowding" on the "Northwest Side") that only fly when the media don't know their way around Chicago without GPS and are in the bag for Arne anyway.
Reality this year will be a lot more fun than last year, when everyone was blindsided from September (Marilyn Stewart's massive sellout to Mayor Daley and those rigged votes) through June (when "Turnaround" evicted 320 veteran teachers from Orr. Harper, Copernicus, Howe, Morton and Fulton).
Never again.
We'll see.
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 8:36 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
The kids are awesome. Resilent, brilliant strategists. I'm loving every minute. I'm out in the hall every minute I don't have to be making calls home. Great conversations--the freshman are really dedicated this year.
Board has still not given us position numbers to replace teachers. 20+ classrooms without a certified teacher.
Programming staff is trying hard, but the software is terrible. 66 kid classrooms. Kids with 2 lunches or no lunch. One kid whose schedule was:
Homeroom
Lunch
Dismissal
lines of 800 parents around the block. Maybe they are the New Trier kids fighting to get into our school?
Most extracurricular clubs start next week. We had our organizational meetings today. I'm psyched!
Board has still not given us position numbers to replace teachers. 20+ classrooms without a certified teacher.
Programming staff is trying hard, but the software is terrible. 66 kid classrooms. Kids with 2 lunches or no lunch. One kid whose schedule was:
Homeroom
Lunch
Dismissal
lines of 800 parents around the block. Maybe they are the New Trier kids fighting to get into our school?
Most extracurricular clubs start next week. We had our organizational meetings today. I'm psyched!
Fri Sep 5, 2008 at 8:51 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
The "new" disney II has met all of our expectations (so far). Our week was led by a cast of enthusiastic, organized, & professional teachers & staff. The principal, Bogdana Chkoumbova, is fantastic. She has a great deal to prove & seems ready for the challenge. The class sizes are small, the halls & classrooms are freshly painted with newly installed flooring, & my children are eager to attend school every day. We are new to CPS and are pleased with the experience. We are glad we took the chance on CPS & didn't go with Catholic school.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 3:17 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
"The kids are awesome. Resilent, brilliant strategists. I'm loving every minute. I'm out in the hall every minute I don't have to be making calls home. Great conversations--the freshman are really dedicated this year..." (X, yesterday).
This is another reasons why "X" and general blogger anonymity doesn't cut it.
Why "X"?
Do you really think something like you're claiming (without naming the school) would be going on at New Trier this week?
Why not name the schools and the classrooms so that the 1,000 or so children it's affecting at your school this week aren't still facing this particular kind of malpractice next week?
There is an existential reality here that teachers should figure out how to confront. Anonymous in the face of some significant injustice is a very uncool thing, no matter how many "issues" being forthright may unveil. Nobody ever got their freedom by proxy.
Everybody knows how to get in contact with us at Substance. As far as I'm concerned, "X", your school is vaporware until it gets a name and someone to list every program in the condition you claim.
And by the way: every child in each of those vaporware programs was just cheated out of one week of school (out of a maximum of 39) by Mayor Daley, Arne Duncan and Rufus Williams at a time when they were all over the news prattling about how every child should be in the classroom instead of on the bus with Rev. Meeks on September 2.
If Meeks had been closer to reality, he would have engineered an audit of every general high school in Chicago the first week (he has the power to do that, both based on the size of his congregation and on his power as a State Senator).
Instead, he ran a publicity stunt while Daley, Duncan and Williams get away with leaving thousands of kids without their regular teachers (again) into October.
This is another reasons why "X" and general blogger anonymity doesn't cut it.
Why "X"?
Do you really think something like you're claiming (without naming the school) would be going on at New Trier this week?
Why not name the schools and the classrooms so that the 1,000 or so children it's affecting at your school this week aren't still facing this particular kind of malpractice next week?
There is an existential reality here that teachers should figure out how to confront. Anonymous in the face of some significant injustice is a very uncool thing, no matter how many "issues" being forthright may unveil. Nobody ever got their freedom by proxy.
Everybody knows how to get in contact with us at Substance. As far as I'm concerned, "X", your school is vaporware until it gets a name and someone to list every program in the condition you claim.
And by the way: every child in each of those vaporware programs was just cheated out of one week of school (out of a maximum of 39) by Mayor Daley, Arne Duncan and Rufus Williams at a time when they were all over the news prattling about how every child should be in the classroom instead of on the bus with Rev. Meeks on September 2.
If Meeks had been closer to reality, he would have engineered an audit of every general high school in Chicago the first week (he has the power to do that, both based on the size of his congregation and on his power as a State Senator).
Instead, he ran a publicity stunt while Daley, Duncan and Williams get away with leaving thousands of kids without their regular teachers (again) into October.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 7:25 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
This first week went great. I am teaching juniors. The only problems that occured were with Gradebook and the new bell system. My students were ready to learn.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 7:45 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Week one of year 40
How did it go? Same old same old the kids are still in shock and the real bad kids are still not back. The school is getting so much junk tossed our way I wish parents had to give permission for their kids to be part of unproven human experiments in education.
All these wonderful untested programs sent our way so more administrators can eat off the grant. Impact is still a mess.
I would like this blog to repeated in the last week of October after fall gang recruitment
After the kids realize all the hard work they are doing hasn’t taught them anything. The
First week is not any kind of predictor.
How did it go? Same old same old the kids are still in shock and the real bad kids are still not back. The school is getting so much junk tossed our way I wish parents had to give permission for their kids to be part of unproven human experiments in education.
All these wonderful untested programs sent our way so more administrators can eat off the grant. Impact is still a mess.
I would like this blog to repeated in the last week of October after fall gang recruitment
After the kids realize all the hard work they are doing hasn’t taught them anything. The
First week is not any kind of predictor.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 9:02 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
I have ben getting the normal start of the school year special education calls. 1. The services on the IEP are not in place because positions were not opened and no one could be hired before the start of school. 2. The normal bus problems. 3. Regional special ed staff are overwhelmed and can not get on top of the many problems each school in their cluster is faced with. So they in some cases delay returning phone calls to principals and families. To tell the truth I did not return several calls from Friday yet and I do not face anywhere near the volume OSS staff are facing.
While this all seems very normal to me, because I have seen it year after year, it is very upsetting to families because it is after all their child. I know some parents even get mad at me, because I guess they want me to go out and file an imediate complaint on behalf of their child which I will generally not do the first month of school. It is not right, but it is the unfortunate reality of urban special education not just in Chicago, but in NYC and LA too.
I noticed that several magnet school families posted about their schools. Have any of these parents heard rummors over long term plans to totally eliminate busing for these schools. I heard President Williams on Fox News Sunday about three weeks ago talk about the CPS reducing busing in a way that "will not shock the system." My take on that statement was President Williams was talking about a phase out of non-special ed busing services.
If this does become a reality how do the families plan on dealing with elimination of busing? Are you thinking of car pooling, privately paid busing, or family based drop off and pick up? Would you pull your child from the magnet program and go back to the home school or closer private school? I am interested in how families plan on dealing with this if it happens.
By the way I am no longer sure that the much modified deseg consent decree fully requires busing to magnets for deseg purposes. Does anyone out there no the answer to that question?
Rod Estvan
Access Living
While this all seems very normal to me, because I have seen it year after year, it is very upsetting to families because it is after all their child. I know some parents even get mad at me, because I guess they want me to go out and file an imediate complaint on behalf of their child which I will generally not do the first month of school. It is not right, but it is the unfortunate reality of urban special education not just in Chicago, but in NYC and LA too.
I noticed that several magnet school families posted about their schools. Have any of these parents heard rummors over long term plans to totally eliminate busing for these schools. I heard President Williams on Fox News Sunday about three weeks ago talk about the CPS reducing busing in a way that "will not shock the system." My take on that statement was President Williams was talking about a phase out of non-special ed busing services.
If this does become a reality how do the families plan on dealing with elimination of busing? Are you thinking of car pooling, privately paid busing, or family based drop off and pick up? Would you pull your child from the magnet program and go back to the home school or closer private school? I am interested in how families plan on dealing with this if it happens.
By the way I am no longer sure that the much modified deseg consent decree fully requires busing to magnets for deseg purposes. Does anyone out there no the answer to that question?
Rod Estvan
Access Living
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 10:01 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
I am usually right with George, but I must respond to "Do you really think something like you're claiming (without naming the school) would be going on at New Trier this week?"
The answer is clearly NO, but it has nothing to do with CPS staff, software or procedures. I am a programmer in a Southside High school. Last spring myself and the counselor chair personally called every student projected into our school, mailed letters, visited elementary schools, etc. At the start of summer, we had managed to get less than 1/2 of them to come to the school to register and pick classes. We mailed more letters, and mailed more phone calls over the summer. They did not come to freshman connection, they did not come to any part of a weeklong orientation.
Yet they did come on the first day of school. Over 100 families. And they waited. And they complained - to my face...about how incompetent I was and this is why Meeks went to New Trier, and so on. Never once did any of these families recognize the part they played in this situation. We begged them to come in all summer. We were here, ready to register them. THEY DIDN'T COME!!!! Please, place blame where blame lies!!!!!
The answer is clearly NO, but it has nothing to do with CPS staff, software or procedures. I am a programmer in a Southside High school. Last spring myself and the counselor chair personally called every student projected into our school, mailed letters, visited elementary schools, etc. At the start of summer, we had managed to get less than 1/2 of them to come to the school to register and pick classes. We mailed more letters, and mailed more phone calls over the summer. They did not come to freshman connection, they did not come to any part of a weeklong orientation.
Yet they did come on the first day of school. Over 100 families. And they waited. And they complained - to my face...about how incompetent I was and this is why Meeks went to New Trier, and so on. Never once did any of these families recognize the part they played in this situation. We begged them to come in all summer. We were here, ready to register them. THEY DIDN'T COME!!!! Please, place blame where blame lies!!!!!
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 1:42 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
The new gradebook application is fantastic. It is integrated with the student management software so your rosters are preloaded. It automatically updates so the kids and parents can see their grades immediately. You can finally access your student information and attendance from home. The features are very robust. After the debacle that was Impact last year, it is nice to see something that is designed well and actually works.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 2:17 PM
To: Ron Estvan First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Ron,
My children attend disney magnet II & we were told from the get-go that there would be no budget for busing. The principal stressed that families who required busing services should probably not apply to the school. My family can easily take a city bus, carpool, or drive on our own so it wasn't an issue for us, fortunately.
My children attend disney magnet II & we were told from the get-go that there would be no budget for busing. The principal stressed that families who required busing services should probably not apply to the school. My family can easily take a city bus, carpool, or drive on our own so it wasn't an issue for us, fortunately.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 2:29 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
I'm a parent who followed the first steps to be able to access gradebook but I have not received a pin number for my two children to complete the process. Does anyone know how long it takes to receive the pin number? I did enter my e-mail address as the means to deliver the pin number.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 3:51 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Gradebook does look like it has some nice features. I love that the rosters are preloaded and that they automatically update in real time. HOWEVER, you cannot (or at least not yet) access it from home on a Mac. And, today a friend who is a very skilled computer programmer tried for over an hour to set up access on a Windows machine and to no avail. I tried calling tech support and learned that they work very few hours outside of the ones in which teachers are teaching and commuting. We are required to use this system. We have enough work to do that we will regularly be working at home outside of the regular work day hours. And there is no support available for the system during those required hours. Plus, all the distractions that inevitably pop up during prep periods, and custodial staffs who quite understandably want to close the school buildings and get home to their families at the end of the day. So instead of helping to make things easier, this new system is just another thing I have to juggle and try to figure out how to get done. I left school yesterday with ungraded papers thinking that I would grade them and get them entered before Monday. I will of course grade them, but my Gradebook page will not be up to date as it should be on Monday morning.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 3:53 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
PeopleSoft still can't pay us correctly.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 4:25 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
My first week was horrible! I teach Kindergarten and I have 32 students and no aide. (I'm sure this number will grow) Instead of planning this weekend I'm job hunting (suburbs). CPS sets us up to fail. It is really a sad situation because everyone of my students has great potential. I'm sick to death of hearing from administration how much they care.....well, if they did they would show it!
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 4:45 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Vindication
As I have written everything about Impact is nice: When It works.
Officially we were told we must keep a paper copy of attendance.
So much for save a tree, at school our enrollment has swelled by over
400 kids since school started! I can relate to the programmer who complained
about rude parents
As I have written everything about Impact is nice: When It works.
Officially we were told we must keep a paper copy of attendance.
So much for save a tree, at school our enrollment has swelled by over
400 kids since school started! I can relate to the programmer who complained
about rude parents
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 6:48 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
A lot of schools have been using Edline for years, and a lot of teachers have been using it or similar programs on their own in schools that haven't required that they do so. Now teachers who haven't felt like doing it will have to. It's about time.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 10:07 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Last spring myself and the counselor chair personally called every student projected into our school, mailed letters, visited elementary schools, etc. At the start of summer, we had managed to get less than 1/2 of them to come to the school to register and pick classes. We mailed more letters, and mailed more phone calls over the summer. They did not come to freshman connection, they did not come to any part of a weeklong orientation.
Kudos to you and your counselor. I taught summer school at a west side high school and permission slips came around for Freshman connection the day it started ("Return this by ___ at Noon" ... '___' being the day they received the form). None of the 50 kids in my 2 classes coming from probably 8 different elementary schools had received any info about Freshman connection until that point. So I guess better late than never for the summer school kids, but the kids who didn't go to summer school didn't receive it at all.
Kudos to you and your counselor. I taught summer school at a west side high school and permission slips came around for Freshman connection the day it started ("Return this by ___ at Noon" ... '___' being the day they received the form). None of the 50 kids in my 2 classes coming from probably 8 different elementary schools had received any info about Freshman connection until that point. So I guess better late than never for the summer school kids, but the kids who didn't go to summer school didn't receive it at all.
Sat Sep 6, 2008 at 10:10 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
HOWEVER, you cannot (or at least not yet) access it from home on a Mac. And, today a friend who is a very skilled computer programmer tried for over an hour to set up access on a Windows machine and to no avail.
Witholding, I'm not sure about Mac set up, but for the PC you need to download some security plugins (it only works with Internet Explorer)... go to connect.cps.edu and it'll walk you through the installations. Once your security stuff is set up, you just log in using your regular network user name and password and you can get into Impact, Gradebook, etc. from home.
Witholding, I'm not sure about Mac set up, but for the PC you need to download some security plugins (it only works with Internet Explorer)... go to connect.cps.edu and it'll walk you through the installations. Once your security stuff is set up, you just log in using your regular network user name and password and you can get into Impact, Gradebook, etc. from home.
Sun Sep 7, 2008 at 3:49 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Impact gradebook seems to work in certain districts. I realized that something is wrong with cps programming, when I was a coordinator for SES after school programs. The system crashed a lot, we were constantly threatened if we did'nt meet deadlines, accused of sabotaging the forms, and it was extremely confusing. Again people soft was another programming nightmare. On a larger scale, I wonder why we can't have electonic voting cards, so a registered voter can vote anywhere in the city? Most public schools have voters booths yet we have to vote near home.
Sun Sep 7, 2008 at 4:21 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
"...Yet they did come on the first day of school. Over 100 families. And they waited. And they complained - to my face...about how incompetent I was and this is why Meeks went to New Trier, and so on. Never once did any of these families recognize the part they played in this situation. We begged them to come in all summer. We were here, ready to register them. THEY DIDN'T COME!!!! Please, place blame where blame lies!!!!!..." (Reply to George, yesterday).
My point had nothing to do with how hard everyone at your school works. If you're in a general high school, between now and Halloween you're going to face these messes, and we both know how and why. The main "why" is that public schools take the people who live nearby. Everybody else gets to pick and choose.
The wave of parents who came in last week to register their kids (and who were rude as hell) are nothing compared to the wave of kids who will be arriving after October 1 in most schools. These are the ones who settle into the last row of the classroom, and whom everybody (except the teacher) seems to know already. Their goal isn't to learn the subject, but to control the classroom and the school.
The difference for the past ten years has been that when test scores for the school remain "low", the teacher bashing agenda of the corporate school reform crowd says Arne Duncan is a hero for firing all the teachers in your building and pouring millions of dollars into corporate crap like "Turnaround."
There is nothing any person in the school can do about that situation once the rules of the game have been written to screw (and privatize) the public schools using these rigged games.
Here is a list:
Austin High School
Calumet High School.
Collins High School.
Englewood High School.
Harper High School.
Orr High School.
Every single one of those schools -- and the more than 500 teachers who were slandered by Arne Duncan, Mayor Daley, and corporate Chicago -- has been the victim of a corporate "school reform" agenda that is in truth an attack on public schools.
Why not take a close look at how to document what you are seeing at your school in real time -- not anonymously, but first name, last name, out front -- now. I'm putting out another newspaper in three weeks, and I'll run pictures on Page One of every parent screaming in every office, every overcrowded classroom, and every sabotaged gimmick (at a cost of millions) shoved in your face by Arne Duncan and his corporate paymasters.
Why wait until January, when they announced their latest hit lists?
And why "Reply to George" instead of a real person with a real name?
My point had nothing to do with how hard everyone at your school works. If you're in a general high school, between now and Halloween you're going to face these messes, and we both know how and why. The main "why" is that public schools take the people who live nearby. Everybody else gets to pick and choose.
The wave of parents who came in last week to register their kids (and who were rude as hell) are nothing compared to the wave of kids who will be arriving after October 1 in most schools. These are the ones who settle into the last row of the classroom, and whom everybody (except the teacher) seems to know already. Their goal isn't to learn the subject, but to control the classroom and the school.
The difference for the past ten years has been that when test scores for the school remain "low", the teacher bashing agenda of the corporate school reform crowd says Arne Duncan is a hero for firing all the teachers in your building and pouring millions of dollars into corporate crap like "Turnaround."
There is nothing any person in the school can do about that situation once the rules of the game have been written to screw (and privatize) the public schools using these rigged games.
Here is a list:
Austin High School
Calumet High School.
Collins High School.
Englewood High School.
Harper High School.
Orr High School.
Every single one of those schools -- and the more than 500 teachers who were slandered by Arne Duncan, Mayor Daley, and corporate Chicago -- has been the victim of a corporate "school reform" agenda that is in truth an attack on public schools.
Why not take a close look at how to document what you are seeing at your school in real time -- not anonymously, but first name, last name, out front -- now. I'm putting out another newspaper in three weeks, and I'll run pictures on Page One of every parent screaming in every office, every overcrowded classroom, and every sabotaged gimmick (at a cost of millions) shoved in your face by Arne Duncan and his corporate paymasters.
Why wait until January, when they announced their latest hit lists?
And why "Reply to George" instead of a real person with a real name?
Sun Sep 7, 2008 at 8:11 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Schools on the hit list, Bowen High School and South Shore High School!
Sun Sep 7, 2008 at 8:21 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Of course South Shore is on the hit list. They are getting ready to break ground on a new building. It would be pretty surprising if CPS allowed the current structure of four small schools move into the new space.
Sun Sep 7, 2008 at 8:29 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
The "New" South Shore High School will only hold 1200 students. The four small schools at South Shore Campus have from 1800 to 1900 students. It will be one school, one principal at the "New" South Shore High School. P.S.- Everyone there will lose their jobs (except the engineers) when this happens!
Mon Sep 8, 2008 at 5:52 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
How come only George is allowed to libel people?
Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 1:57 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
No sooner had I spoken about how the busing for Thorp went well (and continues to do so) than I got home and heard that a neighbor whose daughter is going to the "New Edison" (the one over in Albany Park) is facing busing nightmares. It's just a head shaker that this isn't "news" -- but then the rape of Edison by Arne and Co. last February really didn't get much coverage either (except for the Reader and Substance).
We have "overcrowding" at elementary schools on the "Northwest Side" -- but not necessarily the way Arne portrayed it (dishonestly) during the hyperventilating that led to the Edison tragedy from February to now. At best, the closing of Edison up there in the "sliver" (west of Harlem; north of the Kennedy Expressway) relieved some overcrowding at Ebinger. But the demographic details are murky, at best (dishonest at worst).
Of course, Edison was one of 18 schools screwed or screwed up by Arne Duncan (and the Renaissance 2010 monster) last winter. It would be good to be hearing from the other 17, but maybe those thousands of people (the 320 teachers axed from the six "turnaround" schools plus all of the teachers, students and parents at the other dozen schools that were subjected to these bizarre changes) are too off balance this week to be able to document just how much the Duncan administration messed up their families' lives and especially their childrens'.
What happened to the Gladstone children?
Was Von Humboldt ready for the Duprey kids?
How are the De La Cruz children doing at Whittier?
How many people suffered at Irving Park Middle so that one of the wealthiest place on the North Side could have its own private public school ("Disney II")?
Etc.
I'll be covering as much of this at ground level as possible. Edison's a beginning, but the damage done by last year's blitzkrieg against public schools by Duncan stretches from near the border with Niles and Skokie all the way out to the edge of Dolton. Amazing that so many people can be damaged by one centralized screwup machine. And they will be doing more this year, as the planning to destroy the city's public schools continues apace on the Fifth Floor of both City Hall and 125 S. Clark St.
We have "overcrowding" at elementary schools on the "Northwest Side" -- but not necessarily the way Arne portrayed it (dishonestly) during the hyperventilating that led to the Edison tragedy from February to now. At best, the closing of Edison up there in the "sliver" (west of Harlem; north of the Kennedy Expressway) relieved some overcrowding at Ebinger. But the demographic details are murky, at best (dishonest at worst).
Of course, Edison was one of 18 schools screwed or screwed up by Arne Duncan (and the Renaissance 2010 monster) last winter. It would be good to be hearing from the other 17, but maybe those thousands of people (the 320 teachers axed from the six "turnaround" schools plus all of the teachers, students and parents at the other dozen schools that were subjected to these bizarre changes) are too off balance this week to be able to document just how much the Duncan administration messed up their families' lives and especially their childrens'.
What happened to the Gladstone children?
Was Von Humboldt ready for the Duprey kids?
How are the De La Cruz children doing at Whittier?
How many people suffered at Irving Park Middle so that one of the wealthiest place on the North Side could have its own private public school ("Disney II")?
Etc.
I'll be covering as much of this at ground level as possible. Edison's a beginning, but the damage done by last year's blitzkrieg against public schools by Duncan stretches from near the border with Niles and Skokie all the way out to the edge of Dolton. Amazing that so many people can be damaged by one centralized screwup machine. And they will be doing more this year, as the planning to destroy the city's public schools continues apace on the Fifth Floor of both City Hall and 125 S. Clark St.
Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 9:56 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Quoted from a Chicago policeman’s blog with a very unfortunate name I did not want to reprint.
“You want to know why the CPS 1st day of school attendance went up from 76% in 2000 and now to 93.17% in 2008? Sounds pretty incredible that the Chicago Public School system can raise the 1st day of school attendance so much in just a few years. Well here is their little secret. A policy that wasn't in place in 2000 but is now. Any student who did not show up for the 1st day of school was un-enrolled in the school system. The only students that were marked absent are students where the parent actually called the school informing them of a bona fide reason for the student to absent, i.e. illness, dental or medical appointments. The CPS will only re-enroll these students if and when they finally show up. It is a perfect plan to inflate the 1st day of school attendance percentage.”
Can anyone corroborate this new policy?
“You want to know why the CPS 1st day of school attendance went up from 76% in 2000 and now to 93.17% in 2008? Sounds pretty incredible that the Chicago Public School system can raise the 1st day of school attendance so much in just a few years. Well here is their little secret. A policy that wasn't in place in 2000 but is now. Any student who did not show up for the 1st day of school was un-enrolled in the school system. The only students that were marked absent are students where the parent actually called the school informing them of a bona fide reason for the student to absent, i.e. illness, dental or medical appointments. The CPS will only re-enroll these students if and when they finally show up. It is a perfect plan to inflate the 1st day of school attendance percentage.”
Can anyone corroborate this new policy?
Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 11:10 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
CPS students are not "E" in (enrolled) until they show up in the first time in division or home room.
Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 11:52 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Yes
Absolutely true about removing kids from membership if they are absent day 1
Absolutely true about removing kids from membership if they are absent day 1
Wed Sep 10, 2008 at 1:33 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Dear George,
You forgot Washington. The drowned and the saved.
You forgot Washington. The drowned and the saved.
Thu Sep 11, 2008 at 6:32 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Whittier is over-crowded now and Ruiz, the kids there are 250 plus over capacity--Arne did the dirty deed to these schools, pleaseing Ald. Solis and UNO.
Thu Sep 11, 2008 at 8:29 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
"How many people suffered at Irving Park Middle so that one of the wealthiest place on the North Side could have its own private public school ("Disney II")?"
George,
You couldn't be more wrong. The vast majority of families attending Disney II (including mine) are extremely middle class & don't live in the million dollar Old Irving Park mansions. Although, don't those families also deserve to have a good, public elementary school in their neighborhood? A new, public elementary school with involved families, enthusiastic teachers/administrators, and eager students....is that such a terrible thing?
George,
You couldn't be more wrong. The vast majority of families attending Disney II (including mine) are extremely middle class & don't live in the million dollar Old Irving Park mansions. Although, don't those families also deserve to have a good, public elementary school in their neighborhood? A new, public elementary school with involved families, enthusiastic teachers/administrators, and eager students....is that such a terrible thing?
Fri Sep 12, 2008 at 1:04 AM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
LRC -- This is just my interpretation but I don't think George is wrong, he's just approaching this from a more global perspective. In the instance of having a really good school, that's great for the kids going there and the affected neighborhood. But what is wrong is having just isolated cases where there's a very successful school in a sea of marginally functional ones. Every child deserves a good education, but it should not be at the expense of other children. We live in a society full of capital and resources (even in times like now where we're wasting it) -- making some of that available to ALL schools should be the focus. If your child is in one of those 'good' schools that's great, but that doesn't mean you should ignore 'the Big Picture' regarding school reform and our ailing educational infrastructure.
Fri Sep 12, 2008 at 1:19 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
Hi Ed,
You are absolutely right. From a "global perspective" every child of every income bracket in this city deserves a good public school they can attend. The inequities that exist are unfair. The process of finding & enrolling my children in a decent school was a ridiculous, obscene process. My children won't ever understand how lucky they were to have had parents that were willing & able to invest the time & effort in the persuit. That being said, Disney II is not an elitist school attended only by upper-class white students. It is attended by families, like mine, who were willing to go the extra mile, fill out the extra application, visit one more school, etc. Irving Park Middle School had extremely low enrollment, and you can't teach to empty desks. Opening another school in that building seems logical to me.
You are absolutely right. From a "global perspective" every child of every income bracket in this city deserves a good public school they can attend. The inequities that exist are unfair. The process of finding & enrolling my children in a decent school was a ridiculous, obscene process. My children won't ever understand how lucky they were to have had parents that were willing & able to invest the time & effort in the persuit. That being said, Disney II is not an elitist school attended only by upper-class white students. It is attended by families, like mine, who were willing to go the extra mile, fill out the extra application, visit one more school, etc. Irving Park Middle School had extremely low enrollment, and you can't teach to empty desks. Opening another school in that building seems logical to me.
Fri Sep 12, 2008 at 2:31 PM
First Week Checkin -- How Did It Go?
The policy of not counting students on membership (present) until they were physically present was true in 2000 too. In fact, I believe that policy goes back to at least the 1980s. Even if a parent calls, a teacher is not supposed to mark them present until they physically see the child.
I just finished reading the Sept. Catalyst and I am confused by one thing. I have been requesting testing for my child for two years and keep being given the run-around. The latest is that she has to go through 5 to 6 weeks of RTI--the Catalyst seems to be saying this isn't true and I would like to take some specific information back to the school as to why they are wrong. Can you help?
I just finished reading the Sept. Catalyst and I am confused by one thing. I have been requesting testing for my child for two years and keep being given the run-around. The latest is that she has to go through 5 to 6 weeks of RTI--the Catalyst seems to be saying this isn't true and I would like to take some specific information back to the school as to why they are wrong. Can you help?
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