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School closings

As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.

Guest Column

June 25, 2012

Over the past 12 months, we have learned a lot about school discipline in Chicago. The Consortium on Chicago School Research, the U.S. Department of Education, and the students themselves have painted a very clear picture for us:

Extreme measures like suspensions, expulsions, and arrests don’t make our schools safer—and can in fact make things worse, by damaging the trusting student-teacher relationships that are the foundation for a safe learning environment.

They disproportionately impact the educational futures of our Black, Latino and special education students.

June 08, 2012

The decision by the City of Chicago to close six mental health clinics has stirred concern and anger among families, advocates, and over-stretched health care professionals in many parts of the city. Yet, as people adjust to the city’s new landscape for mental health care, Mayor Rahm Emanuel insists that the closings are not at the expense of service. He has said that he remains committed to giving more service to more people.

May 30, 2012

At preschool, Kevin finishes his drawing of a train and his teacher asks him to write his name under the drawing. Kevin draws a vertical line, then stops, forgetting what to do next. Seeing Kevin struggling, his teacher asks, “Do you need help, Kevin?” “Yes, I need help,” he replies. His teacher places an index card with Kevin’s name spelled on it in front of him. When Kevin sees it, it triggers his memory on how to write his name and he finishes the task with no further help from his teacher. 

May 14, 2012

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) recently made a critical decision that many schools systems are making around the country: to move massive amounts of student data to a more cost-effective storage system of computer servers often referred to by technology experts as the “cloud.” On its surface, the decision seems rather benign. Cost savings…check. Ease of use…check.  Streamlined services…check.

April 27, 2012

My name is Zarinah Ali and I’m writing to bring to light an ongoing issue of equity within CPS regarding admission to the district’s top selective schools. The courts threw out a 30-year-old desegregation decree which used race as a factor for maintaining racial balance in the schools. The public schools vowed to maintain balance along economic lines in place of the old decree.

April 09, 2012

In the recent series of neighborhood cultural conversations convened as part of the Chicago Cultural Plan 2012, the theme of “Ensuring K-12 Arts Education” was a dominant topic of discussion. Yet, the majority of attendees expressed their consensus regarding the dismal record of Chicago Public Schools in this area by giving it an overall grade of “D” in terms of its support of the arts for Chicago’s students. In spite of assertions made that the extended school day would result in expanded time for the arts, in reality it appears that the reverse is projected for the next school year.

April 03, 2012

There has been a lot written about Noble in the press lately including Friday’s editorial in Catalyst Chicago by Congressman Danny K. Davis. I appreciate Catalyst giving me a chance to comprehensively respond on the following points:

Noble’s discipline policy 

March 30, 2012

When I read the news that Noble Street Charter Schools profited almost $400,000 from fining its low-income students under the guise of discipline, I could hardly believe it.  When I learned that Noble suspended 51 percent of all its students, 88 percent of its African American students, and 68 percent of its students with disabilities at least once in one year, I became very concerned. 

March 29, 2012

As principals, one of our many duties is to build teacher practice as well as evaluate it. 

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