catalyst-chicago.org

Maybe it's best to simply agree that poor parents

are often manipulated and given ideological con jobs in relation to education in America. Con job number one shared by public school teachers unions, urban school districts, and market based reformers like Stand for Children is that the majority of poor inner city children can beat the odds and join the middle class if only they get a good foundational elementary school and high school education and go to college.

The best available evidence on the effects of neighborhoods on children’s educational outcomes come from the Gautreaux program in Chicago, which relocated African-American public housing residents into different parts of the metropolitan area. That program demonstrated clearly that families that moved to even slightly high income suburbs had vastly improved high school and college graduation rates when compared to those families moved simply to section 8 housing in other poor neighborhoods in the city. [Rosenbaum, James E. (1995) “Changing the Geography of Opportunity by Expanding Residential Choice: Lessons from the Gautreaux Program.” Housing Policy Debate. 6(1): 231- 270.]
The key to solving the urban educational crisis is and always has been removing families from pockets of deep poverty into higher income communities. But the problem is those communities don't want to let those poor families share the advantages their communities have, isn't that the American way after all?
Now, in writing this I am not declaring a plague on both your houses, as Shakespeare did in Romeo and Juliet . Clearly in this context, the Chicago Teachers Union with its document: The Schools Chicago Students Deserve, at least situates public education in a real world of poverty and wealth. But none the less the CTU argues that an education system of quality can be built for Chicago's poor children if only the rich are sufficiently taxed to create a funding base for progressive transformation of CPS without an underlying social transformation of Chicago's racial and economic segregation. Stand for Children seems to think if market forces are unleashed an educational miracle led by heroic financiers, young teachers fed with bonuses, and data driven principals will save these children from poverty.
But let's be clear if Stand for Children were to win all of its strategic objectives; have teachers paid on the basis of merit as determined by principals and test data, have as long of a school day as possible, have charter schools a plenty, and have all services contracted out to the lowest corporate bidders things still will not be fixed for urban education because of the foundational effects of deeply poor communities themselves. If the CTU was effectively broken these children would be worse off even in the short run due to an inevitable increase in teacher turn over and instability of schools themselves that would be subject to the unfettered forces of the market. Privatized operators would come and go, but the poor children and their families would remain constant. So while all sides do indeed use poor parents, in this situation I clearly prefer the CTU, and parents that are more sympathetic to the union than Stand for Children and their parent allies whoever those may actually be.

Rod Estvan

student cancelled studies at college after not receiving service

I am a single mother of 3, I enroled for a course at a college. Studying and being successful was my goals I set. I saved money to pay for my registration at the college. Within two weeks after I've paid my registration fees I received my collge orientation guide and one assignmen. I submitted the assignment and I never heard anything from the college. I called them since February regarding my marks and assignments. The college staff could not provide me with a valid answer as to why is my assignment not marked yet. Im May after I made more enquiries I was told that some document was not submitted I have to submit it, I did that then I start calling again to hear about the results and studiy material. But without any success, only in June I was informed after I called them that a certified copy of my id was short. I sent the id copy, then I called again and still no success. I decided to cancell the course and I want to know whether the college must refund me for the funds I have paid to them because really it is not easy to compromise by making you short on money and you pay for something which you not getting any benefit for. I was told that I have to pay a R500-00 to the college for the inconvinience I coursed them. But I did not caused them any inconvinience its them who caused that to me. It is not my fault if the college can not provide good service to their students.

college stole ur $$

Was this an online college? If so, just don't do them unless you really are familiar with how they work. If this is a regular college, be persistent and continue to talk to the different departments where you paid the money in the first place, only go up the ladder of hierarchy, like you may want to see the head of the department. Next go and talk to the presidents ofice and ask what department youb should inquire to and whome you should talk to. They will put you through to the proper person, most probably an omsbudsman (advocate) who can help direct you. Be persistent if it is a college on the ground and they refuse to help completely solve this problem and you remain mystified, it is probably not a very good school. If so chalk up yor losses and take courses at a better University or Community college. These are the best places to go. Good luck. And never give up.