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In Parent and Community Engagement For the 14 years of Mayor Daley’s reign over the school system, community organizations have picked their battles, mainly protesting something the School Board wanted to do to the schools in their own communities.
Now they’re trying to get together to present an ongoing united front on major issues.
Over the past 10 days, almost 700 parents, teachers, students and community activists turned out for events aimed at creating citywide movements to right what they believe is wrong with the Chicago Public Schools. One event was organized by the vocal and sometimes strident critics of the school system; the other by a generally more diplomatic group.
On Monday, almost 200 parents, community leaders and students gathered for a “seminar” on the history of school reform, delivered in part by individuals who lead the fight to develop the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988. (Having covered that history for the Chicago Sun-Times, I provided political and racial context. You can listen to an earlier speech on the same topic here. Read a Catalyst timeline of school reform here.)
The meeting’s organizers, generally the diplomats, hailed from several community organizations and the programmatic coalitions they have created with the backing of local and national foundations -- for example, the Albany Park Neighborhood Council and the Grow Your Own (teacher) and (student) VOYCE coalitions, and TARGET Area Development Corporation and the PRISE Reform coalition. Professors Charles Payne of the University of Chicago and Steve Tozier of University of Illinois at Chicago also participated.
While the School Board’s lack of support for local school councils was a theme, the group mainly sought to learn from past successes and mistakes and see whether a common agenda could be found across racial and geographic lines.
“No matter how well intended, top-down power alone will never give us the schools we want,” said Payne. “That power needs to be held in check.”
Payne suggested a few items for the agenda: Reducing the level of inter-ethnic conflict in schools and honing in on “what happens between teacher and student.”
Nine days earlier, on Jan. 10, some 500 people gathered at Malcolm X College to protest developments in the Chicago Public Schools ranging from the “militarization” of high schools (i.e. the district’s military magnet schools) to gentrification. But mainly they protested Renaissance 2010 and its school closings, displaced teachers and private school operators.
“I didn’t become a teacher so I could work for corporate America,” said Carol Reynolds, a teacher at Social Justice High School who previously worked at a charter school run by the powerful United Neighborhood Organization. She called that school “a nightmare.”
The meeting was initiated by CORE, the Caucus of Rank and File Educators, an emergent faction in the currently fractious Chicago Teachers Union. Even though CORE is critical of the union’s leadership and wants to “democratize” the union, CTU President Marilyn Stewart spoke at the event. Other organizers included PURE (Parents United for Responsible Education) and Blocks Together.
While different in tone, both groups set their sights on creating diverse coalitions. Both were distant echoes of the mass brain-storming session that the late Mayor Harold Washington called in the wake of the record-long 1987 teacher strike, which lit the fuse for the school system’s overhaul in 1988.
--Linda Lenz with Catalyst intern Daniela Bloch
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Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 6:49 AM
Community organizing heats up
I am encouraged to read about the efforts of the Chicago community - the students, parents and teacher - to work together and find a common theme for school reform and would like to suggest an idea to you.
The Whole Child Initiative, sponsored by the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) might just be what you are all looking for as a common thread and a way to bring all school and community stakeholders together. I wrote about the Whole Child initiative and Rev. Meek's efforts to gain much needed attention to educational funding on September 1, 2008, on my blog, http://2eeducator.edublogs.org/, Unexpected Gifts: Discovering and Nurturing the Strengths of Every Child.
I welcome your comments and those of your readers and would be interested in contributing what I can as an educator to your efforts to help bring about much needed educational reform to the schools in Chicago and Illinois.
The Whole Child Initiative, sponsored by the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) might just be what you are all looking for as a common thread and a way to bring all school and community stakeholders together. I wrote about the Whole Child initiative and Rev. Meek's efforts to gain much needed attention to educational funding on September 1, 2008, on my blog, http://2eeducator.edublogs.org/, Unexpected Gifts: Discovering and Nurturing the Strengths of Every Child.
I welcome your comments and those of your readers and would be interested in contributing what I can as an educator to your efforts to help bring about much needed educational reform to the schools in Chicago and Illinois.
Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 8:02 AM
Community organizing heats up
The energy around these efforts is being mirrored on a number of fronts. The question is not will the grassroots get its act together. It's "act" NEVER ends. There are always parents engaged in some struggle to wring a quality education out of a system that is uniformly underfunded and infected with hostile memes.
No, the question is can the grassroots' create the kind of alliances that destroy those memes.
Here is a light list of "bad ideas" that have gained real and destructive purchase in the hearts and minds a great deal of the public debate:
"We don't need more dollars we need to spend those dollars better." - No corporation in the world is run this way. We certainly need significantly more dollars. WASTE is NOT the problem. You have to have ENOUGH money to know what WASTE is.
"Private companies are more efficient than the public square." - This lie is evident in everything from the insane dollars that flow into private testing and "educational" companies that provide in school television, to the contracting costs for school meals, to the insanity of how our text books get created. LOOK at how well the private world is handling our financial sector and know that the same sort of foolishness has been going on in schools for a long, long time.
I could go on and on... but the bottom line is that if the grassroots can create a campaign to fix the funding and expel the privatization elements from the conversation they will be on their way to having a different and more substantial conversation about school, which is the only one we should be having... that being: "What are schools preparing kids for and how do we measure its effectiveness?"
After all every kid can't go to college and college should not be a prerequisite to living a middle class life.
May light prevail,
Don
No, the question is can the grassroots' create the kind of alliances that destroy those memes.
Here is a light list of "bad ideas" that have gained real and destructive purchase in the hearts and minds a great deal of the public debate:
"We don't need more dollars we need to spend those dollars better." - No corporation in the world is run this way. We certainly need significantly more dollars. WASTE is NOT the problem. You have to have ENOUGH money to know what WASTE is.
"Private companies are more efficient than the public square." - This lie is evident in everything from the insane dollars that flow into private testing and "educational" companies that provide in school television, to the contracting costs for school meals, to the insanity of how our text books get created. LOOK at how well the private world is handling our financial sector and know that the same sort of foolishness has been going on in schools for a long, long time.
I could go on and on... but the bottom line is that if the grassroots can create a campaign to fix the funding and expel the privatization elements from the conversation they will be on their way to having a different and more substantial conversation about school, which is the only one we should be having... that being: "What are schools preparing kids for and how do we measure its effectiveness?"
After all every kid can't go to college and college should not be a prerequisite to living a middle class life.
May light prevail,
Don
Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 9:56 AM
Community organizing heats up
Why is United Neighborhood Organization described as "powerful"? What's so "powerful" about them. They only run schools.
Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Community organizing heats up
What's interesting is that the first coalition of groups who's major event was this past Monday all have Gates funding, Gates is a large factor in the privitization of CPS schools. He funds AUSL, a turnaround provider that does not allow for LSC's to be in the schools once they are turnedaround. Even more so the PRISE coalition is funded by Gates and supports turnaround schools a story that was written by Catayst a few issues ago. There have been many issues with turnarounds and whether they are real reform because of their destructive nature of massive firings and lost of student enrollment once the school is turnedaround.
Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Community organizing heats up
I've attended three school policy luncheons since November under the theme, "Is Great Teaching Enough?" These have focused research showing that neighborhoods with high levels of of social capital have better performing schools than those without. Social capital is divided into "bonding" capital, which are activities that build relationships between people within a community, or within a school, and "bridging capital" which connects people within a neighborhood with people, resources and ideas beyond.
I lead the Tutor/Mentor Connection, which focuses on helping volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs grow in high poverty areas of the school. Those programs who have been able to recruit volunteers from a variety of different companies, and from neighborhoods beyond poverty, are connecting kids and families to opportunities and aspirations that would not be available otherwise.
One way we support the growth of such programs, and the understanding of where they are needed, is to use maps. At http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com you can see maps showing where poverty is most concentrated, and where poorly performing schools are located. Poor neighborhoods equal poor schools is pretty obvious from the maps. The maps also show locations of non-school tutor/mentor programs, and you can quickly see that some neighborhoods have few or no programs.
The maps also show assets, such as colleges, hospitals, faith groups and businesses. If community organizers use these maps, they can reach out to a broader range of stakeholders, and focus them on all of the kids in a specific part of the city, such as in a legislative district, or community area.
The maps are supported by a searchable database, and an on-line library with links to organizations such as Catalyst, so that as people come together to try to improve opportunities for kids, they can also draw from an expansive body of information to use in innovating local solutions that might work in local areas. This library can be found at http://www.tutormentorconnection.org
There are dozens of different groups in different places gathering to focus on social, educational and economic issues important to Chicago. However, the map is the same for all of us, and we hope more people begin to draw from this in planning their activities and in building their collaborations.
I lead the Tutor/Mentor Connection, which focuses on helping volunteer-based tutor/mentor programs grow in high poverty areas of the school. Those programs who have been able to recruit volunteers from a variety of different companies, and from neighborhoods beyond poverty, are connecting kids and families to opportunities and aspirations that would not be available otherwise.
One way we support the growth of such programs, and the understanding of where they are needed, is to use maps. At http://mappingforjustice.blogspot.com you can see maps showing where poverty is most concentrated, and where poorly performing schools are located. Poor neighborhoods equal poor schools is pretty obvious from the maps. The maps also show locations of non-school tutor/mentor programs, and you can quickly see that some neighborhoods have few or no programs.
The maps also show assets, such as colleges, hospitals, faith groups and businesses. If community organizers use these maps, they can reach out to a broader range of stakeholders, and focus them on all of the kids in a specific part of the city, such as in a legislative district, or community area.
The maps are supported by a searchable database, and an on-line library with links to organizations such as Catalyst, so that as people come together to try to improve opportunities for kids, they can also draw from an expansive body of information to use in innovating local solutions that might work in local areas. This library can be found at http://www.tutormentorconnection.org
There are dozens of different groups in different places gathering to focus on social, educational and economic issues important to Chicago. However, the map is the same for all of us, and we hope more people begin to draw from this in planning their activities and in building their collaborations.
Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 12:13 PM
Community organizing heats up
Responding to ONE: Here is why I chose that word: They run 8 charter schools in Chicago -- with two more on the way -- and one or two in New Orleans. Their former executive director is a top lieutenant of Mayor Daley in the City Council, and they draw a gazillion people to their funderaisers.
Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 12:35 PM
Community organizing heats up
This is the next round of sell-outs. First, there were the "reformers" like James Deanes who sold out for jobs at CPS. Now we have the ones who "lead (sic) the fight for school reform" kow-towing to Gates money.
Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 12:41 PM
Community organizing heats up
OK. I'll be the first to admit that I had to look up the definition of "memes" -- used above by the erudite Don Washington. Here 'tis: A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.
Fri Feb 6, 2009 at 12:53 PM
Community organizing heats up
Everyone is wasting their time and breath on this issue. Daley runs the entire show. CPS is more crooked than every IL politician. Schools do have money but unfortunately it is not spent correctly and ends up in the pockets of admin. I have seen this first hand and am sick to my stomach. I am at a school now where there are several teachers who are paid as and "are" subs. What happens to the money assigned for those positions? Great question! For starters, the administration at each and every school must be constantly looked at, visited etc. People should be walking around these schools. Maybe then they would see teachers strangling kids with two fists, swearing at kids, call them names and absolutely NO learning taking place. The CTU needs to be wiped out completely bc they are not only useless but corrupt. Using our money to pay for their cell phone bills, Marilyns cadi, spa treatments, vacations, attorney fees etc.
I say divide each area up into a district like in the burbs. Get a superintendent etc. for each area. Only then will each and every school get the attention it lacks and needs to ensure each and every student's needs are being met. Then and only then will there be hope to end the corruption. Ah, last but not least.....There should be some sort of conflict of interest clause. I'm tired of all the AKA principals hiring their sorority pals. Forget about whether or not they can teach. At least they are with their "sistas".
I say divide each area up into a district like in the burbs. Get a superintendent etc. for each area. Only then will each and every school get the attention it lacks and needs to ensure each and every student's needs are being met. Then and only then will there be hope to end the corruption. Ah, last but not least.....There should be some sort of conflict of interest clause. I'm tired of all the AKA principals hiring their sorority pals. Forget about whether or not they can teach. At least they are with their "sistas".
Sat Feb 7, 2009 at 8:10 AM
Community organizing heats up
Hold Back
Dear wasting your breath feel free to tell us how really feel.
about the current situation.
I agree with some of what you said ,however I do not think
That the Burbs have it right either.
I live in one elementary district, one high school district,
and one community college district. Each one has a different
Scandalously overpaid administration, especially when our
Entire high school population equals one Lane tech and one
Prosser in student population
Dear wasting your breath feel free to tell us how really feel.
about the current situation.
I agree with some of what you said ,however I do not think
That the Burbs have it right either.
I live in one elementary district, one high school district,
and one community college district. Each one has a different
Scandalously overpaid administration, especially when our
Entire high school population equals one Lane tech and one
Prosser in student population
Sat Feb 7, 2009 at 4:56 PM
Community organizing heats up
I take issue with your characterization of CORE. CORE is not a community group. It is a fringe labor organization with extreme positions that most will say detrimental to quality public education and good public policy.
Officially at least, CORE cares nothing about public education or the quality of education. Its "planks" are solely about preservation of teachers jobs and improvement of their wages, benefits and other terms and conditions of employment. Not one of CORE's planks is about improving public education.
CORE seeks to preserve teacher A in his/her position regardless of whether or not teacher A is an effective teacher, regardless of whether the school's enrollment can support the teacher's position, and regardless of the cost to students, parents and taxpayers.
CORE seeks paid maternity, paternity and sick leave for teachers (note that CPS teachers can take up to 8 years of maternity or paternity leave and up to 2 and a half years of sick leave).
CORE wants teachers most of whom, through a combination of percentage and step increases receive 8 to 9% salary increasses every year, to receive 11% salary increases every year.
CORE wants "job security" for teachers, which, as best I can tell from the plank on this one is that it never wants a teacher displaced or laid off. It wants the taxpayer to place them in another job.
Those are all of CORE's planks. CORE is among the few educational labor organizations that does not address teacher quality and teacher accountability, except in the negative. It opposes rewards or incentive pay for teachers who perform well.
CORE's interests with community groups like PURE and others will overlap from time to time like in the current round of CPS school closings and turnarounds. PURE wishes to maintain the power of Local School Councils over schools and school closings and turnarounds threaten that power base. It is made up of members of communities. PURE, or what's left of it, is a community group, at least superficially. With some justification, cynics may say it conducts itself otherwise.
But CORE has none of the attributes of a community organization. It is neither of the community nor for the community. It is for teachers only. It wants no teacher to lose his/her position regardless of how small the enrollment at the school or how poorly the teacher or the school is performing.
Officially at least, CORE cares nothing about public education or the quality of education. Its "planks" are solely about preservation of teachers jobs and improvement of their wages, benefits and other terms and conditions of employment. Not one of CORE's planks is about improving public education.
CORE seeks to preserve teacher A in his/her position regardless of whether or not teacher A is an effective teacher, regardless of whether the school's enrollment can support the teacher's position, and regardless of the cost to students, parents and taxpayers.
CORE seeks paid maternity, paternity and sick leave for teachers (note that CPS teachers can take up to 8 years of maternity or paternity leave and up to 2 and a half years of sick leave).
CORE wants teachers most of whom, through a combination of percentage and step increases receive 8 to 9% salary increasses every year, to receive 11% salary increases every year.
CORE wants "job security" for teachers, which, as best I can tell from the plank on this one is that it never wants a teacher displaced or laid off. It wants the taxpayer to place them in another job.
Those are all of CORE's planks. CORE is among the few educational labor organizations that does not address teacher quality and teacher accountability, except in the negative. It opposes rewards or incentive pay for teachers who perform well.
CORE's interests with community groups like PURE and others will overlap from time to time like in the current round of CPS school closings and turnarounds. PURE wishes to maintain the power of Local School Councils over schools and school closings and turnarounds threaten that power base. It is made up of members of communities. PURE, or what's left of it, is a community group, at least superficially. With some justification, cynics may say it conducts itself otherwise.
But CORE has none of the attributes of a community organization. It is neither of the community nor for the community. It is for teachers only. It wants no teacher to lose his/her position regardless of how small the enrollment at the school or how poorly the teacher or the school is performing.
Mon Feb 23, 2009 at 4:57 PM
Community organizing heats up
On Jan. 22, someone posted a blog item in this comment section identifying himself/herself as Organization of the Northeast. Whoever did that misrepresented himself/herself because ONE did not make that post. We greatly respect the work that United Neighborhood Organization does in the realm of urban school reform.
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