Before You Do Anything Else...

Prior to building new selective schools or granting more charters to for-profit companies I believe it would be worthwhile to take some steps that are critical to the well-being of students and their learning.

I believe it is incumbent upon the leadership of any school district, anywhere in the country, to make sure a nurse is in the building five days a week. No school should have nursing/medical care for just a portion of the week. This service is far more important than putting up a $60 million school.

Also, social workers and psychologists are critical to the success and growth of students. Again, prior to building a brand new school, these services should be available at all hours of every school day.

Making sure all students get the classes they desire is another critical area that should be attended to prior to building a new selective school or constructing a new charter via a for-profit firm.

I am aware of far too many schools where such essentials as toilet paper are in short supply or not even available! It's a fact.

Programs such as Art, Music, FACS and Physical Education have to be administered more than 60 to 100 minutes per week. These curriculum areas are far more important to fund than putting up a shinny new edifice.

Like I said, 'before you do anything else,' take care of these areas.

Dick

Hard to Figure Out!

Most likely the process that determines if your son/daughter qualifies for admission to a CPS selective school will result in confusion. To decipher the meaning and numbers used is probably a bit maddening to some folks. Let me give you a taste of the confusion that lies ahead.

First of all, 20% of selective school students are chosen based purely on standardized test scores. Okay, no problem there. The remaining 80% of admitted students are chosen based upon a combination of test scores and other criteria. This is where it can get messy.

That criteria is a formula which divides Chicago into four geographic areas called tiers. There are four tiers and the tiers are altered each year. The tiers are reclaculated every year based upon five socioeconomic measures which include such items as median household income, the number of English speakers in the house, median income in the tier and more.

You have to be kidding?! Are citizens suppose to really be able to keep up with possible changing tiers? By the way a Tier 4 selective school is more difficult to get into than a Tier 1. And who knows if a potential student's family has their five factors properly screened. For that matter, does the city really keep up with the changing socioeconomic conditions in the entire tier zone?

These are but a few of the conditions that may preclude top students and poor performing students from attending a selective school. As I said, it is difficult to figure out.

Dick

Why So Selective?

Question for you...Why are there a very few selective schools in the CPS system as opposed to every school being considered selective? Better yet, why do 'selectives' even exist?

The people who work in selective schools haven't done anything wrong. They go about their teaching and administrative duties just like those who work in the traditional neighborhood public schools. However, it is my view that those who have created selective schools have, perhaps unwittingly, done real harm to the non-selective school students.

First of all, the use of the term 'selective,' on its face implies that some students 'have it' while others don't. The term sadly serves to further divide or allow a chasm to exist and proliferate. Stop and think about it for a minute and I believe you'll agree the term 'selective isn't a positive connotation for those who aren't able to attend these schools.

As I've mentioned on other occasions, selective schools rely heavily on standardized test scores. Though other socio-economic factors are weighed into how 80% of the students are viewed in terms of applying/being accepted into selective schools, the heavy reliance on standardized tests nonetheless precludes many of those who most need the educational help and support form receiving it.

Let's select those neighborhood schools in impoverished areas, often with the fewest resources, to garner the benefits they so richly deserve.

Dick

Let the Hits Keep Coming

Thanks to my good friend and great supporter of Schools Count, Sarah Steinke, we had plenty of hits on our blogsite yesterday. Plenty of interest in the work of DAR as they are supporting our efforts to build a band at John Hay Elementary School.

Well, it dawned on me this morning that I should reach out to all the DAR supporters and members and ask for a bit of help. The $4,000 donated by DAR will certainly be a good deal of help in buying some trombones, trumpets, saxophones, clarinets, flutes, and the like. So, here goes...

If you have any of the above, and they are in good playing condition, and would like to donate them to Schools Count Corp. I will see to it that they find their way into the hands of some students at Hay anxious to learn how to play a musical instrument.

To be a part of this effort simply email me at rich219@comcast.net and we can make the arrangements for your donation. Of course, if you live out of the area I will personally pay for the cost of shipping the instrument. Your donation is treated as a gift and I would issue a receipt for a charitable tax deduction.

There's only one way to do this and that is to band together!

Thanks for your consideration,
Dick

DAR to the Rescue

Imagine what it would be like to have children who want to play music, the school has a music teacher and the desire to start a band but that school is without music instruments. Well, thanks to a $4,000 grant made by the Daughters of the American Revolution, John Hay Elementary School will be able to start a band program next year.

Funding for this project was made possible through the sponsorship of the Isle a la Cashe Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. This initiative will allow Schools Count Corp. to purchase trombones, trumpets, saxophones, clarinets and flutes for John Hay.

Not only is DAR providing us with $4,000 but Schools Count Corp. will match this funding with an additional $4,000. Taken together, the $8,000 will get John Hay as many as 24 to 30 instruments heading into the 2014-15 school year.

Because of the generosity of DAR we'll be able to purchase instruments this summer so that the Music Teacher, Ms. Chicoine, will be able to get the students involved on Day 1! Hats off the DAR for taking the interest in the students at John Hay.

Dick

All That Jazz!!

Take various Hinsdale Musical groups like the Chamber Choir, the Jazz Band, the Jazz Ensemble and various smaller jazz groups together and you have one rockin good time. Together, all of these groups literally brought the house down last night at the Chicago Jazz Benefit to help bring music to John Hay Elementary Academy.

The wonderful musicians and their various directors (Chamber Choir - Jennifer Burkemper, Jazz Band - Matt Goeke and Jazz Ensemble - Matt Kurinsky) played an assortment of jazz pieces; from gospel to Caribbean to classical. It was a wonderful program and I am sure the patrons did indeed have a wonderful time.

I want to pay a special tribute to those talented Central students/musicians who made it possible to raise well over $2500.00 last night. You have done much to bring various groups together so we can raise money to purchase music instruments for John Hay Elementary in Chicago. You were terrific.

Speaking of John Hay, Mr. Williams, the Principal, and Ms. Chicoine, the Music Teacher, attended the benefit and I can tell you that they had a blast! They are indeed most thankful to everyone concerned for taking the time and putting forth the effort to make the evening such a smashing success.

To all those who attended, to those who donated instruments and to those who made monetary contributions...please accept my heartfelt thanks!!

Dick

CPS Selective Schools

America has always touted itself to be a number of things; the land of opportunity, one of freedom and that of equality. The are but some of the laudable features of our democratic society. The term equality has long been associated with education among a number of other societal issues.

As the years pass, it appears to me as though equality is being shortchanged; shortchanged to those among us at the greatest risk. Part of the proof of this very serious risk is well documented in a Chicago Sun Times 'Watchdogs' piece on Monday, April 28th.

The story, which I will cover over the coming days simply states that the top five Chicago CPS Selective Schools are taking more white students and fewer minorities since 2009. Why? The answer lies at the hands of a '09 ruling by U.S. District Judge Charles P. Kocoras which lifted a 1980 consent decree that had required Chicago's schools to be desegregated, with no school being more than 35 percent white.

Am I saying bright white students should not be able to get into 'selective' schools? Absolutely not!! Are these same students deserving of the best education? You bet!! What I am saying are a couple of things. First, a number of minorities would certainly benefit from a 'selective' type education. Just as importantly, I want to see an end put to high schools relying so heavily on standardized test scores for admission.

For the life of me, I wish the many schools using standardized tests would understand that so very many children - coming from desperate life circumstances - eager to get ahead, are simply going to be left behind due to factors well beyond their control.

The over-reliance on standardized test scores may help 'selective' schools choose who to admit but those same schools, perhaps unwittingly, are shutting the door to those who most need the help.

Dick