Before you build another school...

CPS is spending a good deal of money to open new schools. I have talked at some length about closing dozens and dozens of neighborhood schools while watching other ones being built. There is another issue which should be addressed in terms of the budget and spending more money on new schools and it deals with the health of children.

Did you know that a good number of CPS schools have a nurse in the building one day a week? That's right, one day a week!!! So what about the other 80% of the week? It's left to others on staff to attend to the sick children.

Let's be clear, there are many, many important aspects to running a school but there aren't many things more important than the welfare of the children. In short, that means a nurse HAS to be in every building five days a week. Put another way, would you want your children to attend ANY school if there was a nurse available just one day a week?

The kids deserve better!

Dick

Brrr!!!

It's 27 degrees outside this morning and spitting a few flurries. We have sorted and delivered 80 coats along with many mittens, scarves and hats to Greater Rock Missionary Baptist Church, Hughes Elementary, Johnson Elementary and Pilsen Elementary. I can tell you that there were plenty of smiles when the bags of warm clothing were unpacked. It made the cold a little more bearable.

Thanks to our volunteers and donors. We will continue to collect for the next three to four weeks in order to help the children in CPS as well as the south suburban schools. Many are still in great need.

Many thanks,
Dick

Kids Can't be Cast Aside

No matter your background, level of schooling and the degree to which you think parents are responsible for their children (and they are responsible for sure), the fact remains that too many 5 year olds, 7 years olds, and 12 year olds find themselves with great needs.

Kids are left without the proper foods, don't have a decent school uniform, are lacking warm winter clothing, often don't have the proper school resources and more. Worse yet, these children might very well be homeless. The result...well, you can figure it out. Children living in such dire circumstances are likely to be despondent, without hope and left in the lurch. What will happen to these kids?

As the weather turns colder and the holidays are upon us, our charity recognizes that this is a situation that has to change. We are all the better when we see to it that our fellow citizens, in this case school children, have their needs met while lifting their spirits.

People DO lift up others and our volunteers and donors will do just that.

Dick

A Letter of Thanks!

Below is a letter I received yesterday from a teacher at Palmer Elementary School in Chicago.    We recently donated a good deal of money to help her purchase iPad's for the children.    It is indeed a great testimonial for all the good provided by our donors and volunteers

I can't fully express my joy, excitement, and thanks for your donation to my project. It is great to see that you share my vision for reaching children. We often find ourselves not knowing what technology really has to offer because there are so many different types.

The tools that you have funded will enable students to learn just that. My students are so thrilled to finally have an iPad center where they will be able to work in small groups. They will be able to learn how to use iPads as well as laptops thanks to your support and generosity!

With gratitude,
Ms. Hermann

Putting Up a Fight

The Spring of 2015 should prove to be an interesting time when CPS has to administer the new PARCC test. This test, aligned with Common Core state standards, is to given in place of the old ISAT test.

The Illinois State Board of Education has already warned parents against opting out of the PARCC. State Superintendent Christopher Koch recently wrote to the district administrators stating that 'opting out' of PARCC is not option. This stance is based on the federal law which states that there is prohibition for children to opt out of taking the test.

A number of PARCC people opposed to the test state that requiring the test to be given isn't the same as requiring children to take it. In a show of common cause, both the alliance, Raise Your Hand Illinois, and CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett want to stave off the full impact of PARCC implementation for at least another year.

Whether this joint effort will allow CPS some breathing room on the PARCC test is yet to be seen.

From my vantage point, this merry go round, regarding the constant standardized testing and ever changing forms of testing, is but a reminder of some of its negative consequences.

What's REALLY Changed?

What has really changed in education in the past 30, 40, 50 years? No, this is not meant to be a rhetorical question. Put another way, are teachers less well trained and less effective than many years ago? Are students really getting less of an education than in the past? Are unions performing any differently than years past?

The answer to all of the above questions is a resounding NO!!!

What HAS changed are many things. We ask teachers to do much more in teaching the whole child. Schools are asked to deal with all of the issues which affect a child's education and life. More standardized tests exist. There are enhanced expectations of the American education system. Governments, at all levels, are more a of driving force for change than the education experts.
The social, behavioral and economic concerns of the population are thrust upon schools and educators. The family structure, in some areas, has seen changes, sadly, which have great implications for learning.

I am convinced that these changes have altered our view of the education landscape and that what teachers and schools do each day has not changed for the worse but; in fact, has shown dramatic improvement.

Dick

NYC Community Schools

Perhaps NYC Dept Mayor said it best a couple of days ago when he made these remarks about the Renewal Schools initiative. “There is no magic bullet,” Mr. Buery said. “No one is saying Community Schools by itself are going to fundamentally change the work, but what I would say — and is critical — is that Community Schools are a necessary part of that work, as well as a deeper strategy to improve teaching in the building.”

So both the Mayor and Deputy Mayor get it. They realize that the 'Community Schools' approach, in and of itself, is no panacea for what ails students, families and communities which are struggling.

What I like about this two-year program that will pump $150 million into 94 of the most troubled schools - and by association the students and teachers - is the fact that it goes beyond resourcing the children and staff in the classroom. Two of the most crucial components of the program address needs outside of the school walls. Many students with mental health issues will get the assistance they desperately need. Beyond this component, the program will provide food to the children when it is determined that they are able to get those meals at home.

As Buery said, there is no 'magic bullet' but it is an initiative that deserves time and support. The last thing the community needs is to shutter the neighborhood school doors and to walk away from the problems.

Dick