Month: January 2016

Don’t Make Excuses For Jobless Youth

Nearly half of Black men ages 20-24 are out of school and out of work.  That is according to a report released this week by the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Great Cities Institute.  This unemployment rate is higher than the unemployment rates of Black men in other major cities in America.  Some have suggested that these numbers have a…

My Charter School Taught Me Relationships Matters

The power of relationship can never be understated. Throughout my life I have heard phrase after phrase that illumines this point: “It isn’t what you know but who you know.” “No one cares what you know until they know that you care.” Relationship matters. Every successful person knows this and can point to people who were instrumental in helping them…

Let’s fix school funding before we talk about a state takeover

Today in Chicago the two leaders of the Republican Legislative Caucuses (Senator Christine Rodogno and Representative Jim Durkin) introduced a plan to allow Chicago Public Schools to declare bankruptcy and thereby enter a form of state receivership in which the Illinois State Board of Education comes in and takes over the management of the school district. Shortly after the announcement,…

AstroTurf or Hypocrisy? CTU Please Let Us Know

The term “AstroTurf” comes to mind.   You know, that’s what they call it when the financial resources behind a certain set of political activities are intentionally hidden in order to make it seem like the messages, ideas and activities originate from and are supported by the grassroots.  And it certainly came to mind when I read the Sun-Times article…

One on One: Providence Englewood Parent Shares Greatest Challenge of School Option

The public conversation around schools and education in Chicago is unfairly one-sided. The reality is that education reform in Chicago has had a positive impact on a large number of students, families and communities in Chicago. We’re on a mission to share real stories, from real people who have been positively impacted by education reform. Latoya Jones is the mom…

In Defense of Cheaters: I Understand Why They Lied About Their Address to Go to That School

What do you know?  The Chicago Public Schools Inspector General has discovered that families from affluent Chicago neighborhoods and even affluent Chicago suburbs have been using false residency information in order to gain access to some of Chicago’s top high schools.   I would love to join the chorus of people roundly condemning this behavior, but I can’t shake the…