The war between Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats in the state’s General Assembly has claimed its first charter casualty: Chicago’s Galapagos Charter School. More than likely, more will follow. That’s because charter schools are public schools, and in Illinois, that means they too are subject to our inadequate, unfair school funding formula and our record-setting budget stalemate. If Chicago Public Schools takes the…
Month: June 2016
Illinois Must Have A Budget For Our Schools By August 1st! #TheClockIsTicking
Dear Legislators, I am writing today because parent voice needs to be uplifted and amplified in discussions that affect children and families. I, along with hundreds of other parents, am extremely concerned about the lack of public school funding and the anticipated additional budget cuts that will dramatically affect our students in Chicago. The Illinois State Constitution promises “the state…
Letter from an Angry Black Father
It’s Father’s Day weekend and I know that I shouldn’t be associating anger with this cherished Hallmark holiday. But, I can’t help it…Father’s Day is a very reflective time for me. And as a citizen of a state that can’t figure out how to educate children and a city where black folks get shot in broad daylight in front of…
5 Reasons Why I Left CPS
Ten years ago as an undergraduate elementary education student at UIC, no one could have ever told me that I would leave Chicago Public Schools. There are five major factors that pushed me to transition out of CPS and into another school district. CONSISTENCY. In my short six years at CPS, I had the pleasure of working under four CEOs.…
BLACK. MALE. TEACHER. Part 1: A Journal Entry
There’s an Erykah Badu music video where she can be seen walking in an empty desert wearing some funky looking alien outfit singing the lyrics: Time to change the world Where in the world is all the time So many things are still unknown So many times I’ve changed my mind Guess I was born to make mistakes But I…
Moments that Matter
Earlier this week, the University of Chicago Charter School-Woodlawn Campus held their annual commencement ceremony for its graduating seniors. Kai Stewart, the class valedictorian, stepped to the microphone to address her classmates, school administration and hundreds of proud family members in the audience. During her speech, Kai reflected on her high school journey, spoke passionately and enthusiastically about her future…
#Fight4Students Rally Recap [Video]
On June 9, 2016, a group of charter schools gathered at the Thompson Center in Chicago to demand a budget. The state of Illinois has been without a budget for eleven months. Many schools have laid off faculty and staff due to budget cuts.
Our obsession with integration is hurting kids of color
“What on earth is whiteness that one should so desire it? Then always, somehow, some way, silently but clearly, I am given to understand that whiteness is the ownership of the earth forever and ever, Amen.” -W.E.B. Dubois One of the great voices in education today, Chris Stewart of Citizen Education, has a great piece in the Washington Post. He…