How do you make a baby smart? Word by word, a Chicago project says is the headline of an article at The Hechinger Report. It’s another in the flurry of recent media coverage on the “Word Gap.” I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The “Word Gap.”
In These Times has just published an article headlined ‘Bad Ass Moms’ Defend Chicago Public Schools. Here’s an excerpt: Though there are a number of parent organizations fighting for educational justice in the city—including Parents 4 Teachers (P4T) and More Than a Score (MTS), whose membership overlaps with BAM’s—BAM concentrates on a breadth of issues […]
Report Calls for Moratorium on Chicago School Closures is the headline of an Ed Week article. Here’s an excerpt: A new report from the University of Illinois, Chicago, calls for a moratorium on school closures, turnarounds, and the expansion of charter schools in the city, citing the disruptive nature and harm those actions cause families […]
A few days ago, I posted about the inappropriate actions by the Chicago Public Schools in interviewing elementary schoolchildren — without parental permission — about a standardized test boycott (see I Don’t Get A Sense That The Chicago School District Has A Clue About Parent Engagement). Now the Chicago Sun Times has published an editorial […]
Following the backlash from closing huge numbers of neighborhood schools and making it difficult for parents to opt-out of standardized testing, you’d think that the Chicago school district would have learned something about the importance parent engagement. No such luck. This week they “yanked-out” elementary students for interviews to see if their teachers influenced them […]
It appears that some schools are making it very difficult for parents to “opt-out” of standardized testing for their child. I’m not sure if this attitude is the best one to take to further parent engagement…. Read about what’s happening in Colorado and in Chicago. I’m adding this info to The Best Posts On Parents […]
I’ve previously written several posts about the excellent parent engagement efforts by the Logan Square Neighborhood Association in Chicago. I’ve also written posts about a program for Latino parents of very young children called Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors. Now, the two groups have combined forces to initiate an intriguing expansion of Logan Square’s work with parents. […]
Chicago Teachers Union urges parents to oppose standardized tests for young kids is an article in the Chicago Sun-Times about a teacher/parent campaign against the pressure of standardized tests: I’m adding it to The Best Posts On Parents “Opting-Out” Of Standardized Tests For Their Children.
Chicago School Closings a Blow to Parental Involvement? is a useful article in the Huffington Post. It discusses the terrible aftermath of Chicago school closures, one of many issues affecting parent involvement in that city. You might also be interested in The Best Posts & Articles On The Impact Of School Closures.
Is the power of parent talk enough to close the school readiness divide? is a very interesting article in the Hechinger Report about a home visit program in Chicago where parents are shown how they can interact with their children to enhance vocabulary growth. What’s particularly striking is its focus on the quality of interaction […]
Goodbye to All That is a sad article by a Chicago parent who is leaving that city’s school system, in large part due to its lack of respect for parents. Might there be a connection to my earlier post, Former Chicago Superintendent Realizes He’s “Former” Because He Didn’t Engage Parents?
Thanks to Alexander Russo, I learned about a recent interview with the former Superintendent of Chicago Schools, Jean-Claude Brizard. He lost his job after the major Chicago teachers strike. Here’s an excerpt: We severely underestimated the ability of the Chicago Teachers’ Union to lead a massive grassroots campaign against our administration. It’s a lesson for […]
Weeks after announcing the largest school closure plan in United States history — one developed with little or no parent input — the CEO of Chicago Public Schools announced a new parent engagement plan. Her plan — to start parent “universities”: Byrd-Bennett’s action plan promises to launch “Parent Universities” across the city to “help parents […]
I think it’s safe to say the Chicago Public Schools have not generated a lot of the kind of parent engagement they would like as a result of its heavy-handed closure of 49 schools. However, their actions has indeed resulted in an enormous amount of parent energy organizing against them. Read about it at Education […]
Even though Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel had shown a brief glimmer of understanding about parent engagement at one point last year, it appears he has reverted to previous cluelessness. In a rant blaming parents for student learning difficulties, he states his newest idea: Emanuel wants to tie after-school program enrollment to parents picking up report […]
I’ve previously written several posts about the Parent Mentor Program of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association in Chicago. It looks like they are getting ready to dramatically expand their program. Here’s how the article, Chicago Parent Mentor Program Expands Across The State, begins: Logan Square Neighborhood Association’s (LSNA) Parent Mentor Program is expanding to 45 […]
An article in the Chicago Tribune today discusses a new booklet published by the Chicago Public Schools, “Engaging Parents: Effective Practices From Chicago Principals.” I don’t think most readers of this blog will find anything new in it, and I don’t think it will be particularly useful outside of Chicago. But it does highlight what […]
The headline for this post comes from a quote by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who just announced with great fanfare a plan to give parents $25 gift certificates for parents who participate in conferences with their child’s teachers. I’d like to suggest that he might be better served if he tried to empty his mind […]
Striking Chicago teachers get support from parents is an article from The Detroit Free Press. Here’s an excerpt: As Chicago teachers walked the picket lines for a second day, they were joined by many of the very people who are most inconvenienced by their walkout: the parents who must now scramble to find a place […]
That quote is from Parents’ group voices support for teachers in the Chicago Sun Times (thanks to Mike Klonsky for the tip). You might also be interested in The Best Reasons Why Parents Should Be Looked At As Allies & Not Targets Of Blame.