District 299 The Chicago Schools Blog

Going To Rochester With Bobby Green

I asked around for some background on the references to schools using Title I parent involvement funds to take folks on junkets, and got this provocative and informative response from PURE's Julie Woestehoff:

"There's a long, unfortunate history of schools and districts throwing away parent involvement funds on national conferences...At the local school level, it's all about who gets to go...The Rochester conference is for five days, not including special pre-and post-conference events....The parents are by definition (supposed to be) poor and often have no other opportunity to travel in style like this, so naturally it's considered a huge perk...In Chicago, people have hung on as "Title 1 parents" just to go on the trips long after their last child graduated...Chicago Citywide ESEA “President-for-Life" Bobby Green is the prime example."

Assuming Woestehoff is accurate (see below for complete text), this sounds like a pretty amazing scam.  Take a look, and tell us what you're experience has been. Going to Rochester?  Ever heard of Bobby Green?

Renewal In Cabrini. Englewood? Not So Much.

Two worthwhile stories about struggling communities in Chicago -- Cabrini Green and Englewood.  The Englewood story in particular, about the 55th Street dividing line between gangs and the funding cut from CeaseFire, seems more detailed and closely reported than many you usually see:

You can go home again Tribune
Miles Warren III, 26, spent seven years of his childhood living in the Cabrini Green public-housing project then moved around the city with his family until they settled in Lincoln Park.

Arthur Jones’ legacy may be getting gangs to take responsibility for change Medill
Arthur Jones was the third child to die by gunfire within a week in Chicago. According to Monique Bond, Chicago Police Department spokeswoman, 54 people aged 19 or younger have been killed by gunfire so far this year.

Making CVS Safer

At a Chicago High School, A Renewed Focus on Security WBEZ
Last school year, these problems were compounded by a series of shootings that traumatized teachers and students. We decided to find out what, if anything, had changed this year.
 

LSC Advocates Organize For Board Meeting

Pro-LSC groups like Designs for Change, South Side United LSC Federation, Parents United for Responsible Education, Teachers for Social Justice, Westside Education Committee are gearing up for tomorrow's board meeting.  See attached flyer:  Citywide10-07message.pdf

The Defender & Heartland

From a reader:  "I was so stunned by the unlikeliness of the Defender's rehashed Heartland PR piece (linked on your site) "Parents push for Ren Ten schools" by a non-staffer named Leila Noelliste, Defender October 19, 2007 that I Googled the organization whose rep is quoted in it, "Parents for School Choice". I found this: Earlier this month, a group called "D.C. Parents for School Choice" ran a two-page ad in the Chicago Defender taking Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to task for opposing school choice.

Admittedly, it's a little old (2003) for there to be a qui-pro-quo involving a 2007 article. Still, Lee Walker turns up as a member of the Defender's editorial board and a Heartland senior fellow (back in 2005). Heartland, of course, is the force behind the ironically named Parents... organization. I'm not a reporter (anymore) or a George Schmidt and don't have time to follow all this anywhere in particular, and I'm not sure why I think that the Defender is any longer anything but the most craven of pseudo news-organizations, but it does seem like there is something beyond disgusting in Heartland's use of this particular newspaper to sell a product as putrid as Ren 2010. Something has gone on there that would make a few old Sengstackes turn over in their graves."

Montessori -- And Magnet -- At Oscar Mayer?

Thanks to a reader for letting me know about some curious and under-publicized things going on at Oscar Mayer, located in Lincoln Park.  I'm told that Oscar Mayer school converting to a magnet school -- with a Montessori program -- starting next year. [The Montessori program has already started -- I heard about it over the weekend.]  According to this reader, parents who have attended the information sessions at the school are reporting that it will be a “magnet school with neighborhood boundaries”, meaning all kids in the attendance area are guaranteed a spot. What's that -- a cluster magnet?  "This proclamation is not sitting well with others outside the area, who are complaining that the spoiled Lincoln Park community is getting yet another special school, etc." The OM website seems strangely vague on the application requirements: http://www.mayer.cps.k12.il.us/Mayer%20Web%20Site/programs.html.

Around The Blogs

Here are some recent posts from local education blogs that caught my eye:  Over at Small Talk, Mike Klonsky takes on a recent NYT article about NCLB's impacts in LA (NCLB and the myth of "dysfuntional" communities).  The saga of life on one Back Of The Yards street continues in The Marshfield Tattler (Yup-yup and Dorothy On My Stoop).  The PURE blog tells us about a new LSC support effort and a weekly event (Tuesday 10/16 is LSC Fax Day!).  CPS parent (and D299 contributor) Kathy talks about a visit with her kids to the Chicago Botanic Garden (The Opposite of School).  Potential teacher Matthew Milam describes a visit to a CPS job fair and the challenges of finding a good teacher prep program (Amazing What A Google Can Do).

Youth Violence And Gang Territories

How much of the youth violence plaguing Chicago comes from unchecked gang activity in and around the schools?  Much of  it, according to some folks.  "Attached is the most dramatic piece out of abut 25 indicators on the perimeter of Hyde Park High School from October 9, 2007," writes George. "GD" means "Gangster Disciples." Also tagging around the building perimter were the Vice Lords (and a response: "Hook Killa"), the Black Disciples (BDs) and the Black P. Stones (BPSN). As you know, just about every general high school in Chicago has been claimed (often, for decades) by one of the two gang "nations" -- People, the five-pointed star, or Folks, the six-pointed star, as in the attached "GD" art."

Excellence In The Classroom And On The Field

Teachers Recognized for Excellence WBEZ
Two Chicago Public School teachers got a big surprise today. They each received a $25,000 check for excellence in teaching, to spend however they want.

High School Soccer Coach Angry Over Lack of Facilities WBEZ
Soccer teams from Thomas Kelly and Benito Juarez High Schools face off tonight for the Chicago Public Schools' championship. The lead-up to the game has included some controversy.

Boom Times for Dentists, but Not for Teeth

Poor and working class kids have less access to dental care than ever before, and it's showing, according to this NYT article (Boom Times for Dentists, but Not for Teeth).  Sometimes the delays and lack of care are serious.  Strange that I've seen vision programs at schools but never dental ones.