District 299 The Chicago Schools Blog

Costumes and Candy

Some schools don't want kids to have candy Sun Times
Gun-toting gangsters, swashbuckling pirates and blood-drenched zombies are out. Clowns, ballerinas and (unmasked) superheroes are in. Candy corn? That's a toss-up.

Boo-humbug Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Public Schools has no official policy governing costumes, though many principals err on the side of caution. "We're not restricting candy," says ...

New School For Autistic Students Not Good Enough, Says Access Living

There's strong opposition to new contract school for autistic and other disabled students from Access Living, among others.  They're calling for a delay in approving the new Hope school.  See below for details. 

What Tests Needed To Get Into Skinner?

A Chicago parent wants to apply to get her son (age 5) into Skinner but doesn't know the procedure.  Can any of you know-it-alls help us out :-) ?

"i just picked up the forms for the gifted and enriched programs, i want to put my son (age 5)into skinner, i know that they have testing but i cant seem to find anything on what the tests consist of, do u have any idea what they like, or are there any guides or other parents to talk to that have been thru it......"

Tuesday Showdown: Parents Vs. Parents

The next thing that may bubble over into the mainstream press is tomorrow's showdown between the old Citywide Parent Advisory Council and a new, cyborg version called the "Parent involvement advisory council."  Apparently the new group is replacing the old one, and this is bad -- perhaps even not quite legal. There's a meeting on Tuesday, I'm told. But I don't remember the old group doing anything particularly notable.  The real story, far as I know anything, is that CPS (and many other districts) doesn't like to give out or do much with its NCLB parent involvement funding.  Anyone know more?

Remember Recess?

CPS parent Kathy Broderick has some interesting thoughts about the decline (and possible return) of recess:

"My two daughters at tend different CPS elementary schools (K-8), one with recess, the other with a “closed campus” (meaning no recess and a 20-minute lunch period). I believe that closed campuses in Chicago started back in the late 1970s in an effort to keep schoolchildren safe from street crime and violence.

"Back in the late 1970s, I was in elementary school myself, and that means a generation (or two) of Chicagoans has grown up without recess. My daughter has not had recess in more than five years. But people are working on it. For example:

1. The Cartoon Network sponsors something called “Rescuing Recess”. This movement might be working for some people, but the Cartoon Network doesn’t inspire a lot confidence in me, what with its siren call to children to waste away in front of the boob tube in physical inactivity.

2. Parents United for Healthy Schools has organized more than 30 parent organizations to bring a “Recess” bill before the Illinois state legislature. The bill, which requires a 10-minute recess for all elementary schools in Chicago, passed the House in May of this year. As far as I can tell, it’s languishing in the Senate. And this doesn’t inspire confidence in me, either. Check the Illinois General Assembly Bill Status page for updates, though!

"And while I may recognize the absurdity in situations #1 and #2 above, I do think recess will come back in this city. It’s time. And I would very much like to see—just once—a program that was cut from public education reinstated."

Kathy blogs about parenting and education at the Chicago Moms Blog and Barking At Kathy.

The Whitney Young Mystery

"Was it clout that got Michael Jordan's son Marcus a coveted spot at Whitney Young Magnet High School this fall? It sure seemed like favorable treatment when the news was announced, given how hard it is to get into supercompetitive schools like Whitney Young—plus the fact that the Jordans have long lived on the North Shore, not in Chicago." Check out the inside scoop here.  So far, at least, I can't find the annual best and worst ratings article online. 

Forbes Names Most Expensive Preschools, Including Chicago City Day

Chicago City Day, at about $18k per year, is includes as one of Forbes' most expensive preschools.  "Tuition is $17,750, but there is another $1,000 worth of fees for materials, meals and the like."  It's even worse in NY and DC.  Check it out here.

Desperate LA Family Considers Trailer Park Option

According to this LA Times story from yesterday, both white and Hispanic parents there are scrambling to find the right spots for their kids, including the tried and true strategy of renting out their house and moving into a trailer park in a neighborhood with better schools and/ or more room. I'm assuming that the same scramble goes on in Chicago, and that parents have been known to do the same things.

Back To School Lists

Lots of things to do to get ready for school, whether you're a teacher, principal, parent, or administrator (Chicago Public Schools: Back-to-School).  Buying supplies, immunizations, registration, schedules, getting classrooms ready, arranging health care.  What else?  Anything on your list (besides getting ready for a strike) for the start of the year?

Public Prep: A Public School With A Private Feel

So far, at least, most charter schools have focused on serving low-income kids and ensuring that they learn basic skills. That's where the biggest need is. Now some folks are thinking about starting charter schools of a different kind -- aimed at a more elite educational model: private schools. It's happening already in a fancy park of Brooklyn (2 Park Slope Fathers Dream Big NY Sun), and I can't imagine it not happening elsewhere.* And, I'm not sure there's anything wrong with it. Like a magnet school or G&T program, it brings private school parents back into the public system (or keeps them there). At the same time, it brings private school ideas into the public school testing ground, where they may flourish or fail. Either way, an interesting development.

*The only example I know of is LA's private school Crossroads spinning off into New Roads and then Camino Nuevo charter.