“Keep your mind off things that don’t require it.” My typewriters are packed away currently, so I was left with my pen. The ink is my current favorite: 0.4mm Zebra Sarasa. As you can see, […]

Dear Failure, My name is attempts And there are millions of me.

Hello, and thank you for everything you have already done. We are on the move. Please join me in crafting a People’s Platform that will uphold the Promise that by the time the first Kindergartners […]

I can imagine how it looked from her side. She did not understand the request. She heard it, she just did not understand it. There was a voice that echoed through some sort of radio […]

Passing HB5815, the common sense next step for the elected school board, providing them a staff, is one step closer! Thank you Senator Martwick!

While everyone plays the blame game, they overlook this simple quotation: The declines don’t mean that students failed to learn anything or forgot things they already knew between 2019 and 2022. Rather, students did learn […]

And sometimes when you care to use it, you find that it can be music.

None know more about all that is required to educate our children than the engaged members of the Local School Councils. These elected bodies know the immediate needs of a school more than down town […]

Not everyone who’s been in the fight then is still in the fight now. There’s a few greats. Some have been elected and are leading the cause in their respective chambers. Dan and I first […]

I am a graduate of Loyola University Chicago; First for my Bachelor’s in English and then again for my certificate in Paralegal Corporate Practices, I found the experiences challenging, impactful, and fruitful. But attending, loving […]

School fundraisers are great events. They build buy in for the school, literally. It helps create pride for the school. It creates passionate ownership. And usually, they are a great time for the students. And […]

This is not what I wanted my final farewell to my neighbors— my constituents— to be about. My term ends today, as I move out of my district. But 2 weeks ago, a child at […]

I believe in rewarding student achievement much more than demoralizing frustrating efforts. 9 years ago, I was amazed by Senn High School students, led by their student LSC representative, petitioned the council for a start […]

Because CPS pays hundreds of vendors a year. How many of these vendors are given data or access to it? At what point do parents sign a waiver or give permission or supply consent for […]

Thank you.  As my family finalizes our move-in date to our next Chicago neighborhood and chapter together, I can only say what a pleasure and honor it has been to serve and represent your interests […]

Update: I have received word that a student was hit and injured. As a Community Representative on the Local School Council, This is not an effort to raise alarm. This is a post to raise […]

A car that drives itself with LiDAR won’t need 2 rows of seats and would only need one sidewalk-side door. And I bet a gyroscopic big ball will be more functional than four wheels.

I have never held a golf club, but that does not mean I do not believe CPS students should’t have access to them! Hurray for such partnerships. We need more of them. Now if only […]

What a sham!! Priorities! Students don’t forget that they were forgotten. A real shame. And with such simple solutions. We on local school counsels worked on all types of volunteer initiatives to enable students’ engagement. […]

WTTW —. Chicago Public Schools this month is launching a new initiative aimed at addressing students’ emotional, psychological and social health as rates of depression and hopelessness have spiked in teens nationwide. As part of […]

A little fog and rain never kept a Bow Tie Friday away! It’s here, Only Because: We Made It!! Happy Bow Tie Friday! Want to join?? I shop around, but here are some links I […]

It is the fundamental intent of the State of Illinois that Local School Councils should have oversight of their schools. And yet, CPS doesn’t care. Actually, it worse: CPS actively and intentionally subverts and undermines […]

Get up! Get down! Chicago is a union town! It was meaningful to March on May Day 2011. Chicago was in a place of deep and uncertain transition with the insert of a new mayor. […]

We never met. I stood next to her several times but we never exchanged words. My loss. I remember thinking years earlier with a few friends back in the latter days of his tenure, that […]

Walt Disney Elementary is an amazing school. It’s fine arts concentration competes with all in the district. Disney has not always been a Level 1 elementary school. I had the honor of serving on a […]

I am proud of my experience advocating for candidates who fight for accountable democracy in Chicago’s public education system, from policy to politics. People are what can make this work. I am proud of my […]

Every effort of democracy is within the larger context of the societal experiment of power Every effort of democracy is within the larger context of the societal experiment of power embedded in the people. In […]

The Chicago Trib knows it’s stuff and it knows you should vote in tomorrow’s LSC elections. Take ownership of our schools. Uniforms? Books? Computers? Principal Contracts? Teacher positions? Your vote tomorrow will help shape all […]

Amazed by everyone who is on the ballots of LSCs across Chicago. Amazing. Candidates: you have six days. If you would like some tips: I am glad you’re here. We need you. Time to take […]

They bet on our students and they lost. Now our students will pay the price. The system is broken. https://www.asumag.com/facilities-management/business-finance/article/21238617/chicago-schools-mistakenly-received-87-million-in-aid-because-of-states-miscalculation As if we all predicted:

We are told to accept CPS funding formulas just “because that’s the way it’s done.” Please. This is not how it Should be done. And we should work to change this: CPS gave us no […]

What makes a great day better? Celebrating together!! Good morning and haply bow tie Friday!

Do it, Chicago! “The late push resulted in 6,129 candidates running for LSCs, enough so that more than 96% of schools have enough people to fill open seats and meet quorum requirements next year, the […]

Raise Your Hand Illinois is one of my most trusted and admired education advocacy group in Illinois. They are doing a terrific job organizing. Use this link to join the cause: https://www.ilraiseyourhand.org/action-items/nocpscuts

The vote is scheduled for tomorrow. Updates to come.

I do not know what more I can add. Chicago Public Schools is continuing its deliberate and designed divestment from our schools in favor of advocating for school options that promote less equitable opportunities. Case […]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/amazon-workers-union-victory-bolsters-revitalized-labor-movement-11648904400 The Labor Movement is the Story of the American Movement. The very experience of our Republic is empirically entwined with the objection of unabridged capitalism — we at our root core object to overarching […]

To those of us Starting and Ending each day with the same slight advantage in an un-winnable game— it is nice to think we are playing on the same team. #bipolartogether If you or someone […]

Actually, chicago used to have trade and technology schools. The geniuses of the 1990 young neoliberals agreeing with the 1990 old Reganright produced what became referred to positively as “school reform.” Schooling became about testing […]

I agree wholeheartedly with this opinion piece. Returning graduates into a teaching program makes perfect sense. Hire great teachers, retain teachers that are familiar with their community, and grow a direct pipeline into a body […]

Nothing beats oppression like the first amendment. It is the first amendment that is allowing Mr. Tucker to say what he wants in America about America, about Ukraine. He can say all of this without […]

I remember serving as Policy Director for the strong community organizing and activist non-profit, Action Now. Their blue shirts are still visible at many Social Justice efforts. When Rahm Emanuel closed 50 schools over one […]

See image. Courtesy of Russia.

She should not and would not be what the city needs. And kudos to Ms Jackson for knowing it. I do agree with the below; given the nature of the new CPS CEO finding fewer […]

Arne Duncan, former Education Secretary under President Barack Obama and former CEO of CPS announced that he will not be a candidate for Chicago’s mayor in the 2023 election. I think this is a good […]

There is not a cost problem at CPS. But I agree that CPS does not currently afford the costs of fully funded classrooms. That is the critics lie. The tool of a critic is cynicism. […]

Dear My Fellow Chicagoan, Your actions to compel teachers to work with less is misdirected away from what should be your true goal: Your true goal should be To compel the Mayor, the city council, […]

CPS on Tuesday announced it is now accepting applications for its Teach Chicago Tomorrowprogram, a district initiative offering post-graduate learning opportunities to help boost diversity among district teachers. Teach Chicago Tomorrow is a partnership between […]

This is the first time a CPS school has been renamed. How appropriate. A school once named after a biologist who argued of inherent racial inequality is now appropriately named after Harriet Tubman. “Having her […]

Loyola Chicago has an ad campaign about a commitment to social Justice. I buy it. I do wonder how many other D1 teams pray before each game for equity in refereeing and Justice in the […]

Neighbors— what a joy it has been. It has been so easy to get to love our area because of how much care we all take to promote good in our community. Common care shows. […]

“When we first started, we had nothing,” she said of her early coaching days. “We started to sell M&M’s to get uniforms and shoes. Anything the kids needed. And we used those same resources as […]

It has been announced to us that we have now received the green light from CPS Legal to proceed with a contract to re-open our parking lot off of Clarendon Avenue. We expect full operation […]

Are you or someone you know encouraged to be an elected official who takes care of our schools? I really hope so. I made this pdf hoping it will make a few things easier for […]

The Senate Education Committee unanimously endorsed two bills that would allow retired teachers to work as substitutes more days in a school year without losing any of their pension benefits. https://www.capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/bills-to-address-teacher-shortages-advance Today this does make […]

I don’t like the phrase: “There is an achievement gap.” In my years of working with teachers and administrators, I have come to believe that the gap is not achievements, as this is a false […]

There are not nearly enough CPS busses for all the students who deserve them —well beyond how few busses there are for those students who not only deserve them but need them, (in a truly […]

I agree with Principal Lavin on this one – “We all wanted this to be the year we get back to normal, but it isn’t. We have to reframe. The goal this year is to […]

Reported here on NBC 5 Chicago It is true that experiencing student physical bullying at school may have different effects on a student’s development than experiencing psychological and emotional bullying at the school. But just […]

Amazing work by CPS Dad Jakob Ondrey and deep respect to him for his pursuit of transparency. His research exposes the dubious nature that CPS approaches our own schools. Their numbers were wrong (Read here […]