Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Chicago Schools


CHICAGO'S LOSS OF 100K PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS A HOPEFUL SIGN FOR FUTURE

Underneath the Chicago Teachers' Union outrage against proposed school closings is a note of optimism: parents are leaving inner city failing schools empty.  There are 100,000 empty seats in a Chicago school system set up for 400,000 students.
How did the Chicago Public School system lose 100,000 students, forcing school closures to be considered? They "flew" through school choice to charter schools, private schools, home schools while the rest escaped to other cities, as well as Chicago's suburbs. Those especially ingenuitive parents saving their kids left behind a travesty in the form of crumbling buildings housing discouraged and down-trodden families. Those left - especially in Chicago's south and western neighborhoods - are now being ruled by gangland terrorists and drug dealers.  
Despite community pressure to keep failing and deteriorating schools manned with union teachers and staffers, Chicago Public Schools' exhorbitant, burdensome costs on an exhausted taxpayer base are forcing demand for substantial budget cuts. Chicago teachers are opposed to any personnel cuts, and they're desperately looking for reasons to keep schools open.  
EAG News points out the latest CTU tactic to keep schools open: it's too dangerous for students to go to new locations where they may be forced to cross gang territorial boundaries.
Instead of appropriately dealing with gang-related violence, an independent Chicago school closure commission is recommending no school closures because such a move could force students to cross gang lines.
So in Chicago, gang violence is the “new normal” and instead of combating and gaining some control over the problem, city leaders are simply accommodating it.
Still, think of those 100,000 students that have escaped Chicago school system's virtual prison and their persistent parents that pushed and pulled to get them out.
Good for them. 

6 comments:

  1. Completely off topic: Anybody knows what's going on with Horse Thief Hollow?

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  2. Anonymous1/15/2013

    Many solid points here which the CTU needs to acknowledge in order to improve the quality of the CPS, which I think we are all in favor of.
    For the City and the CTU to admit there is a gang problem and then suggest we live with it by acknowledging "gang boundaries" is evidence of the complete failure of city government. We, the citizens, must shoulder some of that as we elected and continue to elect failed political leaders. It would certainly be a breadth of fresh air and a light at the end of a long tunnel, if the teachers themselves elected leadership that realistically confronts these problems. Their current leadership does not.

    BTW, to be fair, both EAG News and Teachers For America also have questionable credibility.


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  3. Anonymous1/15/2013

    This is a fascinating topic and a very controversial issue. Public education K-12, and especially public education in inner cities, has deep problems. The problems are not the doing of the teachers; they tend to get blamed. I struggle with this issue because these teachers get a hell of a lot more benefits and income than is otherwise attainable in the private sector.

    Notwithstanding that, students and parents are the center of the problem. It is a culture that celebrates thuggery and drug dealing and persecutes the "Uncle Toms." How can you learn in that undisciplined environment conducive to anything but personal development.

    Worse, when it comes to parenting, there are many absentee fathers (and mothers).

    I do not know to what extent teachers, teacher unions, and the institution itself contributes to this problem, but I am not going to overlook parental involvement and the culture of the students in trying to find solutions.

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  4. Anonymous1/16/2013

    CPS has for the past 40 some odd years has pursued one foolish policy after another. The norm day in and day out was madness,lies,ignorance and last 10/20 years violence which rarely gets reported. And I mean violence directed toward staff and at times staff on staff. Hundreds of goo goo do gooders have descended on the schhools armed with foundation $ that added to the chaos and dysfunction and all with the enthusiastic endorsements of Richy,Arne,Pauly and now Rahmey.
    Some of us that survived did it with a thorough understanding of the union contract to keep fool principals at bay. Others kissed ass after ass in order to get foolish gigs on Adams street or to get out of the classroom Many others went mad and are off god knows where.
    And, of course legions of sharecroppers sons and daughters schooled in the south with advanced degrees from CSU,the wisdom seat of da sout side remain in the schools promoting PC.
    A serious conversation needs to take place to initiate vouchers,triggers(not guns) that empower parents to ditch underperforming schools and perhaps consider getting rid of compulsory education laws or lowering to age 14. Spending upwards of 20K per year for a goofy kid who rarely shows up is nonsense.
    However, those that benefit the most ( 6 figure types) are the usual suspects that get the press and promote failure after failure and the public eats it up.

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  5. Anonymous1/17/2013

    CPS instituted a get this a "A Culture of Calm" iniative under another a ding a ling named Huberman and the job was given at my old school to a retired copper what the CPD calls a "dog ass". This guy tied into a ward organization and his wife part of the hired truck program. Program all over the city with Federal money and clout reign supreme. Read above!

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