Campaign for an Elected Representative School Board in Chicago

August 23, 2012 0 comments


TSJ is part of a city-wide coalition – Communities Organized for Democracy in Education (CODE) to win an elected representative school board in Chicago. This is a necessary first step to bring democracy back to public education and to hold those run the schools accountable to the communities they serve.

The CODE Mission - Democracy in Education

Our mission is to bring a wide range of voices together who care deeply about improving
the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) by making them run more democratically. Our first
goal is to change the way the CPS Board of Education is selected. Rather than the mayor
appointing members at his sole discretion, CODE members believe that the school board
should be elected and representative of the diverse communities of our city. An elected
representative school board would lead to CPS policies that are more in line with what
parents, students, teachers and other community members know is best for our public
schools.

Throughout July and the beginning of August, members of CODE organizations, from Altgeld Gardens, to Rogers Park, to Little Village, to Logan Square, to Bronzeville went door to door gathering peititions for an advisory referendum on the November ballot for an elected representative school board. On August 6 we turned in over 10,000 petitions, in 204 precincts, in 26 wards! This is a powerful beginning for a grassroots diverse citywide coalition fighting for equitable quality education for all our children.

For more information
https://sites.google.com/site/codechicago/


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Time For an Elected Representative School Board!

July 6, 2012 0 comments


Let's make this video go viral! For more information, visit codechicago.org.

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June 30th Ethnic Studies Fundraiser

June 19, 2012 0 comments


Support the Ethnic Studies Program in Tucson, Arizona and around the nation!

Come make connections between Raza Studies in Arizona and Chicago education with a panel discussion, performances and local art work.

Indulge in meaning dialogue with the panelist:
Dr. David Stovall- UIC professor
Dr. Mirna Garcia- Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce
Jonah Bondurant, Jackie Rodriguez & Students -Teachers at Rudy Lozano Academy

Performances by:
Reggie Eldridge- Spoken Word
Kuumba Lynx
JaroChicanos

Sponsored by Teachers for Social Justice

Co-sponsored by:
VILLARTE- Little Village Art Festival
SURCUL/VILLAPOLOOZA

$5 in advance
$10 at the door
Light refreshments will be served.
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3rd Annual TSJ ItAG Cycle

May 10, 2012 0 comments


Teachers for Social Justice’s 3rd Annual Cycle of Inquiry to Action Groups, or ItAGs, wrapped up on Saturday, March 17 with a report-back event held at Marwen, a youth arts organization.  ItAGs are groups of educators and activists who meet for 8 weeks to study a topic related to social justice and education.  They also commit to taking on a project that addresses the focus of their learning, thereby integrating study, reflection, and action.  TSJ adopted the ItAG model from NYCORE, the New York Collective of Radical Educators, our sister education activist organization.  Since 2010, TSJ has supported a yearly cycle of ItAGs running from January through March.  This year, 4 ItAGs completed the cycle – Anti-Military Recruitment in High Schools, Queer Issues in Education, Youth Activism, and the Community Writing Project.
The Anti-Military Recruitment group is focusing their action on educating the community about policies requiring parents and students to give consent for Chicago Public Schools to release their information to recruiters.  They plan to submit a proposal to facilitate a workshop at the People’s Summit, a convening of activists organized by Occupy Chicago to build on the energy of the NATO protests.  The Queer Issues in Education group (ChiQueer), is creating and compiling curriculum that addresses queer issues.  They plan to make it accessible online.  To incorporate the stories of queer Chicagoans into that curriculum, they’re making videos of queer people talking about their experiences, which will be available in conjunction with other resources.  The Youth Activism group is continuing to build together through continued critical discussion of anti-adultism, being adult allies, and supporting youth of diverse identities.  They are looking towards possibly facilitating a workshop at the TSJ Curriculum Fair this November.  The Community Writing Project seeks to further advance the writing workshop method in diverse educational and community-based settings.  They plan to build relationships with the Popular Education Alliance and gather a learning network of educators interested in learning more about the relationship between community-based writing and libratory education.  Finally, the Science/Speculative Fiction and Social Justice group did not complete the ItAG cycle, but the facilitators plan to continue gathering educators who are interested in sharing their passion for SciFi through a social justice lens.  Be on the look out for events from them!
If you are interested in following up with the work of any of the ItAGs, or in facilitating an ItAG for the 2013 cycle, please contact teachersforjustice@hotmail.com
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Public Forum On Education in Chicago - May 5th

April 21, 2012 0 comments


* School closings & turnarounds
* Attacks on teachers & the CTU
* Unfunded longer school day
* Too much testing

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE??

Join Teachers for Social Justice, educators, 
parents, students, and union and 
community members for a forum to 
discuss the way forward!

Saturday, May 5, 5PM – 7 PM
Intuit Art Center
756 N. Milwaukee Ave. 
(@ Chicago Blue Line Stop)
Chicago , IL
(Donation at the door appreciated)

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CTU's Report on Schools Chicago's Students Deserve

April 3, 2012 0 comments

(Click here to download the full report.)

Back in the middle of this past February, the Chicago Teachers Union released a comprehensive report that offers research-based policy recommendations to improve student academic performance and to strengthen neighborhood schools. Chicago Public School (CPS) parents, Local School Council leaders, clergy and educators joined the CTU in supporting this proposal. The following is the executive summary from that report:

The Schools Chicago's Students Deserve is a new Chicago Teachers Union study which argues in favor of proven educational reforms to dramatically improve the education of more than 400,000 students in a district of 675 schools.

These reforms are desperately needed and can lead chicago towards the world-class educational system its students deserve. Our study presents 46 pages of research-based details on the following 10 essential recommendations:

1. Recognize That Class Size Matters. Drastically reduce class size. We currently have one of the largest class sizes in the state. This greatly inhibits the ability of our students to learn and thrive.

2. Educate The Whole Child. Invest to ensure that all schools have recess and physical education equipment, healthy food offerings, and classes in art, theater, dance, and music in every school. Offer world languages and a variety of subject choices. Provide every school with a library and assign the commensurate number of librarians to staff them.

3. Create More Robust Wrap-around Services. The Chicago Public Schools system (CPS) is far behind recommended staffing levels suggested by national professional associations. The number of school counselors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists must increase dramatically to serve Chicago’s population of low-income students. Additionally, students who cannot afford transportation costs need free fares.

4. Address Inequities In Our System. Students and their families recognize the apartheid-like system managed by CPS. It denies resources to the neediest schools, uses discipline policies with a disproportionate harm on students of color, and enacts policies that increase the concentrations of students in high poverty and racially segregated schools.

5. Help Students Get Off To A Good Start. We need to provide age-appropriate (not test-driven) education in the early grades. All students should have access to pre-kindergarten and to full day kindergarten.

6. Respect And Develop The Professionals. Teachers need salaries comparable to others with their education and experience. They need time to adequately plan their lessons and collaborate with colleagues, as well as the autonomy and shared decision-making to encourage professional judgment. CPS needs to hire more teaching assistants so that no students fall through the cracks.

7. Teach All Students. We need stronger commitments to address the disparities that exist due to our lack of robust programs for emergent bilingual students and services for students faced with a variety of special needs.

8. Provide Quality School Facilities. No more leaky roofs, asbestos-lined bathrooms, or windows that refuse to shut. Students need to be taught in facilities that are well-maintained and show respect for those who work and go to school there.

9. Partner With Parents. Parents are an integral part of a child’s education. They need to be encouraged and helped in that role.

10. Fully Fund Education. A country and city that can afford to take care of its affluent citizens can afford to take care of those on the other end of the income scale. There is no excuse for denying students the essential services they deserve.

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