tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.comments2023-07-06T02:38:01.271-05:00Chicago MamaChicago Mamahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846684175685000712noreply@blogger.comBlogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-35224086843834035382013-09-11T14:35:53.390-05:002013-09-11T14:35:53.390-05:00MFD, true. You just described my suburban 1980s ju...MFD, true. You just described my suburban 1980s junior high experience perfec.....oh sorry, that was just me flinching....tly.<br /><br />I think that is likely what caused some suburban school systems to adopt grade centers, although that is an impossible model for CPS and is not free from problems even within the smaller suburban districts operating under such a model. <br /><br /> Chicago Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10846684175685000712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-82146976381556511652013-09-11T14:13:29.953-05:002013-09-11T14:13:29.953-05:00The Disney II model is interesting because it mirr...The Disney II model is interesting because it mirrors what some Catholic schools have been doing for a while: K through 12. I spoke to a respected former principal about the challenges of opening CPS Junior High Schools as a means to address overcrowding at the elementary school level. Imagine blending kids from 5-6 different elementary schools at the peak of their hormonal squirrellyness and trying to introduce a new set of rules and a new set of expectations in a new setting as the Lord of the Flies social pecking order is being sorted out simultaneously. Recipe for chaos. K - 12 offers consistency and familiarity. Even new kids added to the mix at the Junior High level benefit from the stability. I can see Decatur and other successful elementary programs pursuing this.Mayfair Dadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369647433239886417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-31747048160773422172013-09-11T10:08:55.845-05:002013-09-11T10:08:55.845-05:00MFD, I wonder if the popularity of schools like Di...MFD, I wonder if the popularity of schools like Disney II will convince CPS that it can retain families--if that is what it wants to do--by offering good, non-SE options for high schools? I'd also like to see what the enrollment rate (vs admissions offers and WL) is like for ALL schools because it would tell more of the story. Agassiz managed to call WL numbers in the 300s for K spots this year, but if they were calling into the 300s, the demand is clearly not as high as we had thought. Chicago Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10846684175685000712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-76420514721717030482013-09-11T09:13:04.389-05:002013-09-11T09:13:04.389-05:00"Does CPS deliberately slice and dice the dat..."Does CPS deliberately slice and dice the data a new way each time?" Yes, to make their massive failure to properly forecast population growth and manage their real estate assets appear less glaring. It's easier to bamboozle the sheeple when you keep moving the bullseye. The point made about Taft's overcrowding is valid. Most if not all of the Taft feeder schools are overcrowded, at capacity or recipients of new additions that will soon reach capacity. The NW side needs a new 2,500 student neighborhood high school that also offers magnet programs - think of the Lincoln Park H.S. model where close to 75% of the students are enrolled in highly coveted IB, DH or Performing Arts magnet programs. This will address both overcrowding and Tier 4 desires for college prep programs that compare favorably to SE high schools. <br /><br />Haugan-Aspira Middle School was saved during the last round of actions because it is (for all intents and purposes) a Turnaround School. The administrative staff and most teachers are new. That being said, I think they are on a very short leash. It serves a high poverty, high crime population smack dab in the center of gang territory. It is understandable to covet their shiny new facilities but if you take over the building, you inherit the problems. Buyer beware.Mayfair Dadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369647433239886417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-47644979787027909552013-09-06T10:36:58.373-05:002013-09-06T10:36:58.373-05:00Expect our elected officials to tackle nettlesome ...Expect our elected officials to tackle nettlesome issues like pension reform, tax reform and education funding reform all at the same time? <br /><br />We are going to need some new elected officials. The ones we have now are all dumbasses.Mayfair Dadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369647433239886417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-59645394201526313692013-06-04T23:22:12.974-05:002013-06-04T23:22:12.974-05:00I think early college is very exciting. It's i...I think <a href="http://simons-rock.edu/" rel="nofollow">early college</a> is very exciting. It's interesting how students progress at different rates, so this is a great alternative for students who are gifted and looking for a challenge. Simon's Rock at Bard College offers both BA and AA degrees to its graduates. My daughter going there next year and is really excited about it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-21286197835879244882013-05-17T18:55:07.872-05:002013-05-17T18:55:07.872-05:00Caroline, I have to admit that I commend you or be...Caroline, I have to admit that I commend you or being so outspoken on behalf of the school your children attend. Your kids are lucky to have a mom who is as involved as you are. Can't say I agree with everything but such is life. <br /><br />Mayfair Dad, I'm fairly certain I know who you are, if you were at Rep Mell's office on Monday night. I overheard your comment about the "punching bag" as your voice is quite distinctive. I can't say you're completely wrong for getting this impression: the stakes are high and so are emotions. However, I'm not entirely sure you've listened to everyone who is opposed to this expansion and TRULY heard what they had to say. If you listened to any of the 4 speeches I gave at the community meetings, you would have heard me give credit to Disney II where it's due. It is a great school doing great things. Let me put this "punching bag" feeling in perspective for you: CPS is going to drop $10 million on a building that is not suited for a high school, even with all of the major overhauls. In the process, they are kicking out low income, minority students, forcing teachers out of jobs, and ignoring requests from other Level 1, overcrowded schools. Did DII choose 3900 N Lawndale? No. BUT, did anyone at Disney II listen to the concerns of the community, much less take a TOUR of the building to realize this was not a smart move/location? CPS has already granted your proposal for your expansion, one that I'm HIGHLY doubtful they would rescind. I would have loved to see ANYONE from Disney stand up to CPS and say "give us a location that is more fair for everyone." Do you think Mrs. Chkoumbova is thrilled with this location? From what I've heard, she's not exactly keen on the idea either (hence a memorandum of understanding unsigned by her and Mr. Flaherty) Keep in mind I realize that it's impossible to please everyone but I can guarantee there are better options than this. I would love to see someone from Disney step up and say "we have time to think this through and we would like CPS to consider another location for us." I haven't seen anyone from Disney II willing to take on CPS, rather a lot of Rahm hand-kissing for this expansion approval. It seems to me that DII is in the drivers seat. Take control. Katherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02715538106824922022noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-53416548823321998592013-05-16T09:42:53.823-05:002013-05-16T09:42:53.823-05:00Well stated.
Disney II is not the problem; we are...Well stated.<br /><br />Disney II is not the problem; we are part of the solution. Not sure when our program expansion became a referendum on all magnet schools, poor decisions made by CPS over the past 30 years, the politics of poverty, perceived elitism and good old-fashioned envy -- but for some people it has.<br /><br />In a spirited back hallway exchange with one of the more vocal bashers last Monday, I asked, "look, you guys may have a legitimate beef with CPS but why do you choose to publicly crap on Disney II to get your message across? Why make us your punching bag?" <br /><br />She seemed a tad offput by my candor. I think it is time for more candor. Mayfair Dadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369647433239886417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-79694957659121988282013-05-16T00:12:20.748-05:002013-05-16T00:12:20.748-05:00Well said! I find it hard to put into words all th...Well said! I find it hard to put into words all the conflicts around what should be a positive piece of news: the growth of a successful school and an opportunity for at least some children city-wide to have another choice in HS, juxtaposed against the concerns of neighboring schools and communities as well as the highlight put on CPS operations. I am empathetic with neighbors who are upset that they didn't "win the lottery" for Disney II elementary, but at least the school is estabishing a good model and expanding its seating. CPS isn't going to change its practices overnight, parents have a right to express their concerns about "scraping" for choices within the CPS system, but they don't have to personalize this concern. windycitytiffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09509668491985489026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-49657857167676976722012-12-26T21:42:50.590-06:002012-12-26T21:42:50.590-06:00Hi Caroline. As thoughtful, diligent parents we di...Hi Caroline. As thoughtful, diligent parents we did the song and dance, applying to dozens of schools for kindergarten for our son. We did get into one school that appeared to be slightly stronger than Murphy on a few levels but it would have been an 8 mile round trip to W Rogers Park each day which meant an hour on the bus or an hour in the car... for kindergarten. So we passed.<br /><br />After 4 months getting to see Murphy from the inside, we'd recommend it without hesitation. It also shames me to some degree that I ever for one second thought Murphy might not be good enough for my kids. <br /><br />Will we do our due diligence again this year and jump through all the hoops to try to get Henry into one the handful of truly first class options available through CPS. But lets just say our expectations are tempered and we are fully at peace with the idea of walking the three short blocks to Murphy every morning again next year. <br /><br />All the ingredients are in place for Murphy to continue to improve. All that's missing is improved public perception. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09581402634179973670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-79182496557238215922012-10-26T15:13:28.342-05:002012-10-26T15:13:28.342-05:00Of the 30 people there, I estimate about half or l...Of the 30 people there, I estimate about half or less were CPS parents. Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00411501592387846841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-71636395112202374892012-10-01T16:34:51.841-05:002012-10-01T16:34:51.841-05:00I really enjoy reading your blog. You have a good ...I really enjoy reading your blog. You have a good voice.SoxSideIrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09515989123328818710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-31128486395793816012012-08-02T13:18:28.390-05:002012-08-02T13:18:28.390-05:00I really wished I could have been at that bookclub...I really wished I could have been at that bookclub meeting. I had planned on it, but the day was changed & couldn't attend.<br /><br />I really enjoyed reading your blog regarding it. It's sounded like very interesting conversation and I plan on making the next one! Thanks for the recap.SoxSideIrishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09515989123328818710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-51122151921568167802012-07-20T16:51:17.002-05:002012-07-20T16:51:17.002-05:00You raise many good points, but I do believe the u...You raise many good points, but I do believe the usefulness of union labor has ended. Yes, without unions, we wouldn't have (had) a fair wage, a reasonable work week, and decent working conditions; however, those are not issues that we have to worry about today. Today, we have to worry about the fact that most of our jobs have gone overseas and we have a huge trade deficit -- mainly due to the fact that it is not economically feasible to do business in the US because of union labor. <br /><br />At my company, salaries have been frozen for the past 2 years so that we can avoid layoffs. We are all working together for a greater good. As soon as the unions (and government) adopts the perspective that we need to do what is best for our individual institutions to stay afloat, we can begin to work ourselves out of this economic crisis.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10670862799562263148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-57233943507018693562012-07-04T23:48:51.818-05:002012-07-04T23:48:51.818-05:00I am trying to start a forum for CPS special Ed pa...I am trying to start a forum for CPS special Ed parents. Any input would be appreciated.<br /><br />Www.cpsspedmommy.blogspot.comNoraborealishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06194348889149878307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-68812007525583805192012-06-15T08:33:37.665-05:002012-06-15T08:33:37.665-05:00You are too kind, Caroline! I wish the reality alw...You are too kind, Caroline! I wish the reality always lived up to the image. You are my hero in the world of education advocacy! I'm glad you're getting the chance to unwind from the busy year and that it's so amazingly productive at the same time. I always find that working on one project means I'm ignoring something else (right now I'm trying to confine the chaos to the family room).Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07470986003697686296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-88447885590316446082012-06-05T15:20:52.042-05:002012-06-05T15:20:52.042-05:00According to the ISBE, Taft HS has a composite ACT...According to the ISBE, Taft HS has a composite ACT score of 19.6, which is below the state average of 20.6 but above the CPS average of 17.7. Taft HS has a graduation rate of 81.9%, which is below the state average of 83.8% but above the CPS average of 73.8%.Mayfair Dadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369647433239886417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-6490383626012366672012-04-11T08:43:06.311-05:002012-04-11T08:43:06.311-05:00Perfect. For me personally, I have no grand plan -...Perfect. For me personally, I have no grand plan - or desire - to fix CPS, but I will fight tooth and nail to protect what we have at Disney II. I think the silent majority of CPS parents support the full day initiative. I think these same parents would organize a ticker tape parade for Rahm if he could tell us how he intends to pay for it. It is the funding uncertainty that prevents a huge groundswell of public support for the full day.Mayfair Dadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369647433239886417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-81550270665417660152012-03-31T20:37:22.680-05:002012-03-31T20:37:22.680-05:00Just re-read my comment. Didn't mean to imply ...Just re-read my comment. Didn't mean to imply that you knew I was at meeting (I'm a stranger after all!) but that you probably knew there WAS a meeting at Senn initiated by the community.<br /><br />I'm not sure community involvement at Senn can overcome the gang problems there, or at Shurz or Mather or Amundsen etc. etc. <br /><br />But I will say that the one thing Principal Lofton asked for from us community members was time and involvement. From being audience members at performances to conducting mock interviews for the IB kids to just being physically present at the beginning and end of the day. She lost some security members due to budget constraints and could use eyes on doors.<br /><br />I would love to see Senn become a high school I could send my girls and feel good about.Aislinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01472692545390692771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-80127281307982453482012-03-31T20:25:21.905-05:002012-03-31T20:25:21.905-05:00You probably know this already, but I was among a ...You probably know this already, but I was among a group of community members in Edgewater who recently attended a meeting with the Senn principal about this very same issue. <br /><br />Senn (and I assume Schurz) is never going to be Northside. But maybe that's OK. Maye it could be more like Von Steuben? The Von Scholars program students get very good ACT scores even if the rest of the school doesn't do that well.Aislinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01472692545390692771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-53864203546932517912012-03-31T20:10:24.776-05:002012-03-31T20:10:24.776-05:00Schurz Academic Decathlon Team placed 4th in state...Schurz Academic Decathlon Team placed 4th in state: http://schurzhs.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=237770&id=0Schurzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06773114814809438905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-2434602756009077112012-03-24T10:24:23.901-05:002012-03-24T10:24:23.901-05:00Some ppl are talking about Schurz becoming an IB H...Some ppl are talking about Schurz becoming an IB HS<br /><br />http://cpsobsessed.com/2012/03/23/rahm-announces-new-ib-high-schools-and-programs-to-open/handmaiden of the Lordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11266730926440523116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-61362804590163048332012-03-23T22:08:14.325-05:002012-03-23T22:08:14.325-05:00Mayfair Dad, yikes! those are some scary-low ACT s...Mayfair Dad, yikes! those are some scary-low ACT scores at Schurz. You are closer to and have more experience with H.S. admissions and what makes a good H.S. than I do. But if my kids don't make it into a SEHS, which is entirely possible, I'd really like to see a viable alternate to the parochial school v. suburban move dilemma I'd then be facing. <br /><br />I'm not quite ready to write off Carl Schurz yet. The primary initiative that Dan Kramer spoke of/announced at the arts showcase on Wednesday was a proposal to make Carl Schurz a magnet for the fine and performing arts. As I understand it, CPS came to Schurz with the idea and as we both know, that's probably a stronger indicator of future success than if a group of parents lobbied CPS for another SEHS on the NWside. I believe that an application process will raise the bar a bit, helping to keep the "17-year-old homicidal gangbangers" further away than just across the street. <br /><br />Handmaiden -- I know one parent who is running for a community LSC seat at Schurz this year. I'm running at my children's school this election cycle, but running at Schurz is within my immediate-term plan.Chicago Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10846684175685000712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-81332939179340378432012-03-22T19:21:36.158-05:002012-03-22T19:21:36.158-05:00True Schurz' profile has declined bc most are ...True Schurz' profile has declined bc most are sending their kids to private schools, but with the economical climate, people are looking to their neighborhood high schools. I've seen a neighborhood hs where their aldmerman got involved and energetic moms changed that high school around. <br /><br />Also, since I'm familiar w/the area in which this school is, I've heard that their ACT score went up (yes, I know it's still low)~but what an achievement...that's new people in the last couple of years that have started using the school for economical reasons.<br /><br />I fully understand what you mean about it not being 3rd graders. But if a new vision is in effect w/pride in the school, kids respond.<br /><br />This school has the potential. I would def get the alderman involved, run for LSC and create the school for your children. This can be turned around. Just my 2 pennies!handmaiden of the Lordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11266730926440523116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31514641.post-49145513931855081822012-03-22T16:48:45.425-05:002012-03-22T16:48:45.425-05:00Speaking of test scores, average ACT scores (sourc...Speaking of test scores, average ACT scores (source: Illinois State Board of Education)<br /><br />Northside: 29.2<br />Payton: 28.3<br />Lane Tech: 23.3<br />State of Illinois: 20.6<br />City of Chicago: 17.7<br />Schurz: 15.9<br /><br />Minimum to be considered for University of Illinois at Champaign: 25<br /><br />It will take more than a handful of energetic Alpha Moms on the LSC to fix Schurz.Mayfair Dadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369647433239886417noreply@blogger.com