Chicago School Reform

Attending the CReATE forum on public education was really awesome.  Collectively the panel of speakers covered a wide range of important issues concerning education.  Here are a couple of points that really stood out:

• Schools need to be framed to address certain issues instead of organizational concerns
• We need to reassess what it means to be a teacher.  Teachers need to be in a classroom setting that allows them to know their students on a personal level  
• Isabel Nunez, Concordia University Chicago asked when reflecting on your own education "Who taught you the most?  The teacher who knew their material, or the one who knew you?"
• We need to change the system to meet the needs of the students

I really liked the way the panel was structured.  The first eight speakers laid the foundation of facts and explained ways of rethinking public education while the last few speakers called for public action.  I thought it was really powerful to end with an explanation of what needs to be done in order to move beyond just talking about the issues.  The call for action is what really made an impact!  Here are some powerful statements that stood out:

• Jackson Potter, CORE (Caucus of Rank and File Educators), Chicago Teachers Union, explained that we are all loosing ground if we don't take the offense and act immediately!
• A concerned parent explained that education administrators need to "come to our table"
• parent have a lot to say about their children's education
• schools must make room for parental involvement
• Jitu Brown, KOCO (Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization) started off by saying that all this talk about education reform is nothing with organization and action.  When addressing school closing and unequal educational opportunities, he exclaimed that "this was our lived experience before it even had a name."  Jitu also explained that there are two types of power, people power and money power.  Organizing is the best was to create people power strong enough to make changes happen.  He also made the powerful statement that parents don't want school choice; they just want is the best school for their children.  He ended with the best quote ever... "oatmeal is better than no meal"
• The CPS student that stood up and performed the rap about education was more than inspiring!  He did a great job explaining the problems in education in such a concise and powerful way!  It was almost as if this students performance was a planned part of the forum because it was the perfect end to the discussion.