Top Education Stories You Don’t Want to Miss – Week of July 29, 2019

The special connection between students at North Lawndale College Prep and Martin Luther King

By WGN 9

“A group of high school students and recent graduates are working to build better relationships with Chicago police and to make their communities a more peaceful place. The students at North Lawndale College Prep were inspired by the Six Principles of Non-Violence by Martin Luther King Jr., such as “accepting suffering without retaliation” to achieve an important goal. It’s a message they’re sharing with police. The students are known as Peace Warriors. They are present and former students at the high school specially trained  to defuse potentially violent situations by advocating for peace.”

Chicago high school students sit down with cops to build better relationship

By Mark Rivera for WBC 7

“Students from North Lawndale College Prep High School are flipping the script by talking to police officers about how to peacefully interact with members of the community they serve. The student group called “Peace Warriors” shared their experiences, both good and bad, with the officers. Police said it’s an experience that has given them takeaways they’ll use on the job. “I think today was about building a bond between officer and citizen,” said Jeneca Jones, a student “Peace Warrior.” The “Peace Warriors” met with Chicago Police officers Thursday to share their experiences and learn from each other. “It just really got us a chance to really feel for one another. Strip all titles so we could have a talk,” said student Rahmier Williams. Williams called the conversation “the first good interaction with police in all my life of living.”

After $40M gift, Morehouse grads from Chicago area look to give back

By Kierra Frazier for the Sun-Times

“This week, when Chicago native Jacquese Harrison starts a job as a charter school teacher in one of the most expensive cities in the world, he’ll do so with a huge benefit: No college debt to pay off. That’s because of the unprecedented pledge from Morehouse alumnus and billionaire investor Robert F. Smith, who promised to pay off any loans owed by members of the class of 2019. Harrison, who will also pursue a master’s degree in the art of teaching at Relay Graduate School of Education in New York, realizes his good fortune of not having to worry about loan payments as he embarks on the next chapter of his life. “I’m still in shock. It’s a blessing,” said Harrison.”

Chicago teachers to receive classroom guide to 1919 race riots by fall

By Catherine Henderson for Chalkbeat

“Chicago schools chief Janice Jackson has spoken often about the need to create more culturally relevant lessons and tailor them to Chicago students. On Monday, she said that the district will offer a teaching guide about the 1919 race riots, a landmark event in city history. Jackson said that the guide will be available online by September, though teachers are not required to implement it. The program will provide lessons for students across grade levels, describing bloody riots that broke out for seven days across Chicago.  “Given the 100th anniversary, I’m sure teachers will be excited about [the guide],” Jackson said after a commemorative event. “But we will be able to check and see where it’s implemented.”

Scenes from Chicago Public Schools’ first back-to-school bash full of free stuff

By Catherine Henderson for Chalkbeat

“Maria Garcia stood in line Tuesday for a bag of free school supplies, watching her two girls chase each other around the bouncy castle and food tent set up outside Hibbard Elementary School in Albany Park.  With her 3-year-old in tow, she was thinking about how the school year will go for her older children: “It depends on them. If they get good grades or not. If they find good friends.” The summer’s first back-to-school bash hosted by Chicago Public Schools was helping her get ready for the first day of school on Sept. 3 and keep her little ones occupied, Garcia said. For the district, the bashes fit into a larger effort to build relationships with families. Schools chief Janice Jackson, who earlier in the day unveiled new efforts to reduce teacher turnover, has said in her five-year-plan that she wants to engage parents to ensure the district is “moving in the right direction.”