Top Education Stories You Don’t Want to Miss – Week of October 14, 2019
Noble’s Pritzker Access Scholarship Program for Undocumented Students Garners National Recognition
By the Lawndale News
“The Noble Network of Charter Schools announced its Pritzker Access Scholarship (PAS) program has been recognized as an Examples of Excelencia Program to Watch. The program is one of only 36 recognized from across the United States. The Pritzker Access Scholarship aims to remove the financial barriers to college access and persistence for Noble’s undocumented students. These exceptional students have an immigration status which prevents them from obtaining government-sponsored financial aid that is otherwise available to students of similar income demographics. The program provides eligible undocumented students with up to $12,000 in scholarship support per year for four years of college. Examples of Excelencia is a national effort by Excelencia in Education to bring attention to evidence-based practices that work for Latinx students in higher education. The Pritzker Access Scholarship program is one of only 36 recognized programs selected from 166 nominated programs from 32 states, DC and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the programs recognized and their efforts to serve Latinx students in higher education, www.edexcelencia.org.”
By ABC7 Eyewitness News
“Chicago Public Schools classes are canceled again Friday as the Chicago Teachers Union’s strike enters its second day. There are signs of movement toward a deal, but thousands of CPS teachers will be back on the picket lines Friday morning. Twenty-six thousand CPS teachers and 8,000 support staff workers including custodians, special education assistants and bus aides are officially on strike. It is the first CPS teacher strike since 2012. Teachers picketed at CPS schools across the city Thursday and then the union came out in force with a huge crowd of teachers and supporters marching through the streets of downtown. CTU President Jesse Sharkey joined ABC7 Friday morning and said teachers received a “meaningful” offer from CPS Thursday on class size. “We have been asking to bargain on this issue for literally ten months,” Sharkey said. “Our proposals went in in January. This was the first written offer that gets the ball rolling on the subject. It’s a shame that it happened on the first day of a strike. It’s not there yet though.” They’re pushing for smaller class sizes and more resources. While no deal was reached, some progress was made at the bargaining table following all-day negotiations after CPS submitted a written proposal on reducing class size.”
A day without teachers: 32,000+ educators in Chicago went on strike. Here’s what happened
By Grace Hauck and Erin Richards for USA TODAY
“Students flocked to camps, friends’ houses, safe havens and bowling alleys on Thursday as about 32,000 Chicago Public Schools teachers and aides went on strike in the nation’s third-largest school district. While parents scrambled to find places for their children, attitudes toward the strike — at least those expressed publicly — remained split. Many said they wanted teachers to be paid well and wanted the schools to have more support staff in the form of nurses and school psychologists, a key demand of the union. But people also said they respected that Mayor Lori Lightfoot has a responsibility toward taxpayers. Community leaders said they respected CPS CEO Janice Jackson, who was previously a principal in some of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods. “We understand both sides,” said Wilonda Cannon, a senior director at Breakthrough, a community center in the East Garfield Park neighborhood that provided daytime educational activities for about 20 kids Thursday. “We just want them to come to an agreement soon.”
And here’s a great blog post from earlier this week:
Making Family Voices Heard at Noble
“My name is Miquel Lewis. I am a Noble Network of Charter Schools parent and the Vice Chair of Noble’s Board. This is my second year on Noble’s Board and my first year as the Vice Chair. A few years ago, the network made a big commitment to increasing family and community voice on its Board. Now, I am one of two parents who are on the board, and we aim to champion parent concerns at each meeting. I’m writing this blog to share a bit more about my experience navigating Chicago’s public school system as a parent. My hope is that other parents will see aspects of their story in mine, and will decide to take on leadership opportunities in their schools.”
