The Politics of Public Schools in Chicago Story of the Hunger Strike

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The Politics of Public Schools in ChicagoStory
of the Hunger Strike

• 3 New High Schools are promised
• 2 High Schools are built, where and why?
• The District tells LV there is no more money.
• Community leaders meet with the District and send
  letters to the Mayor, meet with City officials
  over a 2 year period
• Community is told to go to the Illinois State
  legislature for special funding
• Then the Community was offered a small amount of
  to renovate old high school
• What should the community do?
• What would your parents do?

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What would your parents do?Prior 201/202
students have said

• Community Action PTA, meetings, meet with
  principal, gain media attention, gain support of
  entire community
• Political write and meet with political leaders,
  protest the District leaders, elect new board
  members (in Chicago trustees are appointed by the
  Mayor), write Congress persons, write
  representatives, make it an election issue, hold
  political rallies, sit-ins and marches
• Economic stop paying taxes, raise your own
  taxes, try to raise private funds, send children
  to private school, look to philanthropic
  organizations for money, ask local businesses to
  support schools, move to another community

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What is the reasoning behind where new schools
were built?

• Table 1 (Friedman) Data on North Park, Near North
  Park, and Little Village (2000 Census)
• Population, poverty rates, median income
• Table 2 (Friedman) School Data (2005)
• Attendance Rate, Graduation Rate, Achievement, AP
  scores, Racial demographics of the 3 schools

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Today, complete discussion of how to use the
Analytic Framework to explain school policies and
practicescase of Little Village High SchoolThen
to Jeffersons ideas of Liberty and Literacy

• Why was the promise to build a school in Little
  Village broken? What should residents do?
• This is a story of power structures,
  distribution of resources, geography,
  demographics, priorities of public schooling, and
  ideology.

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Use your list of P-E, ideological, and school
forces in Chicago from the Friedman article to
explain why CPS did not build a new school in
Little Village as promised by 2001.
POLITICAL ECONOMY in Chicago 2001 Social
(Urban life in Chicago, community organizations,
class status, race/ethnicity) Economic
Political (Mayor, power relations)
Demographics (LV)
IDEOLOGY Explains and Justifies
Life (norms) Shared beliefs Shared values Groups
differ
SCHOOLS District Policies and priorities, the 2
New Schools, Farragut Academy
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Does anyone need a copy of Analytic Framework
Sheet for this case?

• Read all footnotes in Friedmans article.
• Defines Plus and Minus Schools and Program for
  Figure 1.
• Contested Space by Friedman
• For Exam 1, one question will require you to use
  the Analytic Framework to answer questions about
  this situation.

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This effort to gain quality education is an
example of collaborative grassroots power and
participatory democracy by a less powerful
minority group. It required an organized and
sustained challenge of both institutional and
ideological barriers.

• PUSH BACK, CHALLENGED STATUS QUO--
• Some level of community leadership---
• The community challenged the dominant
  institutions and its practices.
• The community challenged the dominant ideology.
• It drew on the democratic ideals of our nation.

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Similar to Farragut HSHarper High ChicagoWho
is responsible?

• NEW LINK (see homepage) http//www.youtube.com/wa
  tch?vkpfMD9gWNf8featurerelated
• http//www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Harper-High-Schools
  -Turnaround-Video

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Data on Chicago Public School Students

• 90 are Hispanic and African-American
• 85.6 of students from low-income families
• 19.9 of Illinois public school students attend
  CPS
• 13.7 are limited-English-proficient
• 94.0 attendance rate for elementary schools
• 86.0 attendance rate for high schools
• Per pupil operating expenditures as of FY05-06
• 9,758 operating expenditure per pupil
• 6,875 per capita tuition

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• In 2001, 14 people mounted a hunger strike
• The hunger strike lasted 19 days
• Community got district to build the school
• Community remained involved in school design

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New CPS CEO Arne Duncan
CPS CEO Paul Valles Mayor Richard Daley Valles
resigned 2 months later

• Who were some of the key players?
• Did the struggles end with the building of
  the new school? (Friedman impact of Ren10,
  boundaries, name of school)

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Little Village High School4 small schools in one
locationMulticultural Arts, Infinity,World
Languages andSocial Justice

• Our MissionThe Little Village Lawndale High
  School is a reality because of the principles of
  social justice. Our belief in self-determination
  inspired a community to act on its convictions to
  affirm its right to a quality education.
• Through a system of support, guidance, and
  accountability our students will graduate high
  school, be prepared for college and implement a
  post secondary plan. Our students will cherish
  and preserve their ethnic and cultural identity,
  will serve and determine the future of our
  community, and will have a passion for peace,
  justice and the dignity of all people.

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SOCIAL JUSTICE HIGH SCHOOLOne of four theme
schools in Little Village High School

• Our Vision
• The purpose of the school of social justice
  is to assure that all students become critical
  thinkers through a curriculum that is rigorous,
  innovative, and implemented through meaningful
  school relationships.Project based and problem
  based learning that addresses real world issues
  through the lenses of race, gender, culture,
  economic equity, peace, justice, and the
  environment will be the catalyst for developing
  our curriculum.Service learning will be the
  center of our curriculum. Our community and the
  city will be our classroom. All learning will be
  relevant to the lives of our students.We will
  increase student learning and achievement by
  building on what our students know and utilize
  their everyday experiences in order to build the
  excellence of basic skills and literacy.The
  professional community composed of
  administrators, teachers, students, parents and
  other community members will learn together and
  from one another.

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• One of your Exam 1 questions will be using the
  Analytic Framework to explain this case study.