Local School Topics

In a bizarre twist of events, the leadership team at an Atlanta high school has recently been ousted in anticipation of “fresh blood” that is being brought in to oversee the school. However, what is concerning students and parents at the school is not necesarily that the current team is leaving, but rather how they were dismissed. Vague letters of explanation about the sudden transition did little to ease anxiety, and now parents are demanding that Atlanta Public Schools comes clean about its abrupt dismissal of their beloved principal and five members of his leadership staff.

Sudden Dismissal and a Security Escort

According to a report at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the dismissal came just prior to the end of the school day on a Friday afternoon. Principal Mark Mygrant was just getting ready to make bus announcements for the end of the day, when district officials showed up at the school. Deputy Superintendent Karen Walden, flanked by the interim HR director and security personnel, told Mygrant it was time for him to pack his things and exit North Atlanta High School, where he had been the principal for the past five years. Security officers then escorted Mygrant out of the building, in plain view of parents, teachers and students.

“I was at work when Karen Walden and the interim HR director came in and informed me that my services were no longer needed,” Mygrant explained to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I asked if I should

What would it take for you to complete high school, even if all the odds were against you? Would the promise of a job after graduation entice you to see your high school career through to the end? That is the hope of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has recently proposed a program to inspire Chicago youth to graduate from their city high schools. Some see the proposal as a blatant bribe, while others call it an initiative that could potentially increase the dismal graduation figures that are currently a reality in the city.

The Problem with Chicago Schools

Graduation rates in Chicago Public Schools are dismal indeed, although they have seen the slightest uptick in recent years. The Chicago Tribune reports that during the last academic year, graduation rates stood at just 60.6 percent, which was higher than it had been in previous years. Students in the city have many obstacles getting in their way of education, including a high crime rate in their neighborhoods, low-income families, and many kids with just one parent. Many kids in the Chicago school system are receiving some sort of government help, with a large percentage qualifying for the free or reduced lunch program.

Recently, Chicago Public Schools experienced a 10-day teacher strike after the teachers union and city officials could not come to an easy agreement on contract terms. Some of the concerns voiced by teachers at the time could play a role in

Although New York City recently issued guidelines for sex education in all of its high schools, the rest of the state does not appear to be faring as well. A recent report by the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) suggests that sex ed in New York schools is inconsistent at best, as well as incomplete and inaccurate in a number of schools across the state. In a state that has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the country, public schools need to produce a well-rounded, comprehensive curriculum without bias or stereotypes, the report recommends.

About the NYCLU’s Report

In creating the report, titled, “Birds, Bees and Bias: How Absent Sex Ed Standards Fail New York’s Students,” the NYCLU looked at 82 public school districts across the state. The organization originally asked 108 districts for information about their sex education programs, but 26 that responded were excluded from the study due to insufficient information. The study also did not include schools in New York City, since the city took measures to standardize and update the sex education programs last year. The 82 districts included in the study encompasses just over 540,000 students, which is more than half of all the students in the state, with the exception of students within New York City.

The report found that although New York’s Department of Health published guidelines in 2005 regarding sex education in schools, those guidelines are not requirements for schools to follow. The guidelines

After a seven-day strike hit the public school system in the city of Chicago, things appear to be mostly business as usual once again. Students are back in school. Teachers are back in their classrooms. Both the teachers union and the mayor’s office are declaring at least a partial victory in sticking to their guns and hammering out a compromise both sides can tolerate. While the Chicago teachers strike is over by all visible signs, remnants of this latest labor move may have ramifications nationwide that last for some time to come.

Throughout the summer, negotiations continued between the Chicago Teachers Union and school administrators and the mayor’s office. Mayor Rahm Emanuel was pushing for longer school days, hiring autonomy for principals, and a revamping of the teacher evaluation process. Teachers were looking for better pay increases, job security, smaller classroom sizes, and more services for their students. As the summer negotiations wore on, some were hopeful a strike wouldn’t have to happen. Others voiced fears that a strike was exactly where the teachers union was headed.

This video from the Chicago Teachers Union discusses what was learned from the teachers' strike.

Two Points of Contention

When union delegates finally voted to strike right after the start of the new school year, two key issues remained in the balance. The first was autonomy for principals in the hiring process.

After a summer of intense negotiations, the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools have failed to reach an agreement, resulting in the first strike to hit the city in 25 years. This week, students who had just started into new classrooms for the school year have found themselves with nowhere to go – and parents are scrambling to find safe options for their children during the school day. With one day of the strike already gone, it appears teachers will be on the picket lines for at least another day, as school administrators, union representatives, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel continue to try to work toward a compromise everyone can accept.

The Anatomy of a Teachers’ Strike

The two sides of this conflict have been working for months to try to find a resolution. A fact-finder brought in over the summer in an effort at mediation called the relationship between the two “toxic.” At the crux of the controversy is a wide range of issues, from classroom sizes to school hiring policies. While some of these issues have reached an agreement, many more still appear to be miles away from any sort of compromise.

At the center of the controversy is Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Before Emanuel even took office, he ran on the campaign platform of reforming Chicago’s troubled school system. According to the Huffington Post, Emanuel worked quickly after moving into the Mayor’s office to allow principals autonomy in the