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THE NATIONAL PARENT EDUCATION CENTER
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Chicago Public Schools, IL
BREAKING NEWS: UPDATE

What's happening now:  Updating Story (Sorry for the delay.  However, the level of incompetence is systemic in CPS and we have to carefully draft these updates)

THE EDUCATIONAL VIOLATIONS OF

Student X

On January 4, 2010, we became involved in a case that disclosed the unacceptable incompetence of Chicago Public Schools (CPS). 

Since the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, which commenced in September 2009, a child set in a class room 'failing' as her parents fought for the school to implement documented educational strategies that worked in her former private school.

In addition, unlike modern day school systems, which have contact numbers and emails listed, the Chicago Public School system is very antiquated.  One visit to the website and one quickly will notice that under Department and Contact listings there are only main numbers; there are no direct contact numbers or email addresses.  Twice we were told by people in  Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkin's office that they would not give us their email because they did not see the need to get involved.  Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkin is the Chief Education Officer.

Needless to say, we had to become very creative in getting these emails to bypass the system CPS has in place of faxing documents, a system which forfeits responsibility and accountability.

This embedded philosophy, of keeping parents confused, isolated and frustrated as they try to resolve problems and positively partner with schools, was identified rapidly as being systemic when we moved to the Chief Executive's Office of Ron Huberman.  More disheartening was the realization that from the School-level administration to the Chief Executive Officer there existed an ignorance of NCLB – Response to Intervention,Tier 2.  We, The National Parent Education Center (TNPEC), had to educate them – CPS Administrators- on the law including and not limited to sending them Illinois State Board of Education’s FAQs about RTI.

TNPEC worked with the parent to produce a thorough list of educational strategies that met the child’s needs.  On January 25, 2010, these strategies along with the original list generated by the former school were implemented.  Needless to say, there is a sincere lack of trust and question as to whether CPS can actually meet the child’s educational needs.  However, our first request to move the child to another school promptly was discarded once strong evidence and data supported that problems in CPS are not isolated but systemic.  Therefore, there is an overwhelming probability that the problem would exist at another school and vital time would pass before the child would be serve, time we could not afford to waste if there is a real chance for immediate resolution.

Unfortunately, there are over 400,000 students in the Chicago Public Schools.  According to Educational Statistics, 15-25% of students educational needs will not be met in a general educational setting.  Therefore, this repeated scenario could represent nearly 100,000 students not being served/failing in Chicago Public Schools because of incompetence, which should be unacceptable.