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IkhlasSaleem: Goodmorningeveryone.Justafewnotesbeforewegetstarted.Wedoaskthat

youturnyourcellphonesoff.Ifyoudon'twanttodothat,attheveryleast,couldyouputyourphoneonsilent?Ifit'sonvibrate,takethevibrateoff.Justleaveitonsilent.Thatwouldbegreat.

Asyousee,wedohavemicsonthetables.Whenyou'respeaking,youdon'thavetoleanintothemic.It'lljustpickupyoursound.

Speaker2: Forbetterorworse.

IkhlasSaleem: Huh?

Speaker2: Forbetterorworse.

IkhlasSaleem: Yeah,exactly.Idoseewehavevideocamerasaround,soyoudon'thavetofeeltheneedtolookdirectlyintothecamera.Thecamerawillcatchyou,soyoucanjusttalkandspeakandbeyourregular,normal,beautifulselves.Dowehaveeveryonein,orwerewestillwaitingforsomepeopletocomein?

Speaker3: Icangodoalastround-up,ifyou'dlike.

IkhlasSaleem: Yeah.That'dprobablybegoodtodobeforewegetstarted.Yeah.Whilewe'remakingsurewehaveeveryone,I'mIkhlasSaleem.IthinkIcommunicatedwithafewofyou.I'mtryingtoremembermytitle.IdodigitalandsocialmediaatEducationPost.We'reanonprofitcommunicationshop.We'rebasedoutofWickerPark.WedoKthrough12educationreform.Howwedothatis,wedothatthroughcommunicating,sowehaveablogthatwerun.Wehaveamaineducationpostblog,sowehaveparents,teachers,students,policymakersjustwriteabouthowwecanimproveeducationacrossthecountry.Wealsohavebloggersaroundthecountrywhoblogabouteducationintheircities.That'ssomethingthatwedo.

Hopefully,afterthisexperience,youmightbelike,"Wait,Ididn'tgetachancetosayeverythingthatIwantedtosay."That'sfine.Ifyouwanttocontinuetosaymore,wecanfollowupwithyou,andyoucanwriteablogpostorwe'lltrytocatchitoncamera.There'sopportunitiestofollow-upafter.

Onthatnote,I'mgoingtoleaveitto...We'regoingtointroduceourmoderators,andthenwe'llgoaroundtheroom.Ifwecouldjustgodowntheline,andwecangoaheadandgetstarted.

NateBowling: I'maguestintheroomtoday.MynameisNateBowling.I'mthe2016WashingtonStateteacheroftheyear.I'mfromTacoma,Washington.Iteachatacomprehensivepublichighschool,calledLincolnHighSchool.ThereIteachAPGovernment,PoliticsandGeography.I'mjustsuperexcitedtobehere,sittingandlisteningtoyouall.Yourexperiencesareverydifferentfrommyexperiences,butIhavealottolearnfromyouall.

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ChrisStewart: Goodmorning,everybody.

Audience: Goodmorning.

ChrisStewart: I'mChrisStewart.I'mactuallyherefromMinnesota.I'mtheseniorpartnerandCEOoftheWayfinderFoundation.Weareafoundationthatmakesdirectinvestmentsintourbanparentstobeactiviststhatchallengetheeducationsystemandchallengethewelfaresystem.Wearecurrentlyinfourcities,growingto12cities,withinthenextyearandmakingourfirstinvestmentsinJanuary.

SharifEl-Mekki: Goodmorning.

Audience: Goodmorning.

SharifEl-Mekki: MynameisSharifEl-Mekki.I'mIamfromPhiladelphia.I'maprincipalataturn-aroundcharterschoolinWestPhiladelphia,aswell,inthesameneighborhoodIgrewupin.I'mthechildofactivistsandaparentofsixkids.

IkhlasSaleem: [inaudible00:03:18]Yougoahead.Alright.

SharifEl-Mekki: Fivestillinthehouse,soonegrown,fiveinthehouse.

IkhlasSaleem: Let'sseeifanybodycanmatchyouintheroom.

SharifEl-Mekki: Yeah.Yeah.

IkhlasSaleem: Alright.We'regoingtogoaroundtheroom.You'relike,"No,Icannotmatch."We'regoingtogoaroundtheroom-

SharifEl-Mekki: We'relookingforbabysittersinChicago.

IkhlasSaleem: What'dyousay,"Sixmonthvisits?"

SharifEl-Mekki: Yeah.Yeah.

IkhlasSaleem: Yeah,okay.We'regoingtohaveyousayyourname,whatyouschoolyouhaveyourchildrenat,andthenyoucansaytheirgradelevel--that'llprobablybehelpful--andwhereyou'refrominthecity.That'salotIjustsaid,soifyouneedmetoremindyou...

KimPreston: It'sokay.Hi,mynameisKimPreston.I'mfromtheSouthSideofChicago.Myson,Nicholas,goestoGaryComerCollegePrep.Thisishisfirstyear,sohe'sanincomingfreshman.TheystartedschoollastMonday,sosofar,thisfirstweekhasbeenatransitionforhim.It'ssomethingthathehastogetadjustedto,butsofarhe'sdoingwell.Hesaysthathe'slookingforwardtohishighschoolexperience,seeingwhathighschoolisallaboutandeverythinglikethat.

It'sbeenawhilesinceI'vehadachildinhighschoolbecausemychildrenare17

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yearsapart,sohopefullyhishighschoolexperiencewillbegoodlikemine.LikeItoldhim,Isaid,"Thesenextfouryearsaregoingtoshapeyouintobeingtheadultthatyouwanttobe.You'regoingtolearn.You'regoingtomeetfriends.You'regoingtoexperiencethings.Youmighthavesometrialsandthingslikethat,butit'sallinhowyouhandleitandhowyouproceedfromitishow...willmakeyoucomeoutofit.

DeitraMatthews: Hi,I'mDeitraMatthews.MysonisDemonteMatthews.HeattendsGaryComerCollegePrepCharterSchooloftheNoblenetwork.Heisasenior,soheisusedtobeingincharterschool.HeisthealumnigroupofGaryComer'smiddleschool.He'sexcited,andhe'slookingforwardtogoingtocollegethisyear.Hehasplentyofoptions.He'sanEaglescout.Hekindofdon'tknowifhewanttogoawaytoschool,orgotothenavyandletthegovernmentpayforhimgoingtoschool.Hehasalotofoptions.We'reexcitedthisschoolyeartoseewherehisfutureleads.Rightnow,he'sjustreallyfocusingonprom,eventhoughit'sallthewayinMay.May25th,hemarkedit.He'sreallyexcitedbecausehe'llbe18,andhetoldme,"28daysandcounting."

We'revery,veryexcited.I'mexcited.I'malsostillinschool,soI'llactuallyhavemyPhDinexactlyayearandahalf.

RebeccaM: Goodmorning.Myname'sRebeccaMcCarter-Hall.IactuallyhavetwochildrenintheNoblenetwork.OneisajunioratGaryComerCollegePrep,andtheotheroneisinthemiddleschool,soIamdeeplyinvolvedintheNoblesystem.Myoldestisajunior,sothisistheinterestingtimewhereyoudevelopwhoyouareandwhereyouwanttogo.We'relookingatcollegesandeverythingthatentailswiththat.That'stheinterestingthingandfiguringoutcollegevisitstoseeifyouwanttogotoabigschool,smallschool,andthat.

Myyoungestisinthatsixthtoeighthgraderange.He'seighthgradethisyear,andthat'saveryinterestingtimeforayoungman.He'snotababyanymore,andhe'snotateenager,buthe'srightinthatmiddle,andthat'stheveryimportantpart,especiallyforyoungmen.Herealizedthatmommyisnotgoingtocoverhimandsay,"Okay,let'sgetthishomeworkdone."It'snowonyoutotakethatresponsibility,sothat'ssomethingthathe'slearningandhopefullythisyear,we'regoingtoovercomethat,overthatbridge.

IhavegonetovariouscharterschoolswithintheCPSnetworkandalsopublicschools,soIamabigadvocateforourchildren.That'smybiggestthing,andDeitraismy...We'relikeright-handmansforeverythingwedotogether,soIamveryexcitedtobehere.

Speaker4: Goodmorning.I'mLisaClark.Ihaveadaughterwho'ssevenyearsold,andsheattendsNationalTeachersAcademy.Wehaveawaystogobeforewegettocollege,quitehonestly.But,we'regettingthere,so...

CourtneyE: MynameisCourtneyEverett.Iama10-plusyearresidentoftheWoodlawnneighborhoodontheSouthSideofChicago.Ihaveanincomingsecondgraderand

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anincomingkindergartneratNationalTeachersAcademy.

StarletteW: MynameisElizabethGreer.IamfromfarSouthSide.IalsohavearisingsecondgraderatNationalTeachersAcademy,andIalsohaveafour-yearold,sohe'llstartkindergarteninSeptemberof'18.He'scurrentlyataMontessoripreschool.IamthechairofthelocalschoolcouncilatNationalTeachersAcademy,andifanyone'sbeenwatchingthenewslately,we'vebeengoingthroughsomethings,specificallyCPSistryingtocloseusdown.Weareahigh-performing,levelone...Watchthenews,possiblyleveloneplus,comingsoon,thehighestgradingCPShastooffer.Weare80%low-income.Weare80%African-American.Wedoamazingthingsattheschool,andCPSwantstocloseusbecausetheSouthLoopneighborhoodinwhichweresidehasdecidedthattheydon'tlikeourcurrentneighborhoodschool,whichisPhillipsAcademy,whichis90%African-American,90%low-income,leveltwo.It'sworkingonit.

Therefore,that'snotgoodenough,solet'stakethebuildingthatNationalTeachersAcademyresidesinandturnitintoahighschool.Ourchildrenwouldallbedisplaced.WewouldbeforcedtomovetoanewbuildingatSouthLoopElementarythattheyarecurrentlygoingtobeconstructinginadifferentsite.Manyofus,likeCourtneyandmyself,withtheplanthatCPSisproposing...Ourchildrenwouldbesplitbecausetheythinkit'sagreatideatohavesecondgradethrougheighthgradeinthesameschoolwithincominghighschoolstudents.

Ididthemath.Myfourthgraderwouldbeinabuildingwithninthgraders,andthenmyfirstgrade,atthetime,willbeinanewbuildingmany,manyblocksaway.Wewillnotletthishappen.Wearemobilized,weareactivists,andweareangry.Wewillnotletwealthy,primarilywhiteconstituentswin.Wewon'tletthemtakeourschool.

IkhlasSaleem: Youwerelike,"We'regoingtotalkaboutthisoncameratoday."

StarletteW: Yes.Everyopportunity.Sorry.

IkhlasSaleem: Keepgoing.

Speaker3: Angry,organizedactivists.

StarletteW: That'sright.Threeofushereandmany,manymorebehindus.

HasanAl-Ameen: Congratulations.

StarletteW: Thankyou.

HasanAl-Ameen: Goodmorning.HasanAl-Ameen.IhadadaughterthatgraduatedfromGaryComerCollegePrep.ThiswillbehersecondyearattheUniversityofMichigan.Ihavemyson,who'sasenior,atBakerCollegePrep.WechosetheNoblenetworkofcharterschoolsbecauseIlikethefactthattheyheldstudentsaccountableinthedisciplineaspect.Theschoolismychildren'smotherandIawayfromhome.Myson,before

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hewenttoschool,toGaryBakerandcommittedtoit,wasgoingtoattendSouthShore,theInternationalBaccalaureateProgram.Iaskedhim,"Whichonewouldyoulike?"Hesaid,"Idon'tknow."Isaid,"Okay."

Hismotherdidn'tlikeSouthShore,soweputhimintoBaker,eventhoughIwasstrictlyforSouthShore.Oneday,hisfirstdayofschool,heforgothishomework.Hesaid,"Dad,Igota[inaudible00:11:56]."Isaid,"Okay,soexplain."IjustwantedtoseeifIknewwhatitwas.Hesaid,"Well,Iforgotmypaperinmylocker,soIhadtostayafterschool."Isaid,"Well,doyouthinkifyouwasatSouthShore,itwouldbe[inaudible00:12:09]."Hesaid,"No."

Isaid,"Well,itwasagoodchoiceforMomtochooseBaker.It'smakingyouaccountable."That'sonethingthatIdolikeaboutcharterschool.Theyhelpmakeastudentaccountablefortheyaction.Eveniftheyforgethomeworkintheirlocker,shewasuntied."Okay.Well,youstayingafterschool."Ithelpsastudentbecausetheygethelpwiththeirhomeworkandeverything.

Italkedtosomeofmyson'steacherslastyear.Cometofindhehasaknackformath.Helovesmath.Ididn'thaveaknackformath,soI'mgladforthat.Italkedtothem.OneofhisteachersisMissThomas.Shestatedthatmysonisamentorandrolemodelinclass.Everytimesheaskedaquestion,studentsdon'ttrytoanswer.Theysay,"AskHasan.Heknowstheanswer,"sotheydon'tevenhavetoanswer.Sofar,IlovetheNoblenetworkontheirdiscipline.It'smakingaccountablefortheiractions.

StarletteW: Goodafternoon.MynameisMissStarletteAnneWoolins.Ihavetwochildren.Oneis29or30.Theotheroneis15.I'mcurrentlyaparentofachildwhoattendsGaryComerCollegePrep.Ialsoamaparent-childadvocatethroughAndrewCarnegie.I'mfromtheSouthSide,originallyfromtheWestSideofChicago.Ibelieveeverychilddeservesanopportunitytoreceiveapropereducation.Idon'tcarewhetherit'sundertheNoblesystem,theChicagopublicschoolssystem.It'saboutaparentsystembecausealotoftimesIalsoworkwithchildren.I'mretiredfromtheUICafter35years,andI'veworkedineducationthroughRooseveltUniversityforover20years.

Now,I'mcurrentlyworkingwithchildreninpreschoolthrougheighthgrade,andit'sadifferentdynamicthatourkidsaredealingwiththesedays.Parentsystemisthebestsystem.Then,youworkwithsystemthatyou'rein.

LaverneThomas: Goodmorning.Myname'sLaverneThomas,andIalso...Well,I'magrandparentandguardianofachildatGaryComerPrep.Thisishisfirstyear.He'safreshman.Hestartedthisyear,aswell.Sofar,he'sgettingit,butthisweek,hegotdetention.But,Iknow,asItalktohimandashegoforward,he'sgoingtobemoredisciplinedandlearntobemorepreparedorwhatever.Healsoisapartof[inaudible00:14:55]challenge.That'swhereheworkedthissummer.I'magrandmotherofsix,andmyyoungestisnine.Deshawn,he's15.I'mjustlookingforwardtothisyearwithhim.

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DavidHilliard: Goodmorning.I'mDavidHilliard.I'magrandfather.Ihave11grandkidsthatgotoschoolontheSouthSide,LibbyElementarySchool.Mydaughterwasaneducatorthere.Withallthismessintheschoolthere.ShetookhercareertoJackson,Tennessee.I'mflyingsolowiththesekids,andI'mdoingthebestIcan.Igotthemfromthetimetheyleaveinthemorningtogotoschooluntiltheygetoutofschool.But,whentheygetoutofschool,they'rewiththeirfriends,andthat'sabadinfluence.Theyhangout.Theydidn'tcall.They'reouttheredoingbadthings.But,it'saworkinprogress.It'saworkinprogress.Lackofknowledge,that'sthekeytolife.Thankyou.

Speaker4: Goodmorning,everyone.

Audience: Goodmorning.

Speaker4: Ihaveaneight-yearold.HejustturnedeightWednesday.He'satPershingElementary.He'sgoingtothethirdgrade.Imetwiththeteacherlastweek,andhehastotakehistestingthisyear.Ithinkit'llbeokay,butasfarasthetestgo,we'regoingtohavetoworktogethimto...Justbeingabletositandpayattentiontowhat...Thistestissomethingseriousthathehastopayattentionto.

BruceTalbert: Hello.MynameisBruceTower,andI'velistenedtoeverybody'sstories.It'ssodiverse.Meandmywife,we'rebasicallyfromCPSsystem,frombackintheday.Mywife,she'sastrongadvocateforeducation,sowithmytwokids,orthree...Ihaveonedaughter.She'sinhersophomore.She'sintothenursingprogramtobeatravelingnurse.Myson,thisishisfirstyear.He'satJacksonState.

I'mlisteningtoyourstories,andwhatmywifewouldpush...We'vehadtheminthreeorfourdifferentschools.Shewouldbeconstantlypushing.TheyendedupLang,Locke,whichwasgood,butthiswasbackinthedaywhenitwasstrong.Idon'tknowhowitisnow.But,mysonwenttoUrbanPrepHighSchool,graduated,andlikeIsay,hestartedJacksonState.Whatshewoulddo,shewouldfindtheschools,andthenshe'dbasicallybelike...Itwouldbeteamwork."Okay,nowit'syourturn.Makesuretheygetthrough."

Theteachersknew.Theyhadmycellphonenumber,andmykidsknewifIgetaphonecall,Ihavetoleavemyjob.YouknowIdon'tbelieveintimeout.Ibelieveintimeisup.

Audience: Yeah.Yeah.Yes.

BruceTalbert: I'vehadoneteacher.Shehadmelaughingbecauseshesaidmyson...Youknowthey'rekids.They'regoingtotry.They'regoingtopush.Shesaid,"AmIgoingtohavetocallyourfather?"Shesaidheliterallybeggedtothepointthathewasalmostintears,soIwouldn'tgetthatphonecallbecausetheyknow.We'remoreofateamthananything,solikeIsay,shewouldpush,getthemthrough,findthegoodschools,andthenbelike,"Okay.It'syourturn.Makesuretheygetthrough."That'sbasicallyourstory.

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Wedohaveafosterchildnow.We'rebasicallystartingoveragain.ShewasinSchmidt,butshetestedwell,andnowshe'sstartedthesecondgrade.Isitfirstorsecond?

Speaker5: Second.

BruceTalbert: Secondgrade.She'sstartingRayElementaryinHydePark,sowe'rekindofhappyaboutthat.

Speaker5: Well,myhusbandgetsthingsconfusedsometimes.Ilovehim,butthey'vebeeninmorethanthreeorfourschools.

BruceTalbert: That'strue.Right.

Speaker5: They'vebeeninmorelikesevenoreightschools.

Audience: Wow.

Speaker5: Ourbiologicalchildrenarenowbothincollege,andthelittlegirlthatwehave,she'sbeeninthreeschools,andshe'sinsecondgradenow.

BruceTalbert: Yes.

Speaker5: Iconstantlylookforabetterschoolthatfitswithinourbudgetbecauseaprivateschoolisnotalwaysanoptionforus.She'sdoingwell.Thislittlegirl,whenshecametous,shewasdelayed.Theythoughtsomethingwaswrongwithher.Now,she'sgoingtoRayinHydePark,alsoaoneplusschool.She'sdoingexcellent,andIthinktheparentsreallyhavetomaketheteachersaccountable.Theyhavetobeaccountablethemselvesandholdthekidsaccountable.That'swhatwe'vebeendoing.

I'vecommutedourchildrenallthewaytotheWestsideeveryday,andIthinkitpaysoff.MysondidnotwanttogotoIrvingPrep.Wehadaroughdiscussionpriortoorientation,onourwayintothebuilding.But,he'sbeenthere.Hedidn'tlikeitthefirstyear.Now,helovesit.AtIrvingPrep,theyrefertothemselvesbytheirlastname.Like,mysonisMr.Talbert.Theygetthatrespect.Theybuildthatmalepridethattheyneed,andtheybuildbrotherhood.Theschoolhas100%graduationtofour-yearcolleges,andhe'sabletocommunicatewithhisfriends.They'reallgoingthroughthesamestruggle.

Rightnow,mysonhasonlybeenatJacksonStateforaboutaweekandahalf,andhe'sbeensoconfinedwithusbecausewewerelikealloverhim.Thefirstweek,hesaidtherewereparties,twoorthreepartiesaday,sonowhe'sallpartiedout.Hesaid,"Idon'twanttogotoanotherparty."Now,he'sgettingmorerealityandheknowshehastostayinhisbooks.WhenIcalledhimtheotherday,hewasinthelibrary,soI'mhopingthateverythingweinstilledinhim,thathe'sholdinghimselfaccountable.It'sveryimportantthatparentsgetinvolved.

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IkhlasSaleem: Thankyou,everyone,forintroducingyourselves.I'mgoingtohanditofftoChris,who'sgoingtohelpguideourconversation.

ChrisStewart: Great.I'lljustsayatthetop,Mr.andMrs.Talbert,thatifhegotallhispartyingdoneinoneweek,weshouldallbesolucky.Beprayingforthat.[crosstalk00:22:58]Ihavetwothatmadeitthrough,andtheydidn'tgetitdoneinoneweek,soGodblessyou.

Wetalkalotabouteducation.IusedtoworkwithEducationPostasanoutreachperson,andassomebodywholistenstostoriesallthetimeabouteducation,theparent'sstoryistheonethatIthinkisthemostsorelyneededtobemoreamplified.Educationisfullofalotofpeopletalkingalotofstuffboutalotofthings,butthatabsentvoice,tome,isthevoiceoftheparents.Iremindpeopleallthetime:theschoolsdon'thavekids;parentshavekids.Aslongasweleavethatoutoftheequationofthesystems,there'saproblem.

Youallbeingheretodayisveryspecialandimportant.Youaretheexperts.Youaretheverypeoplethatweneedtohearfrom,soIjustwantyoualltospeakfreelyandhonestlytothepointthatyouwanttoshare.Tellusyourexperiences,andwe'renotgoingtodoalotofinterjecting.Hopefully,youallcansharetomic.Idon'tknowwhatthatmeans,right?

Iwanttojuststartoffwithareallybasicquestion.Basicquestionis,allofyou,Iwouldbet,haveaforwardlookingvisionofwhatyouwantforyourchild,whatyourdreamis.Whenyougotobedatnight,whatisitthatyou'rethinkingaheadandwantforyourchild?Myquestiontoyouis,intheschoolthatthey'reinrightnow,doyouthinkthattheyarehelpingyourealizethatveryparticular,privatedreamthatyouhaveforyourchildren?Anyonecanspeak.Youdon'thavetoraisehands.Justdon'tfight.

StarletteW: ThisismyfirstyearexperienceatGaryComerCollegePrep.IcomefromCPS.BornandbredinCPS,wentthroughparochialschoolwithmyoldestdaughter,andmymissionformychildren,especiallyforthislastone,wasalwaystogiveheragoodeducation,toteachherhowtobeindependent,hownottogetintofights,nottoletherenvironmentortheotherpeopleshe'saroundinfluenceher.AtGaryComer,myfirstyearexperiencewasvery,very,verytestybecausetherewererules,regulations,andrestrictions.Itwasnewground.Shedidn'tknowanyone.Ididn'tknowanyone.

But,Iknowmydaughterisastudiouschild.Iknowshedoesn'tdocliques.Iknowshe'saself-motivator.She'saself-starter.GoingthroughGaryComerdoors,whatIexpectedwas--Ireadtheinformationpacket--therestrictions.Somepeoplesaythey'retoostrictonthechildren.Theuniformcode...Well,youwearuniform,itcutsdownonalotofviolence,numberone.Numbertwo,thewayshehastoentertheschoolisokay.

Thelearningenvironment,thecurriculum,I'mgoodwiththat.There'ssomeaspectsthatIknowcouldbeimproved,iftherewerebettercommunication,if

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therewassomewaypossibletomakeitbetter.But,Ifoughthardtogetherintoagoodhighschool,andIexpecthertobeprepared.Iexpectmetobeinvolved.Iexpecttheteacherstodowhatthey'resupposedtodowithoutanybiastothechildren.

GoingtoGaryComer,Ihadtolearndifferent...Like,thechildrenhavetotracktheteacher.Imean,literally,whereverthatteachergoes,thechildhastobethere.Theirposture,thecleanliness,theorder,howthey'reinorder...Itwasverychallengingformethefirstyear.Mydaughteradaptedwellbecauseofhercharacterandhowsheis,butasaparent,lookingfromtheoutsidein,IhadalotofquestionsthatIcouldn'tgetanswered,butyouhadtogothroughthatfirstyearexperiencetolearnhowtohandlethatsystem,howtoworkwithinthatsystem.

Speaker4: Well-

HasanAl-Ameen: I-

Speaker4: Yougoahead.

HasanAl-Ameen: Okay.Thankyou.I'vehadno...Withmydaughter,shesaidGaryComerwasgood.Whenitfirststartedoff,theywentthroughthreeprincipalswhileshewasthere,andthenshegotoutjustintimebecausewedidn'tlikethelastprincipalthatwastherewhenmydaughterleft.Then,myson,he'satBaker.Theyjustchangedprincipals,andhisadvisorjustlefttogointotheprivatesector.But,themainthingIlikeabouttheNoblenetworkistheteachers'andstudents'accountability.

Ifmysonneedshelp,he'llcallmebeforehegetout:"Dad,Iwanttogotoofficehours."Isaid,"Okay.Stayaslongasyouneedto.JustcallmeafewminutessoIcanpickyouupontime."Cometofindout,hewasabletogetaletterofrecommendationfromoneofthehardestteachersinthatschool.Everybodytriestogetrecommendationsfromher,andshesaid,"No.I'mnotwritingnoletterofrecommendation."But,shereachedouttomysonandjusttoldhim,"Ifyouneedaletterofrecommendation,Iwillgladlywriteitforyou.Iwon'twriteitfornobodyelse,butI'llwriteitforyou."

Ijustlovethefactthattheyhaveofficehours.Lastyear,whenhisgradeswereslipping,hedidn'ttellme.Hedidn'ttellhismotherorI,sowhentheteacherhadsaid,"Youknowyourson'sgradewasslipping,buthebroughtitwayup,officehourshelpedhim.Now,he'satanAinmyclass.HedroppedtoaC."Iaskedhim,"Son,whydidn'tyoutellme?"Hesaid,"Well,IwantedtoshowyouandMomthatIcancarryonacaseload,andIcandoitmyself.Ididn'tneedyourhelp.Ididn'twantyoualltogetdisappointedorupsetanddisciplineme,ifyouwill.IwantedtoshowyouallthatIknowhowtocarrymyowncaseload,andIknewit."

ThemainthingthatattractedmetoGaryComerortheNoblenetworkistheaccountabilityfactor,andIlovewhenthestudentsgetoutofschool,theycandoofficehours.Idon'tknowifotherpublicschoolsallowofficehoursorhaveofficehours.Youhavetheselectiveenrollment.SelectiveenrollmentschoolsintheCPS,

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they'renotimpressivetomebecausetheyonlytakethebest.I'vespokewithmanyprincipalsoreducatorsfromselectiveenrollment.Isay,"Yourschooldoesn'timpressmebecauseyouonlyacceptthebest.WhenyoutakeastudentthathasF'sandbringhimorheruptoahighergrade,thenyou'regoingtoimpressme.Forall[inaudible00:29:25].But,fornow,ifIhadabilliondollars,Iwouldn'tgiveyouoneredcentbecauseyoudon'timpressme."

TheNoblenetworkisdoinggoodthusfar.

RebeccaM: IreallywanttointerjectwhatyouweresayingaboutyourfirstyearwithyourchildbecauseIhavealotoffriends,andtheylookatmytwosonsandsay,"Iwantmychildrentobelikeyours."I'mlike,"Anychildcanactuallygothroughacharternetwork,Noble.Theycanhandleitbecausethey'regoingtoadapt.It'stheparent.Cantheybethebuyin?"Because,ifyoucallaChicagoparentandyou'relike,"WhatdoyouthinkofNoble?"..."Theirrulesandeverythinglikethat"...Well,theissueisthatwhateveryoudoinaregularjob,Iaskhalftheparentsandsay,"Youworkasanassistantnurse,right?Canyouwalkaroundinjeans,ordoyouhavetowearscrubs?"

"Well,Igottowearscrubs."Uniform."Doyouhavetobeinacertainbehavior?Doyouhavetotalkprofessional?""Well,yeah,Ihaveto."Hello.Thethingisisthatifareachild,andyouknowyourparent...You'vebeenwithyourparentfor12,13yearsorwhatever.Youknowyourparent,andifyoucomeintothedoorwithanattitude,andthentheteacher'slike,"Well,I'mgoingtogiveyoudetentionorademerit"..."Mymom'sgoingtoberighthereinfiveminutestotellyouit'snothappening."

ThebeststoryIcouldtellyouaboutmyexperience,especiallywithdemeritsinthesouth...Myoldestson,whowasinseventhgrade...Iwasoutoftown,andsowashisdad,sohisuncle,ourbestfriend,UncleJeffrey'sgoingtopickhimup.School'soutat3:35,butMalcolmwasstillinthebuilding.HeknewUncleJeffwasgoingtocome,andJeffsaid,"Well,I'llletyouknowI'mcoming.I'llringyourphone."Malcolm'sphonerang.Mobile,that'sautomaticdetention.You'redone.Youhearthering;we'redone.Malcolmwentinthecar,andhewasmad.Jeffwaslike,"What'swrongwithyou?"Malcolmsaid,"Igotadetention.Thephonerang.Yourangmyphone."He'slike,"But,youdidn'tanswer."

"Iknow,butitrang.Igotadetention."Jeffgetsoutofthecar.Theygotofindtheteachertotalk.TheteacherislisteningtoJeffandlookingatMalcolm,andthenhelooksatJeff,andhelooksatMalcolmagain.Hestartssaying,"One,two."Aboutwhenhegetstwo,Malcolmrealizes,"Oh,he'scountingdemerits.Oh,it'smyfault.Ihadthephone.Itshouldnothavebeenon.UncleJeff,wecango."He'slike,"Waitaminute.""Comeon.UncleJeff,wegottogo.Weneedtogo."

Jeffcallsmeandsays,"Whatkindofschoolyouat?What'sgoingon?"Isaid,"Well,whathappened?""Malcolmgotademeritbecausethephonerang.""Washeinthebuilding?""Well,yeah.""Hegotademerit.Hegotadetention.We'redone."Thethingisisthatiftheparentisgoingtobuyintothedisciplinethattheytellyou

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whentheywalkinthedoor.Thechildisgoingtoadapt.Thatwasmymainthing.

Speaker1: Iwaslisteningtowhatyouweresaying,youbringupagoodpoint.AlotofparentsthatIhaveseen,theysendthemtoschoolsotheschoolcanraisetheirkidandthat'swhattheproblemis,buttheparent,beitifyouareasingleparent,oryouhaveamotherandfatherbothathome,thatfoundationstartsathome.Youneedtosendyourkidwithinstructions,lookyouaretheretolearn.Youaretheretobeasponge.Youarenottheretobetheclassclownortheclassbully.Imean,whenIwas...Whenmykidswasinschool,theprincipalknewwhoIwasrightfromtheget-gobecauseImadeitmyjobsotheywouldknow.Okay,I'mgonnamakesureminedowhattheyaresupposedtodo,whetheritwasmydaughterormyson.

LikeIsaid,kidswillbekids,butyouhavetobuildthatfoundationathomebeforetheywalkoutthatdoorsotheyknowit'sajob,causeweusedtotellourkidsbothofusarecollegegraduates,soyoureallybasicallyhadtwochoices.Youeithergointotheserviceoryougetyourcollegeeducation.Thosearetheonlytwooptionsthatyouhave.LikeIsaid,thefoundationstartsathome.Aslongasyoucangetthatonsolidground,kidswillbekids,theywillmakemistakesjustlikewealldidaswewascomingup,buttheyseebywhatwedo.Eventhoughyouthinkyourkidsmightnotbenoticingwhatyouaredoing,theyarewatchingeverystepyoumake,andtheyarewatchingotherparentscomein.Whenthoseotherparentscomein,"Oh,Iknowmychildwouldntdothat,"no,yesyourchilddiddothatandyouhavetoanswerforit.

Theyarelookingatus.Ourchildisareflectionofwhoweare.Ifmychildgoandactafool,histeacherisgonnabelike,"Okayifthisoneisactingafool,what'sgoingonathome?"That'sjustanaturalreaction.Soyou'reright,whenthatphonerang,youhavetodealwiththeconsequences.Itiswhatitis.

Speaker2: WhatIthinkeverydayathomeaboutmychild'seducationismygoalistohavehimpursuehiseducation,getthehighestdegreethatyoucan.Pursueyourcareerandbewhoeveritisthatyouwanttobe.Mysonwantstobeaqualityassuranceengineer,orworkforNASA.He'snotastraightAstudent,buthe'snotafailingstudenteither.Healwayssays,"I'manaveragekid,"andwhatwemeanasaverage,hemighthitthatstrongCorthatB,butheknowsthathisschoolisaccountable.Hegoesto[inaudible00:03:07]andthoseteachersatthatschoolknowmeandwhenImeantheyknowme,whenIwalkinthedoorIhaveteachersandstudents,"Hi,Ms.Matthews,"orjusteveryoneonadministrativedowntheCEOofnoblenetwork,theyknowmyface.IhavetheirphonenumberbecauseIknowI'maccountableformychild.

Ateacherisonlyateacher,they'regonnadotheirjobandifIseethatmychildisslippinginasubjectorneedssomeassistance,I'mgoingtotellhimtoadvocateforhisself,that'sthefirststep.Thesecondstepisformetoadvocateforhimandthat'swhatIdoandI'malwaysatthatschool,"Hey,mychildneedsalittlemoreassistanceinthisorthat."HewenttoaCPSgrammarschoolandmysonisaveryquietperson.Hedon'taskforhelp,sowhenhisgradeswereslippinginCPS,theyfigurehe'sjustagoodkid,sowe'rejustgonnapasshimalong.

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Whenhegottoanoblenetworkgrammarschool,theysaidwearenotgonnapasshimalong.Ifhe'sfailing,he'sfailing,andthat'swhenIrealizedthatmychildneededa504forassistancebecausehe'sblindinoneeye.Withthatbeingsaid,thatdidhelphim/Hecannotdothethingstheaveragekidcando,butwhenhewasinaCPSschool,theydidn'tlookintothat.Theydidn'tresearchwhatitisthatheneedsandhiscareerwouldnotbegoingthewayitis.Hewilltellyounow,Ihavethreejobsasasenior,andthewayhisschoolissetup,theyprepareyouforcollege,prepareyouforyourcareerofchoice.Theyknowhewantstobeaqualityassuranceengineer.Lookintosomeengineerschools,lookintosomegrantsforengineering,theyarenotjustgonnasay."Oh,justgraduate."Wedon'twanthimtojustgraduate.Wewanthimtohaveacareer,haveafutureandthat'swhyIlovehisschool.

That'swhyI'malwaysathisschoolandlikeyousaid,parentshavetobeaccountableattheirchild'sschool.Theteacherscannotraiseyourchild.Yeah,theyhavementors,ofcourse,theyhavetheirfavoriteteachers,theyhavetheirteacherstheydon'tlike,butIalwaystellhimthat'syourbestfriend,theteacheryoudon'tlikebecausethat'sthepersonyouneedtobeclosetoinofficehourseveryday,sotheycanknowwowI'mnotgonnagiveuponyou.

Withthatbeingsaid,moreschoolsneedtofocusonthesekidseducationsandnotovercrowdtheclassroomsandthat'swhyIlovehisschool,theclassroomsarenotover-crowded,sotheteachercansay,"Well,lilJohnnyneedssomemoreassistance,"verses,"Well,we'vegot30kids,Idon'thavetimetoteachallofthematonetime.You'rejustgonnafailifyoufail,that'snotmyproblem."Withthesmallerclasssizes,theycanfocusmoreonthosekidsorseethattheyneedmoreattentionthanjusttheregularpersonandjustpassingthemalong,whichhadfailedthemfornoreason.

Speaker3: Ithinkparents...Iaminagreementwithwhatshejuststated.Iaskedwhatwasthevisionandgoalfortheschooltohelpmydaughterprepareforherfuture,tobesuccessfulinallofherendeavorsthatshemaypursueinherdreams,whateveritmaybe,butasaparent,workingwithparentsisverydishearteningbecauseyouhavedifferentsocialeconomicallevelsthattheyarecomingfromandtomeitdoesn'tmatterwhatlevelyouareon,whetheryouarehereoryouarehere,whetheryouareonpublicaidreceivingfoodstampsorwhetheryouownamultimilliondollarbusinessasaparent,sometimesparentsfeellockedout.

Parentssometimesfeelthreatenedbyjustcomingintotheschoolbecause,I'mnotsayingGaryColeman,I'mjustsayingcauseI'veworkedwithparentsforalongtimeandyouhavesomeparentswhodon'thaveahighschooldiploma,youhaveparentswhoareinvolvedindrugs,youhaveparentswhoarebeingabused,youhaveparentswhohavemybabydaddy,mybabymama,I'mthat...whateverthatsituationis,youhaveparentswhoarefearful,youhaveparentswhocare,youhaveparentswhoyouorImayfeeldon'tcare,buttheycareintheirownway.IworkinanenvironmentnowwhereI'mseeingthemindsetsofkindergartnerswhocomeinandtheyarehungryortheparenthassmokedabluntbeforetheyletthekidoutofthecar,andtheparentadvisorycouncilweregivingclassestotheparentsandthemthinkingwearegonnaclickbecauseyoulookacertainway,oryoudressacertainway/Wehavetomeetourparentswherewearewehavetoinvestinthememotionally,mentally,spiritually,andsocially,andwe

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arenotgoingtofindalotofparents,groupswhohavealargeparentinvolvementbecausethat'sthetugofwarwithCPSandtheparents.

Youhavesomeprincipalswhoknocktheparentsoutthedoorbeforetheygetthere,butthenyouhavesomeprincipalswhowelcometheparentsintotheschool,butmythingisasaparent,whereareyoucomingfrom?Whatdoyouneed?Howcanyousharethisexperiencewithus?Howcanyoumakemebetter?HowcanImakeyoubetter?I'vehadparentsthreatenmylifebecauseyouhaveparentswhofeellikeyouarewalkingontheirground,likegangmembers.Thisismyterritory,thisiswhatIdo.Whodoyouthinkyouare?

Thenyouhaveaparentthat'sawoman,thisisawoman,thisisamother,thenyouhavedads,wehave65%oftheparentsinourbuildingarefemale,butonsciencenight,wehave60%maleparticipation,butwherearethedadsintheschool?Iseedadshere.Parents,Imean,whatkindofinfluenceareweontheparents?Asaparentadvocateandassomeonewhohadtowork,I'masingleparent,hadtogodropmydaughteroffatschoolateighto'clocktogotoworktobementallyabused,comehomeandgether.Theteachershelpedmeout."Mrs.Lewis,youcanbringyourchildtoschool,we'llwatchher,"soIalwaysprayandsayyouknowwhat,ifthedayevercomeswhereI'mabletobeonthisplaygroundtobeattheschoolataparticulartimetowatchthechildrenwhoareontheplayground,that'swhatIamgoingtodoandthat'swhatIdidwhenIretired.

Yearslater,parentsarestillhavingthesameproblem.Where'sthesupport?YougonnatalkaboutmebecauseIgetfoodstamps?YougonnatalkaboutmebecauseIstink?YougonnatalkaboutmebecauseI'vegotninebabies?Whereisthecomraderyamongstparents[inaudible00:09:28]beingtreatedasahumanbeinginthesystem.Don'tblameCPS,theyreallydon'tcareifyou'renotorganized,theydon'tcare.That'saninstitutionandonaschoollevelandinthecommunity,that'swhatmattersthatIthinkalotoftimeIhavetotakeofmyhatandmeetpeoplewheretheyarebecauseourparentsaretheoneswhoinvestinourchildren.Theyaretheoneswhoneedthehelp,theyneedthevoice.CPShasthemoney,CPS,theyaregoingthroughtheirpoliticaldramabetweenourgovernororwhatever,butonadailybasis,Ihaveseenthe[inaudible00:10:05].IsitbackandobservehowthingsworkandthenIwatchandseehowpeoplereactthenIseeokaylordisthiswhereyouwantmetogo,oristhismeanttobe?Youhavetolearnthesystem.soIhadtojustgetthatoffmychest.

Speaker4: Iwasgoingtosaytoyourquestionof,"Doesourcurrentschoolsupportourdreamasparents?"Ourdreamforoursonisthathenotlosehisvoice.Whichmightsoundlikethisgeneralnebuloustypeofthing,butwereallydobelievethataslongasheisabletocontinuetousehisvoiceandfeelconfidentinhisvoice,everythingelsewillfallintoplace.WhenyouareaparentlookingatengagingwithChicagopublicschools,youhearalmostnothingbutnegativefeedbackandthat'sreallychallengingifyouhavemadethedecisiontoinvestinbeingapublicschoolparent.WhatIwillsayisCPSisanerratic,unpredictablesystemanditsveryinconsistent,soIcanonlyreallyspeaktomyexperienceattheschoolthatwearecurrentlyatbecauseIknowthatourexperienceisnotwhatotherpeoplearehaving.

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Atourschool,Idobelievethatmysonisbeingencouragedtobothmaintainhisownpersonalvoice,tolearntounderstandtheperspectiveofothers,andtousehisvoicenotjusttoamplifyhisownneedsandconcerns,butthoseofothersaswell.Ourschoolhasastrongsocialjusticebend,whichisimportanttousasafamilytoo,andmylittleguy,he'sanacquiredtaste.Hecanbeabitrigidandhecanbeabit...he'sgonnapushback,notinanegativeway,butbecausehereallyisjustverycuriousabouttheworldaroundhim.I'vebeenveryimpressedsofarthatinsteadofseeinghimasachildwhoistestingthelimitsconstantly,theyhavetakenthatas,"Okay,wellwhatcanwedowiththatidea?Howcanweprogressthat,howcanwemovethat?"andthathasencouragedhimtofeellike,"IamapartoftheschoolcommunityI'mapartofsomethingbiggerthanmyself."

WefeelstronglythateverychildinChicagoshouldhavethatopportunitytobesupportedinthatway,butweknowit'snotconsistentatallacrosstheboard.Idofeelthatashegoesthroughthegradesatourschoolthatthatwillcontinue,thattheywillcontinuetomakenoteofeachofourchildren'sinterests,concerns,andfindwaystobuildthatintowhattheyarelearningsothatitsnotjust1+1=2,butmoveitintotalkingaboutcommunitygardensandfarmersmarkets.Theyliterallytakealltheirlessonsandapplyittothebiggerworldthattheylivein,andhelpthemtounderstandthatthisisnotjustaboutyouandyourclassmates,butaboutabiggersystemwhichIthinkiscriticalatthispointinhistory.

Idoagree,yes,thatourschoolisdoingwhatwehopedthattheywoulddotosupportourathomelessonswithhimbecausebynomeansarewehandingoffresponsibilityat8:30everymorning,butthattheirgoalsandmissionstatementssupportwhoweareasafamilyandIalsobelievethatifthatshiftedatsomepoint,iftheschoolsgoalsandmissionstatementsnolongeralignedwithusasafamily,thatwecouldtalkaboutthat,thattheadministrationatourschoolwouldbeopentohearingthatfeedbackandresponsivetothatfeedbackaswell,whichiscriticaltous.Nothingstaysthesameforever.Youhavetobeableandwillingtomovewiththeshiftsandchanges.

Speaker5: Ijustwanttotouchononething,itsoundslikethereisatrendinwhatisbeingsaidabouttheinvolvementofparentsandparentskindofdrivingtheprocess.Ithinkthere'salongofgreatstorieshereaboutwhatyouhavetodotomakesurethatyourchildgetstheireducation.Isthereanythoughtthatyouallhaveaboutthechildrenwhoarenearschoolsthatdon'thavethatdrivingforcefromhome,howyourschoolshandlethosekids,workwiththosekids,andwhattheyaredoingwell,whattheyarenotdoingwellwiththosekids?

Speaker6: Icanspeaktothat.Attheschoolmydaughterandtheirkidsattend,oneofthethingsthatwestarted,Ithinkitwasmaybelastyear,wehaveahugelibraryattheschoolandsowhatendeduphappeningissplittingitandcreatingasmallerlibraryforthekidsthatareinkindergartenthroughsecondgrade.Testimonialtothat,everyotherweekIwouldgointovolunteerandthereweredifferentclassesthatwouldalwayscomein.Iwouldworkwithtwokindergartenandonefirstgradeclass,andranintoadad,IthinkitwasMonday,hewaslike,"AreyouinthelibrarywhenmydaughtercomesinonFridays?"Iwaslike,"Yes,yourdaughteris..."

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Eversincethen,becauseIhadneverreallytakenhertoalibraryandknowingthattherewasalibraryhereattheschool,she'salwaysaskingtogotothelibrary.Whenyouareworkingasaparentandgoinginandsittingwiththekids,whentheycomeinandtheyseeallthesebooks,theyarelikehowdoIknowwhatbooktopickout?Yougettoknowtheirinterests,yougettoknowthatchildwhenyousitwiththem,sothisparticulargirl,shewasabletofindoutwhatherparticularinterestswasandtheyhavebeenspendingalotoftimeinthelibrary,soIjustwantedtospeaktothoseofusthatknowingthekidsandbeingaparentandbeingabletocomeintoawelcomingenvironmentattheparticularschoolthatmydaughterisat,itscriticalandparentalinvolvementisnotonlyturnedtoyourchild,butit'stouchingotherchildrenthatarearoundyouandalsotheirteachersandwhentheyseeit,theywantyoutobeapartofsomethingand[inaudible00:15:54]creatingsomethingdifferent,likeisthereadifferentavenueyoucanlookat?Canyoudotripstothelibraryandthingslikethat?Ijustwantedto,asatestimonytowhatwedoasparentinschool/Itmattersandthefamiliesseeit.

Ithinkthatoneoftheotherthingsthatwehavedonethatstronglyencouragesthatreachingouttothechildrenwhomaybemomcan'tbeateverythingordadcan'tcometoeveryevent,isthatthoseofuswhoareatthisschoolallthetime,theyencourageustoworkinotherclassroomssothateverybodyhasamommyonthefieldtrip.Itsverymuchthatideaofacommunityorfamilythatintruth,inanyofourfamily,thereisarelativethatcannotgetadayoff.There'ssomepeoplewhocan'tbeavailableforX,Y,andZ,butinafamily,inacommunity,thereissomeonetherewhomakessureyourneedsaremet.Whetherthatbeworkinginthelunchroomandhelpingsomebodyopentheirlittlefruitpackthattheycan'topenorwhetherthatbeontheplaygroundhelpingkidstoresolveissues,Ithinkthatbyencouragingustonotonlyworkwithourownchildrenortheirclassroom,theyaretryingtobroadenthatreachtothefamilieswhoitjutmaynotberealisticforthemtosendsomeonetotheschoolssofrequently.

Speaker2: Atmyson'sschool,theyhavementorgroups.Theyhaveamalementorgroupandafemalementorgroup.Thestudentsknow,wedon'tknowwhat'sgoingonintheirhouseholds,butiftheydon'thavethatparentorthatguardianwhoisgonnasupportthem,theyknowthattheycanalwaysgototheirmentorwhowilladvocateforthem.Eachstudenthasanadvisory,sotheiradvisorcanadvocateforthem.

IknowplentyoftimeswhenIcouldn'tgototheschool,mysonwouldtellhisadvisor,"Hey,Mrs.Such-and-suchgavemeademeritbecauseofthis,"andtheadvisorwouldemailthemlike"Oh,thatwasamistake.Youshouldn'thavedonethat.Iexcusehimforthis,"sotheyknowwhotogoto,butalsowehaveaparentcomityatmysonsschoolandI'malwaysthere.Itellthem,I'masocialworker,soI'malwaysinthefield,butImakeitmybusinesstostopatthatschoolatleastthreedaysaweek.Whentheyseeme,theywilltellme,"Oh,Mrs.Such-and-suchdidthisandIdon'tfeelthat'sfair,"andwhatwearestartingisastudentadvisorycomitysothestudentscanactuallyadvocatewiththatotherstudentwiththeprincipal.WehaveQ&Aswhereastudentbodypresidentorstudentcomitymemberwouldsitwiththeotherstudentandthatpersonthatgavethemademeritandsay,"Well,let'stalkaboutthis.Howcanthisberedefined?"

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Theyknowwhattodo,theyknowthestepsandtheyknowtheyalwayscanemailtheparentcomity.It'sbeenplentyoftimesIhavesatwithachildandthatteacherandtheprincipalinclassrooms.Theyhaveanopendoorpolicy,soatanytimeIwouldemailtheteachorprincipal,"Hey,onMonday,canIsitintheAPmathclassandobservetheteacher?"Or,"OnWednesday,canIsitinthatphysicsclassandobservetheteacher,"Iwillsitthereandtakemynotesandaslongasyougivehera24hournotice,theprincipal,shewillallowyoutositinthatclassroom.

Wehavetimeswherestudentsdislikeateacherforseveralreasons,theyfeltthattheteacherswerebullyingtheirkidsandwhatImean,[inaudible00:19:20],theyknowwellIcangiveyouademeritoradetentionforthisandthat,thekids,theprincipalshavetaughtthekidswhattodo.Thisiswhatyoudo,younotateeverything.Thisiswhathappened,thisistheresultofthat,sotheyknowhowtotakenotesandhowtoadvocateforthemselvesandattheendof,Ibelievelastyearsschoolyear,thekidsdidthatforawholetwosemestersandguesswhat,thatteacherwasnolongertherethenextyearandtheprincipalhadproof.Thisiswhatthekidsdid,thisishowtheydocumentedyou.Youdidn'tknowtheywasdocumentingyou,buttheydid.Shehadtolistentothevoiceofthekids.Youcannotalways...Iknowtheprincipalhasacode,it'sateachercode;wehavetosticktogether.It'snotalwaysaboutthatbecauseifyouarenotlistening,theywillgooveryourheadstoyourCEO.Thestudentsknowhowtoadvocateforthemselvesandtheyknowwhichwaytogo.

Iftheyfeelthattheyarenotbeingheard,wehave,likeIsaid,withinourparentadvisory,wehaveonceaschoolyear,wehavestudentpanelsandteacherpanelswherethestudents,nopenalty,cansaywhatyouwanttosayandtheprincipal,theadministrators,theCEO,weinviteallofthemtocomeinandwewantthemtotakenotesandmakethosechangesandthosecorrections.Thisschoolyear,alotofthingshavechanged.TheirdetentionsgotcutawholehourbecausethekidsfeltlikewhyamIsittingindetentionwritinglines?Ididn'tlearnfrommymistakebecauseyoujusthadmewritinglines.IneedtoknowmaybeIshouldn'tusefoullanguageinclass,don'thavemewritingadictionary.Theyknowhowtolearnfromtheirmistakesandtheyknowwhattodoandthestepstomakeimprovementintheirschool.

Speaker7: ThebigpictureI'mhearingisthatyouhavetoallowthatprincipaltobeflexible.Ithinkthat'sthebiggestthingisthatalotofprincipalshavesomuchontheirplatethattheyhavetunnelvisionandasyoumentioned,yourprincipalwassaying,"Please,Iknowyouhaveachildinkindergarten,butcanyougotothesecondgradeandhelpthemout?"Or,"Wehavethismanykidswhoaredoinggreatinmath.WeneedtoupourgameandcreateanAPclass."It'sgivingtheprincipalthatflexibility,andinalotofCPSschools,theydon'thavethat.

Theyareoverwhelmed,weallknowthat.Thethingis,whatyouarehearingfromjustthesetwosides,andespeciallywhenyouhavethelittle[inaudible00:21:41].It'sloveallaroundanditdeterioratesastheageofachildgoeswheretheparentandprincipal[inaudible00:21:56].

Ithinkaboutwhereyouseethatchildwhodoesn'thaveallthatsupportbecausethereare...Youhaveagroupthataresupportive,that'snotthegroupyouaretalkingto.

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You'retalkingtotheonesthatdon'thaveit,butIwillsaythatbothatthehighschoolandatthemiddleschool.Theyare[inaudible00:22:21]advisory.Thisisyourhomeroomteacher,eveninthe6thand7thgradeinmiddleschool,thisisyouradvisorwhoyouhaveallthreeyears.YouhavedevelopedarelationshipandifIasaparent,I'mnotsosureyou'retalkingtothatteacher,Ihavethatadvisortobemymiddleman,ortheadvisortalktotheprincipalthatI'mnotverysureof,sothat'soneofthegreatthingsIlikeaboutthemiddleschoolisthatmychild,ofcourseyourmiddleschoolchildisgoingtosayIlovethisteacher.Well,IhaveahomeroomteacherandIhavehimfor6th,Ihavehimfor7th,andifIhaveaproblemandIcan'treallygotomyparents,Icangotohim.

Speaker5: Ihavekindofabasicquestionbecausealotofthesesoundlikeyouhavegainedexperiencewithyourchildandhisschoolovertime,howtheyinteractwithyourschool.It'sreallyjustabasicquestionabout...I'mgoingtoChicagotomorrow,Idon'tknowifItoldyou,IliveinMinnesota,solet'ssayImovetoChicagotomorrow,howdoIgetmyinformation?HowdoIknow[inaudible00:23:27].Whatwouldy'alladvisemetodoifIwasmovinghere?

Speaker8: I'mcuriouswhatGaryhastosaybecauseyouandGracehavegonetosevenoreightschoolsso,I'mcuriousaboutwhatadviceyouhave.

Speaker7: First,IwouldtalktomyfriendsandI'dalsocheckoutthewebsiteandlookupeachwebsiteandsee...Itskindofdifficulttounderstandifyoudon't,arenotfamiliarwith...Whenwefirststartedenteringourkidsintoschoolwhentheywenttokindergarten,wewenttotheclosestneighborhoodschoolandwewasn'thappywiththat.Actually,ouroldestwenttohisgrammarschoolandwherehismomlivesandwewerenothappywiththeway,howtheschoolwasstructured.Itwassomuchdifferentthanwhenweweretherewhenwewerekids

Speaker8: I'msorry,whatdoyoumeanbystructured?

Speaker7: Justoutofcontrol,I'lljustsayoutofcontrol.Ididn'twantmydaughterbeinginanenvironmentthatwasnotundercontrolandsoIbeganto...Mymother-in-lawwaswatchinghersowewentthatwayandthenfromtherewewoundupputtingheratDrake.

Speaker9: Youforgottheprivateschool.

Speaker7: Yeah,therewasprivateschoolsinbetween,butweendedupatDrake,righthereonKingDr,whichnowtheyaretearingdownanditwasanexcellentschool.IwentthereandIbeggedandbeggedtheprincipalbecauseIhadheardgoodthingsaboutitandIhadtocommutethembackandforthanditwasanexcellentschool,adiamondintherough.Itwasinamidstofprojectsduringthattimeandtheprincipalwastop-notch.Shekneweverystudent.Sheknewtheparents.Sheheldtheteachersaccountableanditwasjustalovelyenvironment,soIwilljustsaybasicallytalktothepeoplewhomayknowwhatschoolsaregoodandwhatschoolsarebad.Italsohelpsthatifyouknow

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teacherswhoisoutthereteachinginthefield.Thatwouldbegood.Theprincipalsetsthetopic.

Speaker5: Wordofmouth?

Speaker7: Wordofmouth.

Speaker6: Research.WhenmyhusbandandIwerefirstlookingforahouse,wewantedtodoaneighborhoodschool.Thatwasveryimportanttousandwhenwemoved,weunfortunatelyinCPSthereisarangeofgoodgrammarschools,greatgrammarschools,andsomeschoolsyouhavetotestinto.AtthattimeIknewmybabywasn'tagreattester,sowewouldn'tgothatdirection,butIknewwithDixon,whichisoneofthegreatgrammarschoolsinthesouthside,ifwemoveintothedistrict,itdon'tmatter,wewillgetin.

Theyearthathecameintokindergarten,thedistrictmovedablock.Justoneblock,andunfortunatelythatwastheyearmy[inaudible00:27:15],butthat'sanotherstory.Ofcourse,Iwilldotheresearch.I'moutheretryingtofindanotherschoolandthentheschoolthatwewereinwasverysubpar.Theyhadkindergartenthrougheighthgrade,buttheprincipal...IwenttoaparentmeetingandIheardtheprincipalhad15,000forabudgetandI'mlike,sowhoisnotgettingtheirbook?Somebody,agroupofkidsisgonnagetnewbooksandeverybodyelseisgonnabesomethingelse.IIstruggledwithmyhusband,soIsaidokayyouknowwhat,I'llmoveinto...getalittlesmallapartment,we'llusethisaddressand,yeswewentthatfarandweactuallymovedinto,IgotalittlestudioinBeverlysomychildcangotoLongwood.

Speaker7: Wow.

Speaker6: Okay,andeveryparentconferencewaswiththatteacher,Ihave33kids.Okay,buthow'smine?Ihave33kids.Okay,buthow'smine?Thatteacherwassohellbentontryingtofigureoutwhyshehas33childrenthatsheactuallyputamapandsheaskedsecondgradershowmanysongsdoesittakefromhometoschool?Sobutmychildisonabusservice,he'slikefive.Whyisyoursontakingfivesongs,weonlyliketwoorthreeblocksaway?Itbecameaninvestigation.Ohyeah,thisiswhatIwentthrough.

Theprincipalwentandgot[inaudible00:28:50]togototherentalunittopullmyapartmentagreementandmychildwasstillkickedoutbecausemynamewasonmystepmother'stitleandtheyclaimedthatwasmyaddress.I'mnotgonnagoracial,butithurtmemorethatthepresidentwasanAfricanAmericanwomanandtheteacherwasanAfricanAmericanwoman,andyou'relookingatmewithablacksonandsaying,"Wedon'tbelieveyoulivehere."Thatandmyhusbandsaid,"Wewillgofight,wecanfight,"butIdon'twantmychildtogothereanyway.

That'swhatreallyhurtmebecausethebarriersmysonisgoingtohavetogothroughinlifebecauseheisonlyinthesecondgrade.Ofcourse,nowI'montherecordwiththeCPSrecordssystemandIhavetogototheschoolthatthishousesaysIliveandliterallytheseconddaywhenparentswasabletocomein,theteacherlookedatmeandsaid,

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"Gethimout,"becausehebroketheclassbyreadingability.Mysongoinginwastheonlyboythatwasreadingatgradelevelinaseaofgirlsandalloftheboys[inaudible00:30:10]andIknew,sheknewhewillnotlearnbecauseheisallbyhimself.

Speaker1: That'swhyIhave...I'mnotsayingI'magainstCPSbecausetherearegreatopportunities

inthere.But,asaparent,youhavetofight.Youhavetoadvocateforyourchild,especiallyinthissystem,becauseasMiss[inaudible00:00:17]said,withtheselectenrollment,it'seasy.Theygotthebestofthebestontopofthebest.That'sgreat,ifyourchildisalreadytakingacceleratedclasses.They'regonnacareaboutthat.But,ifyourchildis,"Okay,yeah,hegetsanA.Whoopee,whoopee."He'snotthatimportanttothosewhosegonnagetthemintoHarvardandallthatlevel.That'swhyitdoesn'timpressmewhensomeonetellsme,"Oh,mychildwasatWalterPayton."Isaid,"Great.""Or,mychildwasatKenwick.""Wonderful.""Linwood.""Great."But,ifyourchildisnotintheAPclassesfromthejumpstreet,yourchildisaverageintheireyes.

Forthoseparentswhodon'thavethoseabilities,youhavetogooutsidebecauseitisafightforyourchildmovingupintheCPSsystemforthehighschool.Youshouldseethedaywhentheytakeatest.It'slikeamatchdayforamedicalschool.Itisliterally...It'samatchday.Youhavechildrenwhohasalwaysdonegreatintheirschoolandtheygetalettersaying,"Oh,yes.YouqualifyforLinwood.YouqualifyforKenwick."MysonqualifiedforallthesuccessschoolsexceptforWalterPayton."Hecouldn'tgetinany.

moderator: IwanttotakeitbacktothissideoftheroombecauseIknow,Grenier,yousaidyoursonisinthirdgradenowandhehastotest.

Greniar: Yes.

moderator: Didyouthinkaboutwhatschoolhewasat,whenyouwerethinking,"Ah,man,hehastotest.Iwanttomakesurehe'sprepared.?Isthatsomethingthat[crosstalk00:01:52]?

Greniar: Thetesthehastotakeisastandardizedtesthehastotakethisyear.It'ssomethingwithintheschool,Iguess,allthirdgradersmayhavetotake.Iknowlastyearitwasn'tarequirement.Thelasttesthetook,hewasin,Iwanttosay,kindergarten.And,hetook.Andhe...Wehadtotrickhim,andtellhimthattheactualtestwasapracticetest'causehedidwellwiththepracticetest,buthekepttellingmehedidn'twanttotaketheactualtestagain.Itwas,like,we'vegottotakeanotherpracticeagain,becausehewassoscaredofthetest.

And,we,youknow,asparentsyouwanttoinstillthat,"Okay,wegottodogoodonit."Exceptyougottapassthistest.So,hewassoafraidtotakeit,butI'mjustworriednowthathestillwanttohavethatfearbecauseIwanthimtoexcelbutIdon'twant...I'mscaredthatthistestisgoingtohinderhim.Of,he'snotgoingtowellonthistest.Rather...Notthathedoesn'tknowthework.That'snottheissue.It's,just,lettinghimknowthere'satestthatyouhavetotake.

Speaker5: Totheparent...thethirdgrader:Ihadaproblem...Well,Ihadconcernswithmyolder

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daughteraboutthat.But,beinginthepublicschoolsystem,andknowinghowthestandardizedtestsareputinplace,theworsethingthataparentcandoisweenableourchildrenbyinstillingthatfearinthembyputtingtoomuchpressureonthematanearlyagetotestwell.Because,perse,theworstcasescenarioisthathehasateacherinthatthird-yearbenchmarkwhoisnotteachingthemwhatheorsheneedstoknow,butthetestisreallybasedontheknowledgethatthatchildhaslearnedfromKindergartenthroughthirdgrade,thevocabulary,theunderstanding,thereading.And,nowadays,everything,almosteverything...Ifyourchildisataschoolthathasalotofmoderntechnology,isdoneonacomputer.So,theyshouldbeinpreparatorystageoncetheyenter...

Onceyougobacktoschoolnextweekor,ifyouhaven'tstarted,that'swhatIwouldgagewiththeteacher,istofindoutthestepsthatarebeingtakentopreparethechild.And,then,testingday,ifyou...Iwouldsay,"Well,youknowyouhavetotestwell.Iputalotofstress.Youcannotgeta"C."Idon'tdoC's.Idon'tdoF's.Idon'tcareyou...IwillhalfkillyouifyoucomehereandtellmeyougotanF.Don'ttellmewhattheteacherdid."SayallofthatandIhadlearn."Okay.I'mnotgoingtopressureyou."

And,then,bymeworkingwithprimarygradesnow,Iseetheparentsofthegiftedchildren."You'regifted.You'rethis.You'rethat."Okay,that'sallgoodandfine,butthatchild'sinaclassroomwitheveryone,sotakeitdownalittlenotchtosay,"Okay,baby,thisiswhatwe'regonnado."But,yourteachers,yourprincipal,shouldbeabletotellyouhowthey'repreparingyourchildforthebenchmark.

And,onceit'sdoneelectronically,now...CPSusedtohaveaprocesswhere[inaudible00:05:01]grades.So,thecalculationsweredoneatrandom.Now,whenyourchildisatthelaptoporattheChromebookandtheyentertheiranswer,it'scalculatedandit'smatchedupcitywide.So,there'snomorecentrallylocatedinthatschool.

But,ifyourchildhastestinganxietyyouhavearightasaparenttoaskforassistanceinthebeginning,inSeptember.Idon'tcareifit'sanIEP.Idon'tcareifit'sadditionalreading.Idon'tcareiftheyhavetotakeyourchild...Ifyourchildhasspecialneedsandismentally-challenged,ortheyarehavingbehaviorproblems,youhavearighttoaskforadditionalhelpinthatschool.Yourprincipalhasitintheirbudgettoprovideyouwiththehelp.

Chris: IknowNatehadaquestionyet[inaudible00:05:48]

Nate: So,I'veheardlotsofdiscussionaboutpoorstructurallypractice,andpoorbehavior.Particularly,yourstoryhasmyheartbrokenrightnow.And,also,aboutgoodbehaviorandgoodstructuralpractice.And,so,justverypragmaticallyandalsospecifically,I'mwonderingwhenyouwalkintoaschooloryoumeetateacher,whendoyouknowthatmychildisingoodhands?Whataretheindicators?Whatdemonstratestoyou?And,then,also,whendoyouwalkinandyougo,"Ot-oh."Like,whatarethe"ot-oh"signalstoyou?

moderator: IwouldlovetohearfromLaverneandDavid,too,becausewehaven'theardalotfromyou.So,Iwanttogiveyousomespace.Ifyou'recomfortablewiththat,butIjust

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wantedtogiveyouspaceifyoudidhavesomething.

LaVerne: I'mreallylovingwhatyouyetsaidabouttheschoolsystem'causeIhaveanineyearold.And,unfortunately,hedidn'tpassthirdgradethisyear,anditwasbecauseofhis...thetestingscores.WhenIlookbackathisgradesandeverythingfromtheschoolyear,reportcards.Sure,hegotD's,someD's,buthehadA'sandB'saswell.

Becausetheschooldidn'tnotifymeofhis...inthebeginningthattherewasgonnabethetestthathewouldhavetotake,thathewouldhavetopass,I...He'sagoodstudent.Hedidhishomework.Heloveddoingschool.But,hewasstruggling.Hewasstrugglingalotinschool,andIdidmybest.But,again,theteachers,hadtheynotifiedmeearlyonintheyearthattherewasaproblemwithhimandIneededto...Icouldhavegottenhimtutoring.Icouldgetalotofthingstohelphim.

Butbecausetheydidn'tworkwithme,sotospeak,hefailed.Thatwaskindadevastatingforhim,because,likeIsaid,IamhisGrandmother.I'malsohisfoster...guardian.Thatwasjustlikeanotherknockdownforhim.Ijustthinkthattheyneedtobemore...Theyneedtoworkwiththeparentsalittlebitmoreinthebeginningandjust...Becausethisis...He'sfailingthirdgrade.Thisishisthirdyear.So,he'sbeenatthatschoolsincehewasinKindergarten,sotheyknewhisrecord.Buttheyfailedtohelpme,ortohelphim,togettothepointwhereheneededtobe.Ijustthinkthattheyneedtobemorepatientwiththechildrenaswellastheparents,andjustkindahelpusalongsoweknowwhattodoandhowtohelpourkidstobethebestthattheycanbe.Youknow?

Speaker9: CanIaskyouaquestion?IcomefromauniqueperspectivebecauseI'macollegeprofessor.WhenIwaslookingatschoolsformychild,Itookthelongview.What'sgoingoninKindergartenthat'sgoingtosetup,notjustmykid,butallkidsintheschoolforsuccess.Becausetobehonest,mykidsaregoingtobefinewherevertheygo.I'macollegeprofessor.Ihavethetoolsathomethatwhateverenvironmentthatsheandmysonarein,theirlivesaregoingtobefine.So,I'mnotnecessarilyworriedaboutthem...theireducationaloutcome.ButIamworriedaboutsocial-emotionaldevelopment,andbeinginaschoolthateducatesallchildrenequally,notjustoneslikeminewhohavethebenefitoftwoparentsathomewithcollegedegrees.

AndIdidnotwantalsomychildrenalsobeinginanenvironmentthatwasveryexclusionary,thatonlyhadchildrenandfamiliesthatlookedlikemine.AndalsoI'mcheapanddon'twanttopayforprivateeducation.Because,also,asacollegeprofessor,IknowthatI...Firstofall,numberone,it'snotnecessaryforyoutopayexorbitantamountsofmoneytosendyourchildtogrammarschool.And,numbertwo,I'mnotpayingformysixyearoldtogetsomethingthatotherparentsarepayingmetodofortheir18yearold.So,thatwasjustoffthetable.

So,whenIwasdoingmysearch,IwasvisitinglotsofschoolswithintheradiusIwaswillingtotravel.AndIknewthat...ShewasonlythreeorfouratthetimeIwaslooking;yes,I'malittlepsycho.But,shemusthavebeenthreebecausemysonhadbeenborn.AndsoIknewIhadtwochildren.Andyouneverknow...Ithoughtmyfouryearoldwasbrilliant.Butmysonwasababyandhecouldbeafool.Right?Which,actually,heiskindof[crosstalk00:10:51]...So,IknewthatwhateverschoolIwaslookingfor,Iwas...First

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ofall,Iwasnotwillingtoseparatemychildren.Idon'twanttodotwopickupsandtwodropoffs.So,Ineededaschoolthatwouldbegreatforbothofthemregardlessofwhattheiractualintellectualabilityturnedouttobe.

So,Iwasreallylookingatschoolsthathadaselectiveenrollmentcomponentandaneighborhoodcomponent,soIcouldsortajust,"Whereverthechipsmayfallformytwochildren,"letitgothatway.So,Ivisitedquiteafewofthem,andIvisitedafewoftheschoolsthatweresolelyselectiveenrollment.And,asmanyofyouweresaying,withthesolely-selectiveenrollmentschools,IwasnotimpressedbecauseIknowthatitisveryeasytoteachsmartchildren.Ihavetaughtsolelysmartchildren.And,it'sfun.AndallIhavetodoisgointoworkandsay,"Hey.So,whatdidyouthinkaboutthebook?"Andthensitbackforanhourand20minutesandjustletthemtalk.

But,whenyouhave...AndI'vebeenatthreecollegeinstitutions,fromaprivateschool...religiousprivateschool,selective,veryselectivetopublicuniversity.NowI'matHaroldWashingtonatthecommunitycollege.AndthehardestjobI'veeverhad,andthemostrewarding,isatHaroldWashingtonbecausemystudentscometomewithvery[inaudible00:12:03]abilities.

So,whenIwalkintoNTA,andtheschoolwasleveltwoatthattime.So,whenyoutalkabout,"Howdoyouknowwhatschooltosendyourchildto?"Youmustvisit.Youmusttalktopeople.But,also,youmusttalktotherightpeoplebecauseyoucouldtalktosomeoneandtheysay,"Youknow,thatNTA,it'sleveltwo.Theygottoomanyblackkidsthere.Theygottoomanypoorkidsthere.It'snotreallyforyou."And,theymightberight.Or,theymostlyarewrong.Right?Youhavetogoandvisityourself.

So,Iwenttotheschoolbecauseit'sveryclosetomyhouse.And,assoonasIwalkedin,Iwas...Firstofall,Iwasimpressedwiththefacilitiesandtheorderandthecleanlinessthatwasgoingonthere.But,then,Istartedtobe...Ilistenedverycloselytothewaysthattheteacherstalkedtoeachother,andthewaytheteacherstalkedtostaff...talkedtoadministration.Right?Becauseanytensionsthatyoumayseeamongsttheteachers,betweeneachother,orwithadministration,youknowisgoingtoboildown,bubbledownintotheclassroom.Right?So,iftheprincipalisatyrantoradictator...Onthoseopenhousesyouknowthey'reallontheirbestbehavior,butyoucanalwaysfeelthattension.AndIfeltnotensionthere,andIfeltcomradery,andIfeltrespectamongsttheteachers.So,formeIsaid,"Okay.That'sagoodpoint."

And,then,Istartedaskingthemquestionsabouttheireducationalpractice,veryspecificquestions.AndIdohavetheadvantageofbeinganinsider,soIknewthekindsofquestionstoask.Right?Whatdoyouthinkaboutdifferentiatedinstruction?Whatdoyoudowhenyouhaveakidwhocanreadinfirstgrade,andakidwhocan'trecognizetheletterA?Howdoyoudothat?Andtheiranswersimpressedme.AndthenIwentintotheclassroomandIlookedaroundateverythingthatwasintheclassroomtohelpwithinstruction.Whatkindsofthingstotheyhaveontheboard?Whatkindsofquestions?Howisthealphabetsetup?Howarethenumberssetup?Whatkindofmathwork?Whatkindsofquestionsweretheyasking?AndIdidthisatmany,manyschoolsincludingprivateschools.

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AndwhenIwenttoNTA,whatIsawwasalevelof,firstofall,teacherswhounderstoodtheirpractice.Theyunderstoodthatregardlessofwhereachildcamefrom,andwhatleveltheycamefrom,theyknewhowtotakethatchildandmakethatchildexceltothebestofthatchild'sability.And,ifaschoolcantakeaKindergartnerwhocannotrecognizetheletterAandgetthemtogradelevelbythetimetheyleaveKindergarten,mychild,Iknow,isgoingtobefine.And,so,therewasjustafeelingwhenIwenttoNTAandtalkedtotheteachers,andlookedattheclassroom,andsawwhattheyweredoingontheactual,practicallevel,andthenitalsofeltgoodasaschool.ThatIsaid,"Okay.Thisistheoneforme."

And,ithasbeenasortofamazingexperienceforus.But,itiscomplicatedbecause,asItellmanypeople,Chicagohas...CPShasalotofproblems,butalmost,inaway,asparentsourbiggestproblemiswehavetoomanychoices.Itsoundsfunnytosaythat,butmanypeoplemovetothesuburbstoescapethetyrannyofchoice.Right?Selectiveenrollment.Neighborhoodschool.Privatecollege.Catholicschool.Non-religious...LikeIjustdon'tknow...charterschool.It'stoomanychoices,andso,inaway,wecandriveourselvescrazytryingtofigureoutwhat'sthebestoneformychild.Where,inthesuburbs,inmanysuburbs,youjustdon'thavethatproblem.Youmove.Theyallgotothisschool[crosstalk00:15:58]

Chris: Whatyouweresaying...thatthisisveryimportant.[crosstalk00:16:01]

Speaker9: Andyouhavetoaskyourownquestionsbecauseifyouaskquestionsofyourfriends...Youthinktheirvalueslineupwithyours,youmayget...Youmay...BecauseI'vehadmanypeopletomewhoIthoughthadsimilarvalues,whentheyfindoutthatmychildisinapublicschool,they'relike...[crosstalk00:16:25]

moderator: Forasecond.Wehaveonlyabouttenmoreminutesleft.Timefliesby.AndtherearetwothingsIwanttoraise.IknowBrucehasbeenraisinghishandforforever.Ifearyou'regoingtokillmeifIdon'tletyouspeak,but,also,Davidhasn'thadachancetospeak.So,let'shaveDavidgo,andthenBruceyoucango.Then,I'llhanditbacktoChris.

Chris: Well,andSherrickhasn'tgone[crosstalk00:16:46]

Speaker10: Rightquick.IhaveGrandkids,andnoticewhen...I'moldschool.[inaudible00:16:58]whenI'vehadhimhishomework,man,he'lltake...I'llsay,"Twoplustwoplusthisandthat."And,he'llforget.Ijusttoldyouthat.Andhe'llhavetenseconds.AndInoticedthatwhencommercialscomeon,hecansitall[crosstalk00:17:13].Likeagenius.So,I'mlearning.I'mlearning.Oldschoolisout,butpatience.Butpatience.Butpatience.He'sagenius.

moderator: Chris,didyouwanttoask[crosstalk00:17:34]

Speaker11: I'mgonnasaythisstoryquick.We...Whilewewasinoursearchforschools,we...Mysonwenttothisoneschooland,itwaswhat?Thirdgrade?Hewenttotheschool,comehomefirstday,nobooks.Comehomethefourthday,nobooks.

Ihadaparent-teacherconference.So,Igetthere.Theprincipalwasthere.Staffwas

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there.Andhisteacher...Meandmywifehadwenttotheschool.Healwayshad,nodisrespect,butalwayshadthemothersthere.Theysmileandlookin'athim'causehehadlonghair,andtheytalkin'tohim,makinggogglyeyes,andI'msittin'upthere.I'mlike,"Okay.Enoughofthisnonsense."

So,wegetintohavetheconference.So,everybody'sstandingaround,soIstandup.Isay,"Mysonhasbeenherealmosttwoweeks.Howcomehedoesn'thaveanybooks?"Oh,well,ourbudget...goinngthroughthe[inaudible00:18:46]budget.Isaid,"Well,Itellyouthis,mysonhadbetterhavesomebookswhenhecomehomethenextday."

Mysoncomeshome,hasallthebooks.And,then,Iaskhimaquestion.Whataboutyourotherstudents?Oh,theyjustgavemethebooks.So,mywifeislookingatme.I'mlookingather.Andmywifeislike,IguessI'mgoingbacktomysearchagain.Isay,Iguessyouare.

AndthisschoolwasinHydePark.So,itdoes...whatshebroughtupaboutvisitingschools,lookingoverit.Butthatwasawful.IsaidthatwasinHydePark,goodschool.Well,wethoughtitwas.But,Iadmit.Igavethosepeopleintheirofficegrief.Iwouldn'tletup.IwasconstantlytothepointthatthesecretarywhenIwalkedintheprincipaloffice,shejustkindalikeherfacewouldjustgetredbecauseIguess,he'sabouttocomplainaboutsomething.So,wegothimoutofthere.

moderator: And,Sherrick,justwantaask[crosstalk00:20:06]

Sherrick: Onethingthathasbeenconsistentthroughoutthisconversationisjusthowmuchblackparents,notonlylovetheirkidsandwantthebestforthem,buttheyhavethatsamedesireandaspirationsforotherpeople'skids,likethiscommunalfeel,likeI'vehearditsomanytimes.Peoplelike,"Hey.Also,otherchildren..."Andtalkingaboutjustwhatrespecttootherpeople'schildren,whichisalwaysjustheartwarming.So,myquestionsrelatesto,again,Iheardthistheme,also,butIwanttoaskyoupointblankandI'dlikeyoutojustgivemeonekindofwordorsentencetorespond.We'reraisingkidsinasocietythat'sheldthemorcrushingthem,theirpsyche.There'sjustsomanytracksandarrowspointedintheirdirection.Whatdoyoulookforinaschool?Howisyourschoolsupportingapositive,strongpositiveracialidentityinyourchildorchildren?

moderator: Yeah.Andifwecouldanswerthat,butalsogivespacesowecanhavemultipleanswers.Trytokeepitalittleshort.AndIthink,Canssan,youraisedyourhandearliertoanswersomething[crosstalk00:21:19],andIhadtoshutyoudown.But,ifyouwanttoanswerthisquestion.

Cassan: Lastyear,mysonhadanadvisor.Helefttogoto[inaudible00:21:32].Well,alotofquestionsofthepathIchoseformyson,hismotherandIchosewiththe[inaudible00:21:42],butwestillhadthatcommonchord,a...Thisisthepathyouwalk.Youalwayshavetwochoices,nomatterwhereyougo.Obviouschoices.

Hisadvisorwas...Heacceptedhimasnotonlyasanadvisor,butasafriendandamentor,aswell.And,Isaid,"Son...."Wheneveryouthinkaboutit,Isaid,Idon'ttakeitpersonallybecauseyou'rebein'fathered.Isaid,I'llseeyoueverydayandI'llpickyouup

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everyday,andeverytimeIseeyouradvisor,instructors,wesee...I'mgladtohaveyourson.Iwishmorestudentswerelikeyourson.

And,whichisgood'causeanytimeyouhaveateacheroranytypeofadministratorinateachingenvironment,that'sinitforthestudentsbecauseeverybodycan't,isnotgonnacatchthingsjustlikethat.But,fortheteachertostepasideandmakesureyourstudentoryourchildgetsit,veryimpressive.Manyschoolsdon'ttoit.Yougotalltheseselective-enrollmentschoolsthatdon'tevenworkwithyoursonandmakesurethathepaidattentionorhegrabsthematerial.

moderator: AndcanJunesaysomething[inaudible00:23:03]

June: Yeah,whenhewereaskingabouthowdoyoufeelwhenyougovisittheschoolandthingslikethat,whenI...Whenmysongot...Hegotacceptedtoquiteafewschools,buttheNobleNetworkhadahighschoolfairatEYC.So,that'showIgotintroducedtotheNobelNetwork,butthenIhavemynephew,Monti,hersonwhoisaseniorwhogoesthere.So,mysonhadbeentoafewthingsatGaryComo,andIguesshejustlikedthewaytheyhadthingssetup.Theywaytheteachersinteractwiththestudents,thestructure.Thingslikethat.HecomesfromanIBschool.So,ofcourse,theyworeuniforms.Theyhadstructure.Theyhadthis.Youknow,andthingslikethat.So,forhimtotransformovertoaschoolthathadit,itwasn'tabigadjustmentforhim.Now,theonlythingthatheisworriedaboutasfarastheLaSalle,demerits,andthingslikethat[crosstalk00:24:02]

Chris: WhatisLaSalle?

moderator: It'safterschool

June: Afterschool.Homeworkorsomething.

Chris: Gotit.

June: Ithinkit'slikeanhour.[crosstalk00:24:09]

LaVerne: It'sanhour.Ifthere's20mathproblems,andyoumissone.Well,yougotoLaSalletocorrectthatmathproblem.So,therefore,you'relearninghowtodotheproblemright.

June: Right.

LaVerne: Or,ifyoudidn'tturninthehomeworkassignment.Well,nowyouhaveLaSalleandyou'regonnafinishthathomework.

Chris: It'slikemandatoryofficehours.[crosstalk00:24:27]

LaVerne: It'slikemandatoryofficehours.It'slikeLaSalleStreet,thebank.Thejobisneverfinisheduntilit'sdone.[crosstalk00:24:33]

June: Right.Youknow.So,[crosstalk00:24:35]Ididn'tunderstand.LikeIsaid,thisismyfirst

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year...ThisisourfirstyearwiththeNobelNetwork.And,sofar,it'sbeenthefirstweekofschool.Ilikeit.I'mfinewithit.I'mwiththedisciplinebecauseI'mnottolerantlikeaparent.Youdon'tgotoschooltoplay.Youdon'tgotoschooltofoolishnessbecause...Eveninhisgrammarschool,ifIgetthisphonecallthatyou'reactingup,whenIgetthere,theydon'tevenaskmetosignin.Theydon'tevenaskmeto[inaudible00:25:13].TheyknowwhereI'mgoing.AndIwon'tbetherelong.I'llbewalkingrightbackoutinaboutfiveminutes,andyouwon'thavenoproblemsanymore.

So,whenIgotlikethecallslikefrom,Iguess,theadvisorandthecounselor,onelady,MissDavenport,wetalked.Shecalledmesomuch,wetalkedonthephonebeforeweevenmet.ItwaslikewhenIwalkedinthedoor,meneverlayingeyesonher,weknewexactlywhoeachotherwasbecausewehadtalkedsomuch.AndIwastellingherthat,ofcourse,asaparent,youalwayswantyourchildtodobetterthanyou.NotthatI'vedonebadformyself,butyoualwayswantyourchildtohavemore.

AndItellmyson,he'sthattypeofkid.Hewillraisehishandinclass,youknow,ifhedon'tknowsomethingorsomethingdidn'tsitwithhimatall.But,sometimes,likethisgentlemansaid,allkidsdon'tgetitonthefirsttry.Youmighthavetoasktwoorthreemoretimes,andIhadtotellmyson,thedumbestquestionyoucanaskistheoneyoudon'task.Ifyoudon'tunderstand,right,youhavetokeepyourhandsupthewholeclass.Getwhatyouneedtoget.Theseteachershereareheretohelpyou.But,still,youmakesurethatyougetandunderstand.Don'tworryaboutwhatnobodyelsehastosaybecausethosewhoareoverhere,orwhatever,theymightnotknowneither,buttheytryin'totakethatattentionoffofthem,andputitonyou.

So,likehesaid,I'mnotawhizatmath.Mysonlovesmath.Goodforhim.Mommyyoulike...Youtellmeyouneedhelpwithmath,I'mgoingonthesearchboard,too,soyoucangetthisextrahelp.GaryColeman,they'vegot,"AfterSchoolMatters."Theyhavetheofficehours.They'regotthementor.Theyhavewhateveryouneedisrighthereatyour...Don'tneverbeafraidtosay.Youhavetheadvisor.

Thefirstdayofschool,theytriedtogivehimLaSalle.Saidthathedidn'tfinishhishomeworkpacket.I'msittin'outsidewaitingforhim.Twentyminutesdonewentpast.Theschooliscleared.Allthekidsaregone,butmysonhasn'tcomeout.So,IgoinandtheysayhehasLaSalle.Why?Hedidn'tfinishhishomeworkpacket.Yeshedid,andIgaveittohisteacher,hisadvisor,Mr.Snaw.Sotheyhadtocallhimdown.Isaid,"Igaveittoyouwithhismedicalform,hislunchform,andeverything."It'sintheoffice.Hedoneturneditintotheofficeinsteadofkeepingithimself.Hedidn'tevenwanttocomeouttheclass'causeheknowIwasstandingtherewithallkindsoffrownsonmyface,like,whydoyouhaveLaSalleonthefirstdayofschool?AndIknowhedidthehomeworkbecauseIturneditinforhim.

Thefactthattheykeepup.Theyserious.Ilovetheuniformcode.Theycheckuniformeveryday.Anythingthat'snotinplace,yougetthisdemeritorwhateveritis.Anythingthat'snot...Thatshirtbetterbetuckedin.Thisbeltbetterbeon.Allthatotherextrastuff;wedon'thavenotimeforthat.Theyhaveabinderthattheygavethem.Ithastobeinorder.Yougotthetagson.It'sinorder.Iloveit.[crosstalk00:28:17]It'sthediscipline.Likeshesaid,Ican'tbeoveryou.It'suptoyoutodoyourhomework.It'sup

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toyoutomakesure.ThisteachersaidthisworkisdueFridayandyougotitonMonday,there'snoreasonwhyitshouldn'tbedoneonFriday.There'snoreason.

moderator: Ihatetobethetimepolice.I'msosorry.Ihateplayingthisrole.Butwe'vereachedouttime.But,ifyouwantedtosharewhatyou'regoingtosay,we'regonnadosomequickreflectionsonthecameraafter.So,iftherewassomethingsthatyoudidn'tgetachancetosayhere,youcandothatoncamera.Youcanjuststayintheroomandsitoverhere.Ofcourse,notgonna'be30minutesoncamera.Justacoupleminutes,two,threeminutestosharewhatitwasthatyouweregoingtosay.ButI'mgonnahanditofftoChris,sohecangoaheadandcloseusout.

Chris: Thankyouallforcomingtoday.Iwanttothankyouforsharingyourvoices,sharingyourstories.WhatIwanttoencourageyoualltodoistojustknowthatthisapartofthemostimportantpartofmakingchangeineducationistocollectthestoriesandhavepeoplewhoareexperiencingthingstosharetheirexperiencewithothers.Becauseifyouaretellingmethestorythatyoujusttoldme,there'sathousandotherpeopletryingtodemystifyallthatyou'vealreadylearned.Andthebestthatwecouldpossiblydoishavefolkslikeyouraisingyourvoices.Whetherthat'swriting.Whetherthat'sshowinguptothingswhereyougettotellyourstoryaboutthefolks.Buttherearepeoplebehindyouthatneedtoheareverythingthatyoujustsaidtoday:thestruggles,whendidyoufigureout,whatdoyouknownowthatyoudidn'tknowtwoyearsago.'Causesomebodyelseneedstoknowexactlythat.So,pleasecontinuetoshareyourstories.SharethroughEdPosts.TalktoE-class.Ijustreallythankyouforsteppingup.Appreciateyouall.Thankyou.[crosstalk00:30:02]