The Fight for Public

Education in Chicago









Karina Solano
Senior Division
Individual Website
Annotated Bibliography
Primary Sources
"Achievement Gap CPS Trends." Cps.edu. CPS, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.cps.edu/Spotlight/Documents/AchievementGapCPSTrends.pdf>. The PDF file
included recent statistics of college readiness, graduation rates, and the achievement gap
provided by CPS itself. It was important for my website because the statistics show
disproportionate negative effects for students of color in comparison to college readiness and
graduation rates of white students in the public schools of Chicago.
"Chicago Teachers' Union (CTU), Demonstration, Chicago, Illinois." Walter P. Reuther Library.
Reuther Library, 14 Aug. 2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. <http://www.reuther.wayne.edu/node/709>.
From this website, I used an image of 1933 taken at that time when people were protesting CPS.
The sign that people are carrying reads IS CHICAGO KILLING PUBLIC EDUCATION? It
was an important image because the bold message that shows that Chicago has not lived up to its
promise of providing children with a quality education thats something people protested against
even in the 1930s.
CORE, and Chicago's Labor Beat. "CTU Strikes." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 02
Mar. 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1qO4IBhGEw>. This video combined original
footage of the Chicago Teachers Union strikes since 1969 until the 1980s. It was used as an
overview of strikes history. From the interviews and events included in the video, I was able to
do more research on CPS history.
Cremata, Edward, Devora Davis, Kathleen Dickey, Kristina Lawyer, Yohannes Negassi,
Margaret Raymond, and James L. Woodworth. "CREDO STudy." CREDO. Stanford, 2013.
Web. 6 Mar. 2014.
<http://credo.stanford.edu/documents/NCSS%202013%20Final%20Draft.pdf>. The CREDO
study was important to include because it includes many new findings on the statistics for charter
schools vs. public education.
CTUTV1. "The 1980 CTU Strike." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC8dPdPo9Tg>. This video was used to include a teachers
perspective of the 1980 CTU strike and her feelings about having experienced being a teacher in
CPS that year.
Dickson, Rachel. "1963 Chicago Public School Boycott | Chicago Tonight | WTTW." 1963
Chicago Public School Boycott | Chicago Tonight | WTTW. WTTW, 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Feb.
2014. <http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2013/10/22/1963-chicago-public-school-boycott>. This
website told of the 1963 Boycott. I used this website for a summary of events that led up to the
strike as well as original footage of the strike itself. The website includes the account of the
strike from participants. Participants were interviewed and I was able to learn about the general
feelings of African-American students in public schools as well their parents and community
members. From this website, I also used a headline printed on October 23, 1963.
"INCS - Illinois Network of Charter Schools." INCS - Illinois Network of Charter Schools. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014. <http://www.incschools.org/>. The Illinois Network of Charter Schools
summarized the mission of Charter schools and provided links to study data which showed
charters are better as opposed to public schools. I quoted the mission of Charter Schools
according to INCS for my debates/controversies on public schools vs. charter schools.
Labor Beat. "The Fight for Social Justice HS." YouTube. YouTube, 08 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Feb.
2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEkn1wmxCcE>. This video captured the fight that
Social Justice High School had against CPS and what the system was trying to do to the school.
The video also includes original footage of Professor Rico Gutstein from the University of
Illinois at Chicago summarizing the attack by CPS on low-income community schools that serve
African-American and Latino students.
"No Child Left Behind: A New Era in Education Presentation." No Child Left Behind: A New
Era in Education Presentation. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
<https://www2.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/presentation/index.html>. This government document
was essential to include in my presentation because it summarized the mission of No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001.
Schmidt, George N. "CTU Orders Printing of ON STRIKE Signs." Substance News- CPS and
CTU News. Substance News, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=3509>. This article was written by George N.
Schmidt, a former teacher of CPS who lived through important events that led CTU to strike as
well as Schmidt recalled the strikes themselves. Schmidt provided a timeline of the strikes, the
reason for each strike, and what teachers won from each strike which I quote in my website.
"The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)."The
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001). U.S.
Department of Education, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.
<http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html>. This is the Public Law print of No
Child Left Behind. I used the print to write about the act on my website. I was able to learn about
the purpose, mission, and fallacies.
The Video Catalyst Project. "Amazing 9 Year Old Asean Johnson Brings the Crowd to Their
Feet at Chicago School Closings Rally." YouTube. YouTube, 20 May 2013. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oue9HIOM7xU>. This video was footage of Asean Johnson
speaking out about school closings and the racism behind the actions at the time when his school
was in the process of being closed. This was an important video to include in my website
because it shows the legacy of mayoral control and how children are affected when their school
is closed.
Secondary sources
"59. Richard M. Daley." Chicago Magazine. Chicago. Web. 19 May 2014.
<http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/March-2012/100-Most-Powerful-Chicagoans-
Richard-M-Daley/>. From the Chicago Magazine I accessed a picture of Richard M Daley who
is considered one of the most powerful Chicagoans.
"A Brief History of Chicago Education Reform (1992-Present)." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Apr.
2012. Web. 19 May 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw8e4Zj4omo>. The video
included headlines from newspapers and interviews with politicians and CTU president Karen
Lewis who speak on Chicago school reforms. I used the video to quote CTUs view on the
reforms as well as include part of the video on my website as a way of providing the reader
knowledge on the historical significance on school reforms.
"Artsproject2012." Artsproject2012. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014.
<http://artsproject2012.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/literature-review-no-child-left-behind-a-
study-of-its-impact-on-art-education/>. The primary objectives of No Child Left Behind were
summarized in an image. I thought it would be better to include a summarized version of the
objectives instead of leaving it out or including long pages from the actual Act.
"Chicago Public Schools May Add 31 New Charter Schools, despite Union Objections."
EAGnewsorg Powered by Education Action Group Foundation Inc. Education Action Group
Foundation. Web. 19 May 2014. <http://eagnews.org/chicago-public-schools-may-add-31-new-
charter-schools-despite-union-objections/>. The Education Action Group Foundation Inc.
provided an article on the new charter school openings in Chicago. I used the image with the
words Charter Schools in order to include on my project as part of the debates and
controversies that have continued from the early 1990s until today. The article was useful to
incorporate the perspective of supporters of the charter school movement into the debate.
"Civil and Environmental Engineering at Illinois." Governor Edgar to Speak at CEE.
Engineering at Illinois. Web. 19 May 2014. <http://cee.illinois.edu/node/1856>. The website was
useful to me because an image I included on my website of Jim Edgar was obtained from this
site. It was important to include an image of Jim Edgar because he was an important figure in a
major turning point in the public education system of Chicagomayoral control.
"Design Inspiration and Resources." Chicago Skyline. Designer Daily. Web. 19 May 2014.
<http://www.designer-daily.com/marketplace/store/products/chicago-skyline/>. From this site I
obtained an outline graphic of the Chicago skyline to include on my website.
"Diane Ravitch: Charter Schools Are a Colossal Mistake. Here's Why." Alternet. N.p., n.d. Web.
07 Mar. 2014. <http://www.alternet.org/education/diane-ravitch-charter-schools-are-colossal-
mistake-heres-why>. The analysis made by Diane Ravitch, a historian in education, education
policy analyst, research professor, and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, was really
important to include in the debate of charters vs. public schools. I quoted Diane Ravitch who
believes that charters are not the best optionthe best option is to invest more in public schools.
"George W. Bush." George W. Bush. Soylent Communications, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
<http://www.nndb.com/people/360/000022294/>. This website was used to show a visual of the
president who was optimistic about NCLB.
"Go Green Schools Symposium 2012Friday, April 13Eric Solorio High School8:30am - 3:00pm
." Seven Generations Ahead. Seven Generations Ahead, 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
<http://sevengenerationsahead.org/index.php/events/go_green_schools_symposium_2012>.
Seven Generations Ahead provided a Chicago Public Schools logo which I used on my website.
"Iris Rotberg: Charter Schools Exacerbate Segregation." Diane Ravitchs Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 07
Mar. 2014. <http://dianeravitch.net/category/charter-schools/page/2/>. This blog post among
many others, written by Diane Ravitch, was helpful in leading to many research studies on public
education and charter schools. Also, Diane Ravitch is an expert on education so her analysis on
school reforms was very helpful to include throughout my website. I quoted blogs written by
Diane Ravitch.
"Progress Illinois." Report: Proposed CPS Charter Schools Could Cost Taxpayers $225 Million
Over Next Decade. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2014. <http://www.progressillinois.com/quick-
hits/content/2013/12/18/cps-21-proposed-charter-schools-would-cost-taxpayers-225-million-
over->. The image i used from this website is that of a black chalkboard with the words Charter
Schools written on it. I thought it was appropriate to use in order to represent the perspective of
people who support the charter school movement.
"Related Links." Growing Corporate Support of Chicago Schools Poses Questions. N.p., 07 Mar.
2014. Web. 07 Mar. 2014. <http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=72511>.
It was important to not only include research that opposes corporate involvement in public
education but also include pro-charter information; from this site, I found first-hand opinions of
board members (for Noble Street Charter schools) on young people and the kind of education
they have access to when it comes to charter schools as opposed to students who are not enrolled
in charter schools but are enrolled in public schools.
"Results for 'charter Demongraphics'" Results for 'charter Demongraphics'Illinois State Board of
Education -Ultraseek. Web. 19 May 2014.
<http://garfield.isbespr1.isbe.net/query.html?qt=charter+demongraphics&pw=90%25&col=exter
nal>. The Illinois State Board of Education website was particularly helpful in further developing
my project since it provided me with charter school demographics.
"The Hyper-Politicization of Education." EdReach RSS. N.p., 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
<http://edreach.us/2012/04/03/the-hyper-politicization-of-education/no-child-left-behind-logo/>.
I used this source to include the No Child Left Behind logo in my website.
"The No Child Left Behind Act." Rethinking Schools Online. Rethinking Schools, n.d. Web. 14
Feb. 2014. <http://www.rethinkingschools.org/special_reports/bushplan/index.shtml>. This
website was one of the most helpful of all. The site includes many links that gave experts
opinions on the education system and whether education is going in the right direction and if it is
not in certain areas, such as testing, what one should do about it. This website also included
Diane Ravitchs opinions and personal analysis which I later further looked into. The site was
helpful when researching failed policies. Throughout my website, especially as part of the legacy
of fighting for quality education, representation, and better working conditions, I quoted material
found on this source.
Admin. "BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION: ANNIVERSARY
THOUGHTS."REFLECTIONS FROM THE SUSQUEHANNA. Tom Berrigan's Professional
Website, 13 May 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <http://tomberrigan.com/blog1/2013/05/15/brown-v-
board-of-education-anniversary-thoughts/>. I used a picture of a newspaper that was printed
when the news of segregation in schools was ended by court. It was important to include because
it was a historic event to have segregation be voted unconstitutional but continue despite that.
Austintalks. "Candidates for Local School Council Sought." AustinTalks Candidates for Local
School Council Sought Comments. AustinTalks, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
<http://austintalks.org/2014/02/candidates-for-local-school-council-sought/>. As well as giving
me more information about the legacy of Local School Councils, I used the logo from this
website.
Caref, Carol, PhD, Sarah Hainds, Kurt Hilgendorf, Pavlyn Jankov, and Kevin Russell. "The
Black and White of Education in Chicagos Public Schools." Catalyst-Chicago. Catalyst-
Chicago.org, n.d. Web. <http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/sites/catalyst-chicago.org/files/blog-
assets/files/ctureportfinal_120112_pdf.pdf>. The files provided by catalyst-chicago were
essential to my entire project because the files included most of the necessary information about
students in CPS: accurate results from the reforms implemented in the Chicago public school
system, the injustices that exist when it comes to white students vs. students of color,
privatization that is expanding, as well as including important messages of what CPSs mission
should be in order to make sure that children come first.
De La Torre, Marisa, and Julia Gwynne. "Rahm Emanuel and St. Vincent DePaul | Reclaim
Reform." Reclaim Reform. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO URBAN EDUCATION
INSTITUTE, Oct. 2009. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.
<http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/publications/CCSRSchoolClosings-Final.pdf>. This
site was helpful for my project because it included information about displaced students and
receiving schools which helped strengthen the argument against school closings.
Hagopian, Jesse. "A People's History of the Chicago Teachers Union." Issue #91. International
Socialist Review, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. <http://isreview.org/issue/86/peoples-history-chicago-
teachers-union>. The website was helpful when doing research on the Chicago Teachers Union
strikes. From the site, I learned important historical events to include in my website which led to
doing more research of certain events in order to fully grasp CTUs history with school reforms.
Also from this site, I quoted material throughout my project.
Haney, Leviis. "The 1995 Chicago School Reform Amendatory Act and the Cps Ceo: A
Historical Examination of the Adminstration of Ceos Paul Vallas and Arne Duncan."Loyola
Ecommons. Loyola University Chicago, 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
<http://ecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=luc_diss>. The historical
examination was important in understanding events leading to public school leaning more
towards a business. The examination included analysis on mayoral control and whether the
CEOs of CPS fulfilled their mission which I quoted on my website. This website was very
helpful in understanding the history behind the education system today and whether Paul Vallas
and Arne Duncan were fit for the position.
Stovall, David. Interview with Dr. David Stovall. Personal interview. March 2014. I
interviewed an Associate Professor of Educational Policy and African-American Studies to learn
about the historical significance of the reform that occurred in the late 1980s for Chicago Public
Schools. The reform allowed for corporate control and Dr. David Stovall provided me with
interpretations of the reform and the effect the corporate community has on African-American
and Latino students in the present day. Dr. David Stovall also provided me with analysis on
public education moving in the right direction for some students but not for all.
Ravitch, Diane. "Interview with Diane Ravitch." Online interview. 7 May 2014. I interviewed
Diane Ravitch about the initial purpose of public schools, changes in the 19th and 20th centuries,
mayoral control, and No Child Left Behind. Diane Ravitch provided me with analysis of turning
points in the history of public education including recent ones such as the charter school
movement. I included footage of the interview throughout my website to provide analysis and
O'Connell, Mary. "School Reform Chicago Style." Catalyst-Chicago. Catalyst-Chicago, 1991.
Web. 6 Apr. 2014. <http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/sites/catalyst-chicago.org/files/school-
reform-chicago-style.pdf>. The website gave me information about LSCs. I learned about the
history, I was able to learn about some quotes of some parents provided by the website in order
to explain the reason behind the parents initiative to fight for representation in the local schools.
Policy Research Action Group. "Chicago's Schools- Reform and Responsibility."PRAGmatics.
Policy Research Action Group, n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.luc.edu/curl/prag/fall99.pdf>. This research was important to my project because I
learned about the history of Local School Councils such as parental involvement and the positive
effects of giving more power to community members and general knowledge about parents,
students, and other community members role in the local schools.
Ravitch, Diane. The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and
Choice Are Undermining Education. New York: Basic, 2010. Print. This book contains
information about modern American School System. Diane Ravitch is a former assistant
Secretary of Education so her book really examined policies that have been incorporated in the
school systems. The book gave me a good idea of how the system works and the opinion of
someone who is knowledgeable in this area. I used this book to quote Diane Ravitch on my
website.
Rury, John L. "Schools and Education." Schools and Education. Encyclopedia Chicago History,
n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2014. <http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1124.html>. The
online encyclopedia for the history of Chicago was helpful because I was able to read about the
history of schools in Chicago. From the website I learned general knowledge of important events
which I used to further research as a way to focus on specific ones in greater detail. I used the
website mainly to write about the historical background of public schools and the reforms.
Russo, Alexander W. W. School Reform in Chicago: Lessons in Policy and Practice. Cambridge,
MA: Harvard Education, 2004. Print. Alexander Russos book was used in further learning about
the events that took place after CPS was called the worst school system in the nation. From the
book, I learned about the actions that the mayor took in order to try to improve the school system
and how those actions affected students. I used information from this book to further develop my
research on mayoral control.
Shipps, Dorothy. School Reform, Corporate Style: Chicago, 1880-2000. Lawrence, Kan.:
University of Kansas, 2006. Print. Dorothy Shipps book was used to learn more about CPS and
the reforms that took place over time. The book touches on important factors to consider in
evaluating the reforms CPS has established such as achievement gaps between white students
and minorities. The book was most helpful in incorporating information for part of the legacy
that my project focused on such as mayoral control.
Staff, NPR, and Diane Ravitch. "Ravitch: Standardized Testing Undermines Teaching." NPR.
NPR, 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. <http://www.npr.org/2011/04/28/135142895/ravitch-
standardized-testing-undermines-teaching>. This website quotes some of Diane Ravitchs
interviews and also has excerpts from her book The Death and Life of the Great American
School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. Direct quotes of Diane
Ravitch give Ravitchs personal testimony as to why she was for NCLB and other policies which
made her conservative. The excerpts and quotes gave me an idea of why NCLB is a good idea
until it undermines public education and why someone who supported it changed their mind.
Strauss, Valerie. "Ravitch: No Child Left Behind and the Damage Done." The Washington Post.
WashingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-
sheet/post/ravitch-no-child-left-behind-and-the-damage-
done/2012/01/10/gIQAR4gxoP_blog.html>. The article was helpful in understanding the damage
NCLB did overall in comparison to the mission NCLB intended to achieve. From this site I was
able to quote Diane Ravitch on NCLB.
Suchenek, Marek A. "Dr. Marek Suchenek's CSC 101 Course." Dr. Marek Suchenek's CSC 101
Course. California State University, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
<http://csc.csudh.edu/suchenek/CSC/101>.This website was useful because I used the scantron
from this site on my homepage as a part of the representation of the corporate involvement in the
public education system transforming the evaluation of a school based on test results.