Skyline

Skyline Curriculum a Trojan Horse to Increased Standardized Testing?

By Jim Vail

The Skyline Curriculum for Chicago Public School students has teachers scratching their heads over a culturally relevant program developed by corporate America that ultimately leads to more standardized testing.

The lessons for teachers focus on a set of slides with online and hard copy texts that focus on social justice, community activism and neighorhood issues.

Teachers I spoke with feel overwhelmed by the amount of materials and information to read through in order to prepare scripted lessons, some of which are not grade level appropriate.

For example, fourth grade students are asked to read parts of two novels that are at the 7th and 8th grade levels. Many online links either do not work or Skyline did not purchase the license to access the text that is part of the lesson.

CPS paid a whopping $120 million with Covid money to purchase this online curriculum that is overtly political with a lesson on Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Some teachers said they were asked to give feedback during the design stage but realized that the company had no interest in teachers' input because it was a 'done deal.'

"It is too cumbersome," said one Southside elementary teacher. "The teacher has to spend way too much time looking at all the guidelines and little children don't need to be sitting in front of a computer for so long. If it informed my teaching I would accept it, but it hasn't."

Perhaps even more troubling for teachers and students is the increase in standardized testing that the Chicago Teachers Union has fought against. Skyline has three standardized assessments throughout the year modeled on the IAR test that many consider a very difficult test. The jolt from read alouds and feel good lessons to standardized assessments is especially troubling.

"I really have to change my teaching because some these lessons are not developmentally appropriate," said another teacher.

The CTU distributed a Skyline survey to teachers which included questions such as:

Does it hinder educators creativity? 

Should a rubric be used to evaluate its effectiveness?

How overwhelming is the curriculum?

How long does it take to complete Skyline lessons?

The education reform group Educators for Excellence that was set up several years ago with financing from anti-union and anti-public education money quickly capitalized on these concerns by sending out to teachers its own survey.

They claimed in emails that they had surveyed hundreds of teachers and made the following recommendations which really don't address the glaring problems. They include - simplify teacher materials and provide time for teacher development, offer more training on differentiating materials, provide more resource accomodations, adjust lesson pacing, and build district-wide buy-in through clear messaging.

"We know that with the money spent on Skyline already, it won't be going away any time soon, so these recommendations aim to ensure that CPS curriculum equity strategy has the best chance of success," wrote E4E, which plans to meet with CPS Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova. 

When it comes to school curriculums, CPS veteran teachers have seen many costly programs come and go over the years. During remote learning during Covid teachers were forced to come up with their own materials in addition to whatever texts they were using to adapt to online. Before that the Common Core became a standardized corporate model that forced teachers to search out their own "rigorous" materials and assessments.

Skyline may be just another corporate creature dressed up as a culturally-responsive curriculum but ultimately dooms the children to more demoralizing standardized tests. 

Vallas & Ken Griffen

Brandon Johnson Hits Vallas Hard on Crime in NBC Mayoral Debate

By Jim Vail

This is billionaire Ken Griffen who hates unions and funds Vallas.

Crime was the big issue for voters and the reason former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas came out in front in the Feb. 28 Mayor Election.

But at the NBC Mayoral Debate in the runoff on Wednesday, March 8, Brandon Johnson hit Vallas hard on crime.

"Paul Vallas is funded by billionaire Ken Griffen who invests in gun manufacturers and puts the guns on our streets," Brandon said. "I want to take guns off of our streets."

Vallas constantly demanded rebuttals to Brandon Johnson's attacks on his record when it came to tax increases, defunded pensions and right-wing extremism, but after sticking the knife in the very essence of his platform - safety and more cops - he had nothing to say.

Johnson brilliantly played the dark billionaire Ken Griffen card to perfection. Why is a billionaire who left this state and cavorts with an extremist Florida governor who is openly calling to ban books in school libraries, funding his campaign? Most of the money he has collected has come from Mr. Griffen. What is his agenda?

Griffen was the villian of working people in Illinois when he used his enormous wealth to defeat a progressive tax that would have made the rich pay their fair share of Illionis taxes and help out the rest of the people of this state. He also told previous Mayor Rahm Emanuel to close 125 schools. Emanuel ended up closing 50 schools which rankles the city to this day.

Understandably, Willie Wilson a black millionaire businessman endorsed Vallas.

Understandly, the black politicians who are funded by the establishment with support from rich donors like Ken Griffen endorsed Vallas, including charter/developer Ald. Walter Burnett and Ald. Roderick Sawyer, who did legal work for a company that scammed an elderly person with dementia out of his home. 

Those are the type of black politicians and business people who line up behind their puppet Paul Vallas. They sold out to the ugly capitalists many years ago.

Brandon Johnson comes from the fighting CORE team who defeated the corrupt UPC party. CORE took up the fight the old company union refused to engage in - the fight against school closings, privatization, charter schools, attacks on public schools, corrupt crony contracts, etc.

Who is Paul Vallas? 

The Chicago Teachers Union has put out lots of literature about how he began the privatization frenzy and war against the public schools and the CTU and black educators by firing many black teachers and administrators because they worked in "failing schools."

Never matter that these people are really heroes dealing with overwhelming conditions in parts of the city racked by poverty, violence and despair.

Years ago my teacher friend on the South Side was with her students one morning shoveling snow outside a nursing home as part of a civic action. Suddenly out of nowhere a phalanx of dark sedans pulled up and out popped Paul Vallas. He grabbed her shovel amid flashing lights of the camera crews who were like flies buzzing around something rotten, smiled for a brief second, and then disappeared faster than a firefly in the night.

Win or lose - the fight against Paul Vallas and what he represents is the fight we working people in the city must fight now and forever more!

CFL Meeting

Report of the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) Delegates Meeting

Note: This was an in-person meeting.1. From the Minutes of the Executive Board, March 6, 2023

The CFL is hosting its 2023 Women’s Luncheon on March 21 starting at 11:30a.m. at the IBEW Local 134 Hall at 2722 S. Martin Luther King Drive. Admission is free but one must register in advance by March 14. Go to: chicagolabor.org/womensluncheon or call 312-222-1000 for more information.

The CFL is having a Labor May Day 5K Walk and Run on Sunday, April 30 beginning at 8:00 a.m.. Contact Gus Fuguitt at gfuguitt@chicagolabor.org or call 312-906-2434 for more information.

The CFL reported that the annual commemoration of the Haymarket Police Riot will take place on Monday, May 1 at noon at the Haymarket Memorial.

The CFL is working with the National Park service to move the annual Labor Day Parade from the East Side, where it has been held for a number of years, to the Pullman National Historic Park and it is planned to be on Saturday, September 2.

2. President’s Report

Pres. Reiter said that 41 of the 42 candidates that were endorsed by the CFL won their election or they are in a runoff. He said the CFL will continue to remain neutral in Chicago’s mayoral runoff in April. 

A number of delegates, Bea Lumpkin and Debby Pope of the CTU among them, urged the CFL give up its neutrality and endorse Brandon Johnson. Reiter said the CFL has a process for endorsement that would have to be used in order to take a position.

Pres. Reiter also said the CFL’s political action committee had a long list of endorsed candidates; most in the upcoming suburban elections but also in a few of the Chicago aldermanic runoff elections.

The president also spoke of the labor peace agreement the City made with Bally’s for a new casino in the City. Besides creating jobs in its construction, those who will be employed there will also be union members. He also said that the revenue from the casino will be used to fund the Fire Department’s pension fund. I asked if the labor peace agreement will also apply to the proposed temporary casino that may be at the old Medinah Temple. His response implied that it would be but also that the CFL legal staff is looking into this concern.

3. Good and Welfare

Colin Smalley, president of Local 777, International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, updated the assembly on the lack of support from U.S. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer. The National Labor Relations Authority is a three-member panel similar to the National Labor Relations Board, but it deals with workers in the federal public sector, not the private sector. The NLBA has been operating for a while with only two members, one of which is an anti-worker Trump appointee.

Consequently, when there are complaints filed by Colin’s union, which works with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, nothing can be decided. Pres. Biden appointed a third member but the Senate, led by Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York refused to bring the appointment up for approval. Consequently, when the Senate adjourned for its term the time limit for the appointment expired.

The National Association of Letter Carriers is sponsoring its annual Food Drive on Saturday, May 13. All are asked to put non-perishable food items in a bag by their mailboxes. The food will be collected and delivered to a local food bank.

Lastly, being Women’s History month, the CFL presented its Woman of the Year Award. The Award’s name for formally changed to Rosetta Daylie Woman of the Year award. Ms Dayleie is the longest serving member on the current CFL Executive Board.

The Award was presented to Kathy Hanshaw of the Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board of Working Families.

Kathy has been active for a long time with the CMRJB in helping to organize workers at Starbucks. In her remarks she mentioned that there are now over 7,200 Starbucks workers in 291 stores that are organized; 25 of which are in Illinois. She said that over 1,000 Unfair Labor Practice complaints have been filed against the chain and that the chain has broken numerous federal laws including firing workers who fight for a union, closing or threatening to close stores that are organizing, and illegally offering raises and benefits only to stores that are not organizing.