Maybe this is the only way. The school system is very corrupt, and as usual it is not educators who are instituting the "reforms."

This is similar to politicians making making birth decision in the place of women.

--imm

k&r

... but I've read a few articles today and have gone from having no opinion based on no information to now having an opinion based on what I hope is a fairly well informed amount of information.

I support this strike, now. NOW is the time to raise the issues of quality education, the raw deal that teachers so often get and other education-related issues to the national level.

I like this write-up from KOS: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/10/1129887/-Chicago-teachers-on-strike

When you make me cram 30-50 kids in my classroom with no air conditioning so that temperatures hit 96 degrees, that hurts our kids.
When you lock down our schools with metal detectors and arrest brothers for play fighting in the halls, that hurts our kids.

When you take 18-25 days out of the school year for high stakes testing that is not even scientifically applicable for many of our students, that hurts our kids.

When you spend millions on your pet programs, but there’s no money for school level repairs, so the roof leaks on my students at their desks when it rains, that hurts our kids.

K/R

...or that's what this says: http://www.ctunet.com/media/press-releases/Chicago_ClassSizeComparison_ISBEdataA.xlsx

Not that I live there or know what any of the rest is like, but those class sizes seem to be in line with what's considered ok in the rest of the country. Of course, the physical size of the classroom is a part of whether that works. When I went through school in the 70's all of my classes were larger than 25; usually 30 or so.

targeted for closing get that or more:

Suit claims CPS teacher was fired over class size complaints
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-09-06/news/chi-suit-claims-cps-teacher-was-fired-over-class-size-complaints-20120906_1_cps-school-class-size-lawsuit

Selective enrollment schools & showcase charter schools get smaller classes.

District budgeted about 350 million to expand charters; half that could make suburban class sizes a reality in every CPS classroom.

http://www.ctunet.com/media/press-releases/body/Smaller_Classes_Info_2011_11_16.pdf

Not to mention that administration has been bargaining to eliminate enforcement of caps:

Some of CPS’ Proposals:

The Board wants to eliminate any real enforcement of class size limits: Like Republican candidate Mitt Romney, they make the argument that class size doesn’t matter. In their proposal they say, “The Board has informed the CTU that it does not intend to bargain over this subject. …. While teachers would have a reduction in their workloads, studies have not proven that class size reductions have predictable and discernible positive impacts on educational outcomes.”

The Board has reserved the right to change class size policy at any time and merely notify the union and it has eliminated any funding of positions to lower class size in the district; the previous contract committed $2.25 million to lower class sizes. These changes will concretely increase our class sizes throughout the district, even though many kindergarten and primary grade classrooms throughout the city have class sizes that approach 50 students in a room.

http://www.ctunet.com/blog/chicago-board-of-educations-bill-of-terribles

mentioned in this passage:

"The current contract between Chicago and teachers sets a ceiling of 28 per kindergarten and primary school class and 31 for upper grades, but the union says the city routinely exceeds that. It cited one elementary school that considered having 42 students in one class before parents and the union objected."

from this news story: http://news.yahoo.com/factbox-chicago-teachers-dispute-over-school-reform-money-025227687.html

I can see how the changes they are talking about would probably make class sizes worse, but the current limits don't seem unreasonable. Keeping them in place would be good.

Illinois school districts (2011)

Though the current collective bargaining agreement provides for 28 students per class at the kindergarten level, 28 at the primary level; 31 at the intermediate level and upper grades; and, 20 in the education and vocational guidance centers, some class rooms across the city have exceeded those limits and may be growing...Chicago’s class size has inched up at the lower grades, ballooned at the high school level, while districts across Illinois are lowering their class sizes relative to Chicago.

In 2000, Chicago district-wide average high-school class size was reported at 17.9... Chicago is now at 25.1 students per class at the high school level. Over 10 years Chicago has gone from the 68th percentile in high school class size to the 99th percentile.

Chicago’s district-wide average kindergarten class size was reported at 23.3 in 2000... CPS is now at the 95th percentile, with 24.1 students per class.

In addition, students of color and poor pupils are more likely to be enrolled in classrooms with 25 or more students. For example, several complaints about swelling class sizes reported to CTU were from schools with majority African American and Latino populations:

Marquette Elementary School, 6550 S. Richmond: 1st, 2nd grade, 5th and 6th grade classes with more than 30 students each, and, some with upwards of 35

Columbia Explorers School, 4520 S. Kedzie: Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 6th and 8th grade classes with more than 30 students each, one 8th grade room has 35 students

Edwards Elementary School, 4815 S. Karlov: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 8th grade classes with more than 30 students each

Gresham Elementary School, 8524 S. Green: Kindergarten class with 43 students; more than 30 students in some 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th and 8th grade classrooms.

Nathan Hale, 6140 S. Melvina: 1st, 2nd,3rd and 7th grade classrooms with more than 30 students each

Dixon Elementary School, 8306 S. St. Lawrence: 6th and 7th grade classes with more than 30 students each; a 4th grade classroom has 38 students

Byrne Elementary School, 5329 S. Oak Park: 5th, 6th, 7th grade classrooms with more than 30 students each

Addams Elementary School, 10810 S. Avenue H: 3rd grade classes with more than 30 students each

Jordan Elementary, 7414 N. Wolcott: 2nd, 4th and 7th grade classes with more than 30 students each

Cardenas Elementary School, 2345 S. Millard: Kindergarten classes with nearly 35 students in each class


“Unfortunately, the law says the Board doesn’t have to talk to us about class sizes,” Lewis said. “That’s why we want to have the power to make them sit down with us and the community to talk about how to lower class sizes. If we are going to provide our students with better school days ahead, we know they need smaller class sizes. We want to work with the Board of Education to figure out how to lower class sizes for all of Chicago’s students.”

http://www.ctunet.com/media/press-releases/smaller-class-sizes-will-make-school-days-better-for-chicago-public-school-students

The largest class sizes listed there are two cases - one 38 and one 43, and all the rest 30-35; that's still more that the 28 the rules allow so enforcement could be better.

I'd sympathize more, but I spent my whole school career in classes with 30-35 students, and my kids have spent their whole school career in classes of 30-35 students. Its not ideal, but it seems to be within reason. My school district talked a lot about balancing costs vs benefits, and has a goal of 30 students per classroom. Sometimes popular or required classes wind up larger, and unpopular ones smaller, but the norm is about 30.

This says the average in Chicago city schools is 25: http://www.ctunet.com/media/press-releases/Chicago_ClassSizeComparison_ISBEdataA.xlsx...I don't think a push for smaller classes than 28 should be a part of the reason for a strike. That doesn't mean there aren't other legitimate and very good reasons, of course, but opening an argument by mis-stating facts gives fuel to people who would want just one easy example to discredit the effort!

education deform bureacrat from the Broad Foundation.

And not good for my blood pressure. I'm going for a walk.

to get the hell out of dodge...