This Week in Ed 2.8.19: Get ready for the #ZombiePARCC! 🧟
As we go through our exciting new RYH changes, we plan to send an email newsletter every other week. Please sign up to receive these newsletters here. You can read the one sent Friday, February 8, 2019, below.Â
Read moreThis Week in Ed 11.19.18: Parent Training Tonight! Updates on sped, data privacy, charters, and more!
Please join us tonight: Parent Training: Know Your Rights on 504 Plans vs. IEP Plans! Details and RSVP here.
The ISBE Inquiry Letter: Deciphered for Parents
UPDATE: Now translated into Spanish: En Español (jpg 1, jpg 2); En Español(pdf).
On Friday, November 9, the IL State Board of Ed (ISBE) finally released a letter to CPS parents and staff regarding the ISBE investigation into CPS special education practices and policies. Many schools still haven't shared the ISBE letter, and it is not that parent friendly.
RYH volunteer, Terri Smith, wrote a great fact sheet explaining why the ISBE Inquiry happened and containing many relevant links. It is an improved version of the CPS letter that went out so that parents can actually understand what happened.
Read moreParent Statements - ISBE Meeting, 11.16.18
On Friday, November 16, 2018, the IL State Board of Education (ISBE) held a meeting in Chicago. You can find a thread of live tweets here and many more tweets on our Twitter page here.Â
Below are two statements from parents: one is a Chicago parent speaking about the ISBE inquiry into CPS special education and the other is a Downers Grove mom speaking about the new ISBE school ratings system.Â
This Week in Ed 10.26.18: CPS will release school levels today
This week’s RYH email newsletter brought to you by the letters S, Q, R, and P!
Read more10/24 & 10/25: Ask ISBE about new school ratings, punitive opt out policy
Important news for people concerned about the impact of high-stakes standardized testing on Illinois schools. There's not only a new state test this coming spring to replace PARCC, the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), but there's also a new state rating system for IL being rolled out later this month, and opt out rate may play a big role in your school’s rating.
Read moreThis Week in Ed 10.12.18: Ongoing Nursing disaster at CPS; LSC workshop tomorrow; New state test for IL and more!
Raise Your Hand had a second meeting with a group of parents, the head of Special Ed and the Chief Operating Officer to discuss major nursing compliance issues at the district. Many students are put in unsafe situations due to lack of coverage, untrained nurses from temp agencies, and lack of continuity of care.
Read moreThis Week in Ed 9.27.18: Raise a Glass: This Tuesday!
Raise Your Hand's annual fundraiser, Raise a Glass for RYH, is this Tuesday!  Join us at Lagunitas Brewing Company on Tuesday, October 2, from 5:30 - 8:30pm.  Please buy your ticket in advance so we can plan ahead!
Read moreThis Week in Ed 9.20.18 AND Raise a Glass for RYH! Less than 2 weeks away!
Why support RYH at our annual fundraiser on Tuesday, Oct 2, 5:30-8:30pm? A note from a CPS parent & member of our fundraiser committee:
Hello fellow public education supporter,
I have a photo from six years ago almost to the day: it's my family holding picket signs in the playground behind Ray School from when teachers went on strike over a longer school day and labor conditions. It reminds me of the school closing hearings, state budget fights, and assorted other CPS zaniness over the years. I believe Raise Your Hand keeps the people inside the Board of Ed building from going totally off the rails, which is one reason we helped plan a fundraiser to honor special education parents’ epic fight this past year and raise funds to support continued organizing on this issue and so many other issues on Tuesday, Oct. 2.
Read moreATTENTION CPS Parents of Students with Special Needs!
The Advocates have asked the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to require CPS to distribute the flyer below to CPS parents of students with special needs. Please share!
Read more