Christopher J. Arndt fights a never ending battle for truth and justice...


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the wierdest Japense Commercial ever


via videosift.com

Labels: embedded media, television

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/29/2009 07:12:00 AM | |

Vok

Labels: science fiction, Transformers

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/28/2009 12:25:00 AM | |

No blogging today

Go read my whole six years worth of archives.... for crying out loud it's good stuff! There's more than bikini-clad Conservatives, fascinating poetry, and insights on philosophy and culture!

These are snapshots of history!

Well, that doesn't really describe it.

The point is, nothing that Governor Granholm can do regarding Swine Flue or President Obama can do regarding General Motors has much to do with my thirty pages of stuff I have to minimally write.

So keep in mind as the economic apocalypse keeps on moving, it does not have to affect you.

In three weeks I will begin a photo essay explaining why it does not have to affect you... well, okay it always does.

But just because the economy in Michigan makes it difficult to be employed in this state does not mean you have to be unemployed in this state, but if you are going to just sit by your computer, read through my entire archives, make comments and suggestions, and if possible, tell me what you think can be turned into part of a book.

Labels: meta, Michigan, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/27/2009 11:26:00 AM | |

endorsing Chris Bunch for Congress will not help him


But I will do it anyway.

Chris Bunch is a Conservative Republican and he is running for Congress in California's 10th Congressional District. This is not only in Madame Pelosi's backyard (and since so many of her constituents like her it cannot help anyone's cause for me to call her "Madame Pelosi" but it is only slightly better than Congressman Walberg calling her "Mother Pelosi" which I will jump to next) but he is running against a Democrat Party incumbent. All the rules say this is an uphill battle, but one of the things I know about climbing up a hill is that it is not impossible... and very much is the difficult crusade a worthy one.

So why should we bother backing him? Well, I like the concept of the large family and Mr. Bunch fathered four boys. He also is a noted warrior, literally, as he fought in both major theatres against terrorists and other hostile Anti-Americans. He makes a point immediately to stand for "Fiscal & Individual Reponsibility, Liberty and Independence, and national strength." If those are just buzzwords they are still buzzwords I can get behind. So the question is.... does the endorsement of my weblog constituted sabotage or help? Could his reputation possibly be hurt by being mention in this weblog?

We may never know. Trust me: finding a good Conservative Republican in California is... difficult at best. Believe me, I have the personal experience!

His campaign's Facebook Group is here.

Labels: California, politics, Republicans

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/26/2009 10:26:00 PM | |

Heroes - I Am Sylar

Labels: embedded media, science fiction, television

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/23/2009 08:43:00 PM | |

Earth Day

Earth first! We'll destroy the other planets later.

How to destroy the earth FAQ.

Destroying the earth as a point of interest - Geocide

That was fun. Let's indulge in serious thought on environmentalist subjects... I will emphasize these are other people's thoughts, and I agree with them because when it comes to some scientists and government watchdog groups, I am a zombie of sorts, but I do double-check for the sake of my own conscience.

Paul Chesser's Climate Strategies Watch monitors the governments' futile attempts to save the planet by screwing with nature and the economy. That last link is not actually a joke. More than like the governments' attempts to save the planet will likely end in someone getting irradiated or obtaining cancer or worse.


Also serious:
Michael Crichton on DDT




YOU CAN EAT DDT!!! That will not kill you. People used to bathe in it before running off into mosquito-infested jungles to fight wars.

Labels: holidays, link dump

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/22/2009 12:20:00 PM | |

should Mr. Huang be boiled alive?

Mr. Huang boiled his 10-month-old infant daughter alive.

She died within days. The cause was "multiple organ failure".

The baby experienced great agony.

That he was inebriated is no excuse.

Should he receive the same treatment? Should he receive it only from the waist down?

Labels: politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/21/2009 07:08:00 PM | |

Miley Cyrus versus Miss California

original title: "the better answer of happiness" That was more appropriate but to the point but did not adequately served the context. If the message is so important I might as well package it to be adequate sent and received or I render my work an injustice.

I need to run through this quickly. The Miss USA Pageant was Sunday April 19th. The reason Miss California (USA), Carrie Prejean, was not declared the winner as the judges initially planned, was because when homosexual blogger and pageant judge Perez Hilton (God will this will be the last mention of that name on my weblog) inquired of Miss Prejean her beliefs regarding homosexual marriage, the answers displeased those judges.

Let us set aside the real meat of the story because everyone else is doing that. Carrie Prejean is the runner-up and certainly deserves to be called the winner. The young lady's background has been covered by others and certainly qualifies her to win. That there is a lack of justice here has been covered and her so-called friends abandoned her, revealing their status as not being friends at all, but opportunists.

I am not going to pursue the question of why a Sodomite is judging the beauty of woman in a contest and maybe in the future I will discuss whether a Miss USA contestant is more appropriate in serving as a representative or stand-in for the beliefs and opinions of the population of her home places, or truer to her purpose when she represents her own beliefs and convictions. I will say that the behavior of Mario Armando Lavandeira is deplorable, despicable, and certainly unacceptable for a responsible citizen, albeit no one holds people accountable for this minimum standard of responsibility. We should expect better. It is not appropriate to denounce "Hilton" and the other Miss USA judges for their liberalism because this sort of freedom of belief and expression and the limitations, condemnations, and punishments for the implementation of the expression of belief certainly fits more in the spectrum of fascism more than liberalism.

Mario Armando Lavandeira's states that it had less to do with Miss Prejean's beliefs being contrary to his than the quality of her answer.

Hilton said Prejean could have chosen an answer that he believed would have been less political. When he asked Miley Cyrus the same question on Twitter after the show, he was surprised by her response... Comparing Cyrus and Prejean, Hilton said, "A 16-year-old gave a better answer. If she [Prejean] had said those two sentences, that would have been a better answer."

I am not really interested in portraying (today) what the contestant's answer to the question was, nor am I interested in spelling out the specific question aside from it pertaining to "gay marriage" and being asked by a homosexual. I am willing to openly dispute Miley Cyrus's response. What was "the better answer"?

"I believe that EVERYONE deserves to be happy. That's all I'm saying."

She is wrong.

I do not desire to explore the Declaration of Independence's concept of "the pursuit of Happiness" and believe it is a very literal thing, quite clearly not including a guarantee of results (actually the right to the Pursuit of Happiness refers to a sort of property right). A promise that happiness or even contentedness are to be had simply because one is an American, and a citizen, (those to whom the Declaration quite clearly and enthusiastically refers) simply does not exist. Others have explored and explained these parsings better than I.

My assault on Miley Cyrus's brief twitter-treatise on happiness is simply thus. Not everyone deserves to be happy, and happiness is not unconditional. Many people are unhappy for the dumbest reasons and they simple do not have the right to impose their conditions for happiness over other people, who may or may not be in a position to be affected by those circumstances. I need to see this through a spiritual lens, as it is directly a triggered emotional response in those that clearly do not have a relationship with God, or are not running on their relationship with God at the time. Even with someone who is walking with the Lord happiness describes something that is not something one can just have. From a spiritual perspective, "joy" and "love" are elements that come from God, emanate from human beings and are not dependent on circumstances or external catalysts. To be happy means that a certain set of circumstances must be in place for that individual and conditions must be met. People cannot simply be happy and there is nothing wrong with that. Although I admit some people are happy because their brain chemicals are set just that way and that particular make-up has not been wrecked yet, this is all stuff that can be set one way or the other.

Since the happiness of your average American may depend on the state of affairs being such that is offensive, irritating, or uncomfortable to another individual, "happiness" is not a right, certainly not one that everyone possesses or should possess, because one man getting that right honored and respected instantly erases or tramples another's conditions for happiness. Besides that rather cynical or pessimistic assessment for how people maintain a good attitude, when people's happiness are only for dumb reasons, or they can be happy is someone is unhappy... then why should we appease the dumb at the cost of the wholesome? If Perez Hilton, such as he is called, is only happy standing atop a pile of tortured baby seals, then Miley Cyrus literally is wrong. I would apply this standard to even less extreme examples but I hate these wrong-headed open-minded absolute statements being taken as better answers to real questions and real issues.

My words that I emphasized are the ones I included as my reply to the ABC news article. What makes a practitioner of this sort of homosexuality a worthy judge is quite beyond me, especially since he later suggested a different version that he thinks she should have used.... a version that is quite clearly obfuscating or ducking the issue. Now whether the issues of homosexual marriage should be decided by the individual states is one serious matter, one likely beyond the terms and limits of what should be asked a Miss USA beauty pageant contestant. I believe that these sorts of legal contracts should be determined on a federalist basis, in the hands of the voting citizens through state ballot initiatives and perhaps (but not very comfortably) state legislative action. A defense of traditional marriage should not be mounted among the stalwart and ugly actors of the federal government, especially the judiciary. More importantly while I may be in line with activist judges on the right, on a state level, declaring that the public/government's recognition of marriage may only lay along the lines of tradition that we have honored from thousands of years before the Christian era began all the way to the early 20th century, it is abhorrent that activist judges on any level of government declare that the right of marriage, and the rite of marriage, and said recognition, belongs to any sort of combination/relationship that may suddenly become unfashionable to publicly condemn. Judges or the judicial panels that they sit on should not unilaterally declare a set of legal or moral values one way or the other simply to reflect a fashion or set of fashions of a time.

Oddly enough I think these marriage battles should be taken out of the hands of government but the civil union debate is an issue for another month. Whatever sort of relationship one has with the government bureaucracy does not involve a promise of happiness. If that fact alone is the case, the simplistic misguided utterances of a teenage pop star the endorsement of those phrases by a minor near-celebrity figure should have no relevance to how an utterly beautiful woman was or was not spiritually and rhetorically attacked by these people. Not one of these respective individuals should have been placed in their own respective positions.

Carrie Prejean's continued stand touches me.

"I wouldn't have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself and that's all I can do. It is a very touchy subject and he [Perez] is a homosexual and I see where he was coming from and I see the audience would've wanted me to be more politically correct. But I was raised in a way that you can never compromise your beliefs and your opinions for anything."

It also reminds me of the objectivist character from Watchmen, Rorschach, and his insistence on no compromise, even in the face of Armageddon. I certainly hope this is not that extreme, but a sort of professional and personal sort of glory and success was based on her performance and she decided not to compromise even when tempted with some level of reward.

Labels: ABC, education, Fox News, link dump, mariage, politics, television

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/21/2009 02:21:00 PM | |

the Left-Wing Scum are holding a recruitment drive

Yes, we the tax-payers paid for this e-mail. I have less of a problem with that than you would think.

AFSCME to Recruit at JMC

Monday, April 27^th

7:00 PM

JMC Library-3^rd floor, Case Hall

Given the current political climate, we have seen an increased interest from student activists who are now considering careers in social justice from community organizing to labor organizing. We have had some students from area colleges who have expressed interest in our organizer training programs recently and I wanted to visit the campus April 27th.

We have a number of paid internship and employment opportunities available for sophomore, junior and senior level students who are committed to social and economic justice. Generally, interns, apprentices and Organizers-in-Training assist primarily low-wage women and people of color gain rights on the job, and win better wages, benefits, and working conditions.

The 1.6 million members of AFSCME (The American Federation of State,
County and Municipal Employees) provide the vital services that make
America happen. With members in hundreds of different occupations from
nurses to school bus drivers, child care providers to sanitation workers
AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public
services and prosperity and opportunity for all working families.

To learn more about AFSCME, visit our website at AFSCME.org.

If you are interested in attending the Informational Recruitment Session please RSVP to

Jaimie Hutchison at

I'm not giving more advertising than this. If you want to join to heck with you. "Organizing" in this sense is generally a sort of harassment of private citizens until they give in to your ideological whims. It is disgusting. Good Americans would have no part of it. It is, however, popular now because of our great super-hero celebrity President.

Labels: Barack Obama, Michigan State University, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/20/2009 03:05:00 AM | |

John Bambenek's blog

It is called Part-Time Pundit.

I think he promised me some information on Local School Councils. Oh well. The thought counts pretty well for me.

Labels: Chicago, link dump, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/17/2009 08:30:00 PM | |

Ronald McDonald is scary indeed



I am still on sabbatical for academic purposes.

Labels: imagery, off-topic

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/16/2009 09:28:00 PM | |

Kasabian - Club Foot

Well, this answers my questions about "what the heck is that song!?"

For my search purposes the question is "what is the name of that song in those tv advertisements?"

Or "the song in the Unusuals Promos"




Question asked, question answered.

Labels: embedded media, music

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/13/2009 09:03:00 AM | |

Frank Springer died last Thursday

Frank Springer died Thursday April 9 2009.

I do not know whether he was a good man. There was a (too) brief article in Newsday.

Frank Springer, a longtime Long Islander who was a prolific comics artist for such strips as "Terry and the Pirates" and "Rex Morgan, M.D.," died Thursday at his home in Damariscotta, Maine, of prostate cancer. He was 79.

Frank Springer stands out to because he was/is a definitive artist/penciller in the original run of the American Transformers comic book series for Marvel Comics. That is where he stands out to me.

Appropriately I learned of the man's passing from this BWTF.com node.

Labels: comic books, link dump, obituary

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/13/2009 07:49:00 AM | |

the US Navy Seals killed the Somali Pirates

Three out of four scummers personally holding the American Captain Richard Phillips are dead. The fourth should be hung, in all propriety.

Now the rest of the pirate organization (such as it is) should be hunted down for the sheer affront to our power and status. That is how President Thomas Jefferson and other Americans of that time would deal with it, and the only good way to deal with these Enemies to Mankind.

I cannot believe I am now creating a Pirates label.

UPDATE 2009/04/13 8:04 AM - The "pirates vow revenge" on the United States for the proper treatment of their colleagues. This makes aggression against these villains a much more obvious need.


UPDATE 2009/04/13 9:38 AM - How it really happened; no mere politician was involved in the specific happenstances of the rescue, therefore National Command Authority only deserves credit and responsibility in the broadest sense.

Labels: pirates, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/13/2009 07:48:00 AM | |

Flo Rida - Right Round

Labels: embedded media, music

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/13/2009 05:07:00 AM | |

Obama Zombie Solutions

This is hilarious.



It was one of my Facebook Friends' links last week. It was posted on the 23rd. It is exactly right-on, and my gosh I posted this on April 6th.

You're welcome.

Labels: Barack Obama, Democrats, embedded media, Hillary Rodham Clinton, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/13/2009 12:03:00 AM | |

Easter Sunday

1 Corinthians 15:55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"



Act 2:23,24 "you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."



1 Corinthians 5 demands that may we not abuse this liberty.

Labels: holidays, theology

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/12/2009 08:07:00 AM | |

Ramesh Ponnuru versus Tom Tomorrow

This idiot thinks the American health care system (which does not work very well at all) operates under a free market.

That idiot is "Tom Tomorrow".

So Ramesh Ponnuru mocks him for it.

Labels: politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/09/2009 04:50:00 PM | |

today is Passover

Jewish World Review has its Passover in 60 minutes (or less)

That is all I have for Passover this year. Next year I hope I have more.

Labels: holidays, link dump

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/09/2009 07:23:00 AM | |

this article smells like bull crap to me 2008

374 of 386 DOCUMENTS

Salon.com

May 23, 2008 Friday

Look homeward, Obama

BYLINE: Dan Conley

SECTION: FEATURE

LENGTH: 3969 words

HIGHLIGHT: Anyone who doubts that a toxic political environment can be overcome should look to Chicago. Are you listening, Senator?

When the words "Chicago" and "politics" collide, a multitude of images arise. From the mythical voters who rose from the grave to elect John F. Kennedy in 1960, to the tear gas that separated hard hats and cops from billy-clubbed war protesters in 1968, most of those images have to do with corruption and conflict.

In the 1980s, Chicago was famous for bad blood and racial friction in city government. There was a series of theatrical City Council disputes dubbed the Council Wars by comedian Aaron Freeman, and then there was the bitter, racially charged 1983 primary that pitted sitting Mayor Jane Byrne against mayor-to-be Harold Washington, and future mayor-for-life Richard M. Daley, a battle of titans that now seems like a precursor to the 2008 Democratic presidential nominating fight.

Various articles during this campaign -- including some in Salon -- have attempted to tie Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to that outdated vision of the Windy City. But over the past 25 years, Chicago politics has evolved. The city is still divided along racial lines, and other layers of government here -- from the Illinois Statehouse to the Cook County government -- feature as much grandstanding and as many ad hominem attacks as anywhere. But anyone who doubts that a toxic political environment can be overcome should look to Chicago. Consensus has become more conspicuous than conflict. Deal-making is more important than showboating. In short, the city's politics has become post-partisan. It's a concept that should be familiar to anyone who has followed Obama's presidential bid.

A line from one of Obama's stump speeches sounds very much like words that could have been spoken in his adopted hometown at the end of the 1980s: "This election is about whether we settle for the same divisions and distractions and drama that passes for politics today, or whether we reach for a politics of common sense, and innovation -- a shared sacrifice and shared prosperity."

They don't sing "Kumbaya" in City Council meetings, but a general sense of civility prevails. In the same chamber that during the Council Wars featured endless parliamentary maneuvers and more than a few fistfights, policies are ratified in generally dull proceedings; details are usually ironed out internally before going public. Ideas hatched at City Hall are floated with community activists, business leaders and aldermen first -- and woe onto any mayoral staffer who presents a plan to the mayor that did not receive the full sign-off before making it to his desk.

It's a far cry from the Chicago politics Barack Obama first experienced when he moved to town in 1984. While this city hasn't been divided along party lines since the New Deal -- everybody's a Democrat -- racial divisions have largely defined Chicago politics. In the 1980s, during the administration of Harold Washington, the city's first black mayor, racial animosities were at their height. In his 1995 autobiography, "Dreams From My Father," Obama tells the story of an asbestos removal problem at the Altgeld Gardens housing project and how the residents came together to make sure the problem was dealt with and that the Chicago Housing Authority heard about other problems in the public housing community.

But just as momentum was shifting toward dramatic change at Altgeld that addressed a wide range of resident concerns, a public event featuring housing residents and the CHA commissioner devolved into a comical media circus that featured the commissioner grappling with a pregnant Altgeld resident for control of a microphone, then the commissioner sprinting out of the hall to his limo, to audience jeers. This led some to conclude that the entire event was set up not by Obama and the CHA residents, but by Mayor Washington's intra-party political nemesis Alderman Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak, looking to embarrass the mayor.

Chicago in 2008 is a city far more hospitable to community organizers like the young Barack Obama. Community leaders have real power in Chicago today -- and they have the ability to raise funds not only from City Hall, but from a vibrant philanthropic community that includes heavyweight donors like the Chicago Community Trust and the MacArthur Foundation.

Obama knows about Chicago's political evolution very well. In his 1995 autobiography, Obama noted how the petty divisions of the Council Wars made community action difficult -- even with African-American mayors in charge for most of the 1980s. Obama's wife, Michelle, worked in the Daley administration, in his Department of Planning and Development. It has been during the Daley administration, which began in 1989 and will never end, that Chicago has changed. Michelle saw firsthand the transformation of city government to its new model of consensus governing. Obama's team includes Daley stalwarts like Valerie Jarrett, a possible White House chief of staff, and John Rogers, a major fundraiser. And Obama's top political aide -- David Axelrod -- also happens to be Mayor Daley's prime political advisor.

But with Obama's nomination now all but assured and the general election rapidly approaching, Obama's post-partisan politics remains largely undefined. It has led detractors -- many of them loyal, liberal Democrats -- to question whether there is a commitment to progressive policies behind the mantras of hope and change and to wonder if he's a bit too naive, too academic and too "Dukakis" to win -- or if he wins, to govern effectively.

Obama addressed this characterization directly during the MTV/MySpace Forum in November 2007: "The politics of hope ... is not based on us all holding hands and singing 'Kumbaya,'" Obama said. "It is based on the idea that instead of people operating on the basis of fear, instead of people operating on the basis of division, I want people to come together and focus on the problems that we face: healthcare, education, global warming. We are not going to be able to solve those problems if we don't talk about them honestly."

Still doubts persist. And no one has expressed them more forcefully and consistently than New York Times columnist Paul Krugman. In a March 3 column, one of more than a dozen about Obama he's written this year, Krugman says, "Obama, instead of emphasizing the harm done by the other party's rule, likes to blame both sides for our sorry political state. And in his speeches he promises not a rejection of Republicanism but an era of postpartisan unity."

Here's the specific danger that Krugman envisions: "If Mr. Obama does make it to the White House, will he actually deliver the transformational politics he promises? Like the faith that he can win an overwhelming electoral victory, the faith that he can overcome bitter conservative opposition to progressive legislation rests on very little evidence -- one productive year in the Illinois State Senate, after the Democrats swept the state, and not much else." Krugman has a point. Despite the rhetoric, it's hard to find evidence of what post-partisanship means to Barack Obama in his legislative record. Obama likes to note the way he's worked with Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., on security issues and with Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to create a federal database of government spending. But on a range of issues, such as ethics reform, Obama's been a valuable soldier for the Democratic side, even helping Democrats to take on John McCain.

So like everyone else, I'm left wondering just what post-partisanship means to Barack Obama and how it could possibly work as long as the Republican Party has enough votes to stop a Democratic president from enacting his or her ideas. But having worked in Chicago for Mayor Richard M. Daley, I would like to suggest, gently, to the senator and his staff that an imperfect, but helpful model for post-partisanship can be found right here in his hometown and in a brand of politics a world away from "Kumbaya."

When I arrived in Chicago in 1995, I expected hardball. I had just taken part in a brutal four-way U.S. Senate contest in Virginia featuring Democratic Sen. Chuck Robb, Republican nominee Oliver North, former Democratic Gov. (and the nation's first elected African-American governor) Doug Wilder and former state Attorney General Marshall Coleman. Having worked for the failed campaign of Wilder, looking for a new job was not easy. The Democrats had just been booted from power in Congress, making it a mini-Great Depression for Democratic political operatives seeking work. And to make matters worse, I was a conspicuous supporter of a Democrat who had run as an independent. It was an opportune time to get out of Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area and head to the last place in America where Democrats retained a stranglehold on power.

I landed in Chicago right before the city elections, which always take place in the dead of winter and several months after regularly scheduled elections for Congress and statewide posts. That was my first tip-off that the city of Chicago had its own customs and mores -- and the powers that be were eager to keep it that way. In Chicago, politics isn't a spectator sport, and if you don't pay enough attention to know how to participate, that's all on you.

In the course of a haphazard job search, somehow my résumé found its way to the Axelrod & Associates fax machine just as Mayor Daley's speechwriter had decided that he'd like to move into a policy position in the mayor's next term. For all the talk about patronage hiring in Chicago city government, my experience -- a complete outsider with no history in the city and no ties to any powerful person in it -- could best be described as a mixture of 10 percent merit and 90 percent good timing.

After a few rounds of interviews, Mayor Daley offered me my introduction to Chicago politics. I only remember the first and last things that he told me that July day in his office. First, he said that national Democrats tried on several occasions to get him to endorse Chuck Robb in the 1994 Senate race. But Mayor Daley wouldn't do it. "I'm a Doug Wilder guy," Daley told me. It was nice to hear -- not just for the respect he showed my old boss, but to receive the signal that the old Chicago of opportunistic racial division was at least in part passing from the scene.

He drove home that point with his final words to me as I exited his office, job offer in hand. "You'll like it here," Daley said. "There's not a lot of partisan politics."

That was a good thing, but writing speeches for Mayor Daley presented a few unique challenges. First, his Bridgeport accent tends to create strange sounds when applied to longer words (for example, "community" comes out sounding like "cuh-mun-ah-tee"). David Axelrod put a positive spin on it while I was interviewing for the job, saying that being a speechwriter for Daley forces you into a form of simplicity and clarity that makes you a better writer. Maybe true, but I still missed using words in the English language with three or more syllables.

The second challenge was that Daley demands full staff input into all speeches before they reach his desk. Daley, in this regard, is incredibly well-grounded for such a public person -- he knows his own liabilities and relies heavily on experts to ensure that all bases are covered. Once I presented an education speech for his approval and he asked if I had run it past his education advisor -- an advisor who had been hired only days earlier and whom I had not even met. When I answered no, I was subjected to a grilling that included the phrase "How dare you!" Over the top, certainly, but I never made that mistake again.

The third challenge for me was that Daley has strong beliefs about personal responsibility. He doesn't believe that it's the proper role of government to promise a solution for every problem -- citizens have a responsibility to take care of their children, join block clubs, go to police beat meetings, run for local school councils and take ownership of their own communities. It's a powerful message -- one that defines him as a public servant and has made him an effective mayor for two decades -- but it can be a difficult message to write without making the speaker sound like a scold. I believe that this definition of post-partisanship -- a return to community values in politics -- works for Obama because it's authentic. Early on, shortly after graduating from college, Obama showed a desire to create change by building coalitions, not employing media stunts or demonizing opponents. As detailed in "Dreams From My Father," Obama's early career as a community organizer forced him to find areas of agreement. Working to organize industrial plant workers who had lost their jobs, Obama would run into people of different racial or ethnic backgrounds, but who were experiencing the same hardships. They wanted nothing to do with each other politically, but discovered that the only way to get their jobs back was to find common ground with each other.

And again, Obama would find this common ground among parents concerned about gang activity and a lack of police presence in their community. Action required bringing these parents together, getting the local church and small businesses involved and then arranging a meeting with the district police commander. And even when the efforts failed and the action lagged, the process for change was on target. There was no magic formula for success, but rather just enough incentive to keep working it until a major success -- like the opening of a job training center -- convinced activists that their hard work was paying off.

Somewhere between Obama's arrival in Chicago at the beginning of the Harold Washington administration and my entrance at the end of Richard M. Daley's first full term in office, a sea change engulfed Chicago politics. The community-based, coalition politics of wards and blocks had overwhelmed the theatrical sideshows of the Council Wars. Much of the credit belongs to Mayor Washington for empowering community groups that had long languished -- organizers like Barack Obama suddenly had a friend in City Hall eager to build the community anchors, like modernized schools, job training centers and new parks, in black communities that had for generations gone to meet Irish, Polish or even Swedish-American needs. By the time Washington won reelection in 1987, he had become a true coalition mayor with substantial support from business interests and lakefront liberals.

But there's no question that Mayor Richard M. Daley continued this momentum and, to the surprise of many, calmed the city's political tensions. Mayor Daley adapted to the times and recognized early that he had a great deal to gain by reaching across racial lines to build coalitions with African-American and Latino leaders. He's now routinely reelected with more than 70 percent of the vote despite the fact that white voters comprise only about a third of the city's voting population.

Daley's form of post-partisanship can lead to surprising government actions that defy ideological labels. Just last month, Daley responded to a wave of murders across the city with a very non-governmental suggestion -- not new gun control, not more police on the streets or new drug laws. Rather, he called on people in all Chicago communities to organize -- hold block club meetings, talk to neighbors, go to police beat meetings. Daley said that the solution to violence will come from citizens taking action and demanding change -- finding their own unique solutions. And when they found solutions with a chance at success, government would be glad to help them succeed.

The authentic Obama has always believed in political organization and activism -- and he's often seen politics-as-usual as the enemy of real change. In "Dreams From My Father," Obama recounts his job interview in New York with community organizer Marty Kaufman, who wanted Obama to work for him in Chicago. After talking a bit about Obama's background, Kaufman asked, "What do you really know about Chicago anyway?"

After some fits and starts, Obama responds: "America's most segregated city. A black man, Harold Washington, was just elected mayor and white people don't like it."

What follows is an illuminating dialogue. Kaufman says that the racial division in Chicago has created a media circus and nothing is getting done. The young Obama replies, "Whose fault is that?" And Kaufman says: "It's not a question of fault. It's a question of whether any politician, even somebody with Harold's talent, can do much to break the cycle. A polarized city isn't necessarily a bad thing for a politician. Black or white."

And that's the precise question facing America today. Not necessarily the racial part -- although this year's Democratic primary battle raises fears the party might be going down that path. But rather, even if Obama lives up to his potential and offers America hope of real change, given the pitched partisan battles of the past two decades, can any politician, no matter how skillful, break the cycle? Or are we stuck in a permanent state of battle over questions like: How badly was John Kerry really injured in Vietnam?

Are Americans ready to shout, "Who cares?" And if so, can a politician like Barack Obama seize this sense of exhaustion and forge a new style of politics in a political company town that once excelled in, that was built on, the examination and exploitation of divisive trivia?

If this approach has worked anywhere, it's here in Chicago. This city -- seemingly a liability to Obama's electoral hopes -- is actually the best, most authentic way for Obama to explain to voters precisely why some of the prominent controversies of his campaign so far are largely beside the point. In a city as big and diverse as Chicago, creating a working coalition requires people to put aside old rivalries and past political disputes. When controversy erupted recently over Barack Obama's longtime association with Hyde Park neighbor and former Weather Underground member William Ayers -- who is unrepentant about his radical political past and the violent acts he committed -- Mayor Daley immediately came to Obama's defense, noting that he worked with Ayers in shaping school reform programs and that Ayers is a valued member of the Chicago community.

Daley then went on to say, "I don't condone what he did 40 years ago, but I remember that period well. It was a difficult time, but those days are long over." That answer may not pass the smell test in Washington, but it's the way politics is practiced here. In Chicago, it's more important that Ayers is the son of the former chairman of Commonwealth Edison and has become an expert in public school reform. He wants to participate at the table and he brings something to that table, so he's taken seriously. This attitude helped former Black Panther Bobby Rush attain and hold a congressional seat. And it's why former Students for a Democratic Society peace activist Marilyn Katz -- who regularly battled Mayor Richard J. Daley, the current mayor's father -- owns a lucrative public policy P.R. firm that does a great deal of business with the city.

It's also why the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has been judged here more for the community work performed by the Trinity United Church of Christ than for what he said in the pulpit. And it's also why, when someone like Tony Rezko starts doing favors for you and helping you to raise money, Chicago politicians don't immediately question his motives or check into his business dealings. In Chicago, as long as you bring something to the table, people are willing (almost eager) to ignore the less flattering dimensions of your character.

Doug Wilder, who, like California's Jerry Brown, decided to run a city after serving as a governor, agrees that the open-seat-at-the-table style is essential to managing a modern American city -- especially at a time of declining government ability to solve problems directly. Wilder, now mayor of Richmond, Va., likes to quote from Charles Landry's landmark book "The Art of City Building," especially a passage where Landry calls city management "more like improvised jazz than chamber music. There is experimentation, trial and error and everyone can be a leader, given a particular area of expertise. As if by some mysterious process, orchestration occurs through seemingly unwritten rules. ...There is not just one conductor, which is why leadership in it's fullest sense is so important -- seemingly disparate parts have to be melded into a whole."

Of course, Obama isn't campaigning to lead a city, but a nation -- the world's richest, most powerful nation in a time of economic distress and lingering war. How is an open seat at the table going to improve the economy or win the war on terror? How does assembling a winning presidential campaign create a lasting coalition that can change the way the nation is governed?

The honest response is that greater activism, in and of itself, guarantees nothing. Maybe the level of civic education in America is so low that voters may be unprepared to meet this challenge. Critics might also argue that leaving a seat at the table open -- and allowing a multitude of unelected leaders to emerge -- opens the door to corruption.

Chicagoans would respond that the true naif is anyone who thinks that citizens who are inactive in politics -- who bring nothing to the table -- should share equally in the largesse of government. Politics does not reward passivity. And those who think that only the purely virtuous should be allowed to participate in public life care more about living out a grand-scale morality play than using the levers of politics to take action to build a more perfect union, or more livable city.

Also, if Obama were to embrace Chicago openly and use it as a model of change, there's no question that it would invite Americans to place Chicago under the microscope. I live here, but believe me, I don't want our tax rate, school system and, in early 2008, at least, level of violent crime replicated elsewhere.

Furthermore, many Americans fear our big cities -- and no sane political advisor would recommend exporting the urban lifestyle to the suburbs and small towns that define the idyllic American life. But, for better or worse, big cities already define the dominant cultures of our nation. New York defines our economy, Los Angeles our entertainment and Washington our government.

So perhaps the best, fairest way to frame Chicago as a model for change isn't to look at the policy specifics -- because they are unique to Chicago. The city's government is a better example in structure and process than policy. And it certainly isn't fair or useful to offer a choice between Chicago and the rest of America. Rather, the most informative way to frame the discussion is to draw the distinction between Chicago and Washington. Do the American people want to remain tethered to the political treadmill of personal destruction and political grandstanding? Do they think that Washington -- that most dysfunctional of all major American cities -- should continue to dictate to the rest of us how we have to be governed?

Like Barack Obama, I became a lifelong Chicagoan when I married a Chicago native. Marry a Chicagoan and you are married to the place. And like Obama, I married a Chicago city employee -- so my views are not only somewhat biased, but connected. For us, that kind of personal and professional attachment is normal.

What Obama promises is an America where politics is a good thing, where arguments on the merits are encouraged, where a seat is always open for anyone eager to sit at the table and contribute what they can.

I made my choice 13 years ago. And given all the facts, I'm confident that America too will pick Chicago over Washington.

LOAD-DATE: May 25, 2008

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Web Publication

Copyright 2008 Salon.com, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Labels: Barack Obama, Chicago, Democrats, education, politics, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 11:32:00 AM | |

capitlizing on autonomy 2005

U.S. Newswire September 21, 2005 Wednesday 6:01 AM EST Dramatic Gains for Large Group of Once–Failing Chicago Schools That Capitalize on Autonomy SECTION: NATIONAL DESK, EDUCATION REPORTER LENGTH: 564 words DATELINE: CHICAGO, Sept. 21 In 1988, the Illinois legislature dramatically decentralized the Chicago school system, shifting major authority to parent-majority Local School Councils and school staff at each school. A Designs for Change (DFC) study of the city's grade K-8 elementary schools over the period from 1990 to 2005 indicates that 144 K-8 "Substantially Up Schools" -- all low-achieving at the beginning of school reform in 1990 -- moved in a steady progression from about 20 percent at or above the national average on the Iowa Reading Test in 1990 to the 50 percent national average by 2005, under this school-based improvement system. Further, the study draws on a range of research to identify the distinctive practices of these Substantially Up Schools, organized around Five Essential Supports for Student Learning: Effective School Leadership, Social Supports for Student Learning, Family and Community Partnerships, Adult Collaboration and Development, and Quality Learning Activities. The 144 Substantially Up Schools educate nearly 100,000 students, are distributed throughout Chicago, and serve 87 percent low-income students. Almost all are neighborhood schools that accept any student in their attendance area. If they were a separate school system, they would be larger than the Baltimore Public Schools. Earhart Options for Knowledge School on Chicago's South Side, for example, is 100 percent African American and 77 percent low-income. Its Iowa Reading Test scores have risen from 33 percent in 1990 to 75 percent in 2005. The upward trend in Iowa test scores in the Substantially Up Schools is also reflected in major gains on the state's ISAT Tests that determine No Child Left Behind sanctions. "The most consistent feature of these schools is that all the adults work together as a team to improve education, including educators, parents, and the community," said Donald Moore, the study's director. "These schools have created a high level of Adult Teamwork, what researchers call social capital." "The quickest improvements occurred in schools that took swift advantage of authority granted by the Legislature in 1988. Their Local School Councils hired a principal who was a strong leader, but also welcomed broad participation. Then, they kept building on their success," Moore explained. The study recommends that these schools that have substantially raised achievement should be given extra resources to help each other continue to improve and to aid schools that have not shown significant progress. The study also indicates that three expensive central administration reform initiatives (school probation, large-scale grade retention, and assigning Reading Specialists to low-achieving schools) have not significantly raised test scores. The study recommends that these initiatives should be scrapped or radically restructured, with the savings being invested to support local initiative that has proven effective. "The Big Picture: School-Based Reforms, Centrally-Initiated Reforms, and Elementary School Achievement in Chicago (1990-2005)," is available at http://www.designsforchange.org. --- Designs for Change is a 28-year-old educational research and reform organization focused on improving the quality of urban education for the most vulnerable students. http://www.usnewswire.com/ Contact: David Kindler, 708-646-3193, or Ray Boyer, 312-730-4914, or Don Moore, 312-236-7252 ext. 236 Find Documents with Similar Topics Help Below are concepts discussed in this document. Select terms of interest and either modify your search or search within the current results set Subject EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS(90%) LEGISLATIVE BODIES(90%) PRESS RELEASES(90%) PUBLIC SCHOOLS(90%) STUDENTS & STUDENT LIFE(90%) PRIMARY SCHOOLS(89%) Minor Terms ACADEMIC TESTING(78%) EDUCATION LAW(78%) EDUCATION REFORM(78%) FAMILY(78%) PRIMARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION(78%) SCHOOL PERFORMANCE(78%) TRENDS(78%) US NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT(78%) PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS(77%) AFRICAN AMERICANS(73%) POOR POPULATION(73%) LOW INCOME PERSONS(71%) Geography ILLINOIS, USA(92%) UNITED STATES(92%) CHICAGO, IL, USA(91%) OROR Show Major and Minor Index TermsHide Minor Index Terms | Show Relevancy ScoresHide Relevancy Scores |Clear Selections

SUBJECT: STUDENTS & STUDENT LIFE (90%); PUBLIC SCHOOLS (90%); EDUCATION (90%); PRESS RELEASES (90%); LEGISLATIVE BODIES (90%); EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (90%); PRIMARY SCHOOLS (89%); LEGISLATORS (89%); EDUCATION LAW (78%); PRIMARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION (78%); TRENDS (78%); ACADEMIC TESTING (78%); SCHOOL PERFORMANCE (78%); FAMILY (78%); AFRICAN AMERICANS (73%); POOR POPULATION (73%); US NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT (78%); PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (77%); EDUCATION REFORM (78%); LOW INCOME PERSONS (71%)

ORGANIZATION: DESIGNS FOR CHANGE (84%)

GEOGRAPHIC: CHICAGO, IL, USA (91%) ILLINOIS, USA (92%) UNITED STATES (92%)

LOAD-DATE: September 22, 2005

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newswire

Copyright 2005 PR Newswire Association LLC
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Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](386) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-08) Source [PR Newswire] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 8 2009 10:43:55

Labels: Chicago, education, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 11:11:00 AM | |

Lt Gov calls for universal participation attempts 2006

March 9, 2006 Thursday 6:14 AM EST
LT. GOV. QUINN: SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL

BYLINE: US States News

LENGTH: 291 words

DATELINE: SPRINGFIELD

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, D-Ill., issued the text of the following letter to the editor:

Dear Editor:

As a former Local School Council (LSC) member, I urge every Chicagoan interested in education to consider running for the Local School Council in their neighborhood. It is imperative that all of us work together to improve the lives and education of our children.

Research indicates that Local School Councils significantly improve relations between schools and surrounding communities. Elementary schools are showing major improvements resulting from school-level initiatives implemented by this unique partnership of the principal, teachers and LSC.

Despite LSC's proven effectiveness, participation in this critical unit of education unfortunately has declined among schools, parents and the community in recent years.

This year, however, the Chicago Public Schools are making it easier than ever to run for the LSC. Nomination forms are streamlined and now available at many government offices, schools, public libraries, and community organizations. For an online application, please visit our website www.StandingUpforIllinois.org. You can also call (773) 553-1400. The deadline for filing is Friday, March 17.

In our society, there are two forces: "the movers and the shakers" and "those who are moved and shaken", and the difference between them is education. Good jobs follow brain power.

Local School Councils combine a balance of teachers, parents and community representatives in the best tradition of American grassroots democracy. I personally urge those citizens who care about the future of our kids to consider running for their Local School Council. Our schools and children need you!

Sincerely,

Pat Quinn

Lieutenant Governor.

Find Documents with Similar Topics Help Below are concepts discussed in this document. Select terms of interest and either modify your search or search within the current results set Industry Minor Terms LIBRARIES(53%) Subject EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS(90%) LETTERS & COMMENTS(90%) CHILDREN(89%) Minor Terms GOVERNORS(78%) PRIMARY SCHOOLS(78%) TEACHING & TEACHERS(78%) US STATE GOVERNMENT(78%) PUBLIC SCHOOLS(75%) Geography ILLINOIS, USA(92%) UNITED STATES(92%) OROR Show Major and Minor Index TermsHide Minor Index Terms | Show Relevancy ScoresHide Relevancy Scores |Clear Selections

SUBJECT: LETTERS & COMMENTS (90%); EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (90%); CHILDREN (89%); PRIMARY SCHOOLS (78%); GOVERNORS (78%); US STATE GOVERNMENT (78%); TEACHING & TEACHERS (78%); PUBLIC SCHOOLS (75%); LIBRARIES (53%)

GEOGRAPHIC: ILLINOIS, USA (92%) UNITED STATES (92%)

LOAD-DATE: February 21, 2007

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newswire

Copyright 2006 HT Media Ltd.
All Rights Reserved

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](386) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-08) Source [US States News] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 8 2009 10:44:06

Labels: Chicago, education, politics, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 11:09:00 AM | |

voting, participation, guides against marginilization 2009

SUBJECT: ELECTIONS (90%); VOTERS & VOTING (90%); CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS (90%); CITY GOVERNMENT (89%); POLITICS (89%); BUDGET (89%); REGIONAL & LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (88%); TRENDS (88%); LEGISLATIVE BODIES (78%); PUBLIC DEBT (76%); GOVERNMENT BUDGETS (75%); LEGISLATORS (71%); NATIONAL DEBT (64%); CITIES (60%); SCHOOL DISTRICTS (50%)

GEOGRAPHIC: TORONTO, ON, CANADA (79%) ONTARIO, CANADA (79%) CANADA (79%); BRAZIL (79%)

LOAD-DATE: November 12, 2006

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

DOCUMENT-TYPE: COLUMN

PUBLICATION-TYPE: NEWSPAPER

Copyright 2006 Toronto Star Newspapers, Ltd.

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](386) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-08) Source [The Toronto Star] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 8 2009 10:44:23

Labels: Chicago, education, politics, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 11:09:00 AM | |

PTA dads 2008

Crain's Chicago Business
October 6, 2008
The new guy at school: Dad;
As more fathers volunteer, some changes in culture; Mars and Venus on the PTA

BYLINE: SHIA KAPOS

SECTION: BUSINESS OF LIFE; Pg. 77

LENGTH: 1319 words

Charles Crotteau is a familiar face in a sea of lipstick during afternoon pickup at Sacred Heart Schools on the North Side.

He's a talkative, friendly doctor with a wife and two daughters who has just taken on the weighty task of volunteering as a fourth-grade room representative, whose duties include planning parties and shopping for gifts from the class to the teacher.

``I don't think it should be up to the mothers all the time to do everything,'' he says.

Though Dr. Crotteau isn't the first dad to serve as room parent, he's an anomaly in a world run by room mothers, as they once were known, and PTA moms. And that makes it difficult for a guy to fit in.

``I know a lot of moms and talk to a lot of the moms. But there's a certain group that doesn't make eye contact or doesn't seem interested in getting to know me. You talk for a moment and then the conversation quickly ends,'' says Dr. Crotteau, 41, a general practitioner at Advocate Ravenswood Family Medicine.

``Maybe it's me being out of the norm, or maybe they're wishing their spouse was more involved, but there's a level of discomfort.''

More dads are getting involved in their children's educational lives: The National Parent Teacher Assn. says fathers' participation has grown to 10% today from 3% five years ago. And schools are reaching out to encourage even more to step up. This week, Chicago Public Schools kicks off its ``Real Men Read'' program to bring dads into schools to read to kids.

CPS Board President Rufus Williams says fathers' participation at local school council and PTA meetings elevates the importance of education just as it does to have dads volunteering in the schools.

``Their sheer presence calls attention to the importance of the issues on the table. It brings an important voice that wasn't always there,'' said Mr. Williams, who says he's seen a steady increase in male participation throughout CPS schools in recent years.

Still, there are challenges in integrating the dads, most of whom work, into a system that in many schools is still the province of stay-at-home moms. Professional men tend to lose patience with meandering meeting agendas, ignore small fundraising efforts in favor of bigger projects and focus their efforts on the familiar ground of sports programming. And dads like Dr. Crotteau who step out of that box find themselves out of their league when put in charge of decorating and treats.

``We've already met and are talking about Halloween and Christmas,'' he says. ``Luckily, I'm working with other parents who know what they're doing. I just listen a lot.''

a business perspective

Though dads tend to prefer local school council, or LSC, meetings, which deal with staffing and budgets, their presence has increased at PTA gatherings, too, as some schools adapt schedules to accommodate working parents.

McKenzie Elementary School in Wilmette has moved some PTA meetings to evenings. There, executive dads with organizational charts in hand arrange everything from rehearsals to props months in advance for its annual fundraiser, a spring variety show performed by parents.

``They really bring a different perspective to the meetings,'' says Tip Walker, 44, a recent PTA president. ``They'll take a real-world experience from business and apply it to a school issue.''

Ralph Shayne, 40, CFO of Warranty Finance LLC in Chicago, says he, like many fathers, feels at a disadvantage because he's not familiar with the day-to-day life at Blaine Elementary School on the city's North Side, where his twins attend. So he focuses on bigger fundraising projects.

``Mothers seem to be more wired into the system because they have more of a social fabric there. It's easier for them to understand the dynamics of the classroom. I'm not as active that way so I see my involvement more from a business perspective and how I can help improve (the school) in a bigger way,'' he says.

Blaine PTA president Sue Sell, 43, says that about 20% of this year's PTA volunteers are dads. She says they prefer a solid assignment, like heading a book drive or sports activity, rather than chewing over long-term plans.

``Maybe it's a comfort level, but they usually want to contribute to something immediately instead of planning,'' she says. ``They want to make an impact right away.''

John Rogers, 50, chairman and CEO of Chicago-based Ariel Investments LLC, sees more men taking an active role in the Ariel Elementary Community Academy, the public school on the South Side supported by Ariel. Much of the volunteerism focuses on sports.

``There's a comfort level for men of my generation: It's a natural place for us to wade in,'' says Mr. Rogers, who plays basketball with students at the school as well as at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, which his daughter attended.

Terry Mason, who heads the PTA at Ashburn Elementary School on the Southwest Side, says it took a PTA dad to prompt greater consideration of girls' sports.

``It's a stereotype, but it was a dad in the PTA who made a point that we needed a girls' basketball team,'' she says. ``We hadn't addressed it before. We have lots of sports, but everything catered to boys. Now, we're in the process of hiring a coach for the girls.''

Working parents in general-not just dads-have changed the dynamic of school meetings by steering the conversation, staying on point and moving to the next agenda item quickly and efficiently.

``Men bring a different tone; people are a little more businesslike overall,'' says Leslie Schermerhorn, assistant principal at LaSalle Language Academy in Chicago, where fathers are involved in fundraising, construction planning, field trips, and cafeteria and playground duty.

mars vs. venus

Mark Thomann, 42 and CEO of River West Brands in Chicago, says the changes to PTA and other school meetings may have less to do with him being a father and more to do with what he does for a living.

``I'm always vocal. I always ask questions. And I always try to enhance a conversation. As a CEO with a finance and branding background, people are curious about what I think. But that's more because of my skill set than because of my gender,'' he says.

Tony Wilkins, a senior vice-president and director of consultant relations at Chicago-based Northern Trust Corp., says he was frustrated when he first started attending school meetings at his children's elementary and middle schools and now Whitney Young Magnet High School, but over those nine years he figured out how to keep the group on track.

``I came to realize that people who seem to be talking longer and longer may just have a tougher time expressing something important. You have to ask them questions that narrow the focus of what they're trying to say,'' he says. ``I learned the art of suggesting to the broader group to move on and come to closure.''

Dan Cotter, 41, is the local school council chairman for Edgebrook Elementary and an in-house attorney for Chicago-based Argo Group. He says work experience definitely colors a parent's approach to school business.

``My sense is that men will give the new administration and faculty the benefit of the doubt more than (non-working) women will,'' says Mr. Cotter, attributing that to experience in the workforce, where it's understood that an employee must grow into a new position. ``From women, you hear a lot of grumbling and questioning of every item and every decision (administrators) make.''

Both men and women in parent-teacher organizations say involved dads are still unusual enough that their presence means that their words and the issues they care about command extra attention.

``When it was only women, their work tended to be more invisible,'' says David Strauss, 56, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School and board member at the Lab Schools, where many mothers also work. ``When men are involved, it wakes people up that this is work that someone has been doing all along.''

Contact: skapos@crain.com

Find Documents with Similar Topics Help Below are concepts discussed in this document. Select terms of interest and either modify your search or search within the current results set Industry PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS(90%) Subject Minor Terms CHILDREN(78%) EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS(78%) FUNDRAISING(78%) HALLOWEEN(76%) CHRISTMAS(71%) SPORTS & RECREATION(60%) People Minor Terms MICHAEL MCMAHON(83%) OROR Show Major and Minor Index TermsHide Minor Index Terms | Show Relevancy ScoresHide Relevancy Scores |Clear Selections

SUBJECT: PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS (90%); EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (78%); FUNDRAISING (78%); CHILDREN (78%); HALLOWEEN (76%); CHRISTMAS (71%); SPORTS (60%); SPORTS & RECREATION (60%)

PERSON: MICHAEL MCMAHON (83%)

LOAD-DATE: October 10, 2008

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

GRAPHIC: Art Credit: Charles Crotteau, with daughters Natalie, 6, and Molly, 9, at Sacred Heart Schools, where he is a room representative. * Mark Thomann drops off his daughter, Mia, at her prekindergarten class at Blaine Elementary, where he's a PTA member. * Ralph Shayne drops off twins Ian and Paige, first-graders at Blaine. He helps the school with fundraising.

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Magazine

JOURNAL-CODE: cb

Copyright 2008 Crain Communications
All Rights Reserved

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](386) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-08) Source [Crain's Chicago Business] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 8 2009 10:44:27

Labels: Chicago, education, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 11:07:00 AM | |

educational turnaround report 2005

September 21, 2005 Wednesday 6:00 AM EST
New Report Shows Big Gains for Huge Group of Once–Failing Chicago Schools

SECTION: CITY AND ASSIGNMENT DESK, EDUCATION REPORTER

LENGTH: 230 words

WHAT: New research shows that 144 Chicago K-8 public schools -- all low-achieving at the beginning of school reform in 1990 -- have shown substantial and sustained improvement in reading test scores. Many now exceed national averages.

WHERE/WHEN: Report available online at http://www.designsforchange.org Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 6 a.m.

WHY: "The fact that 144 elementary schools have shown this remarkable success is a cause for celebration for the teachers, Local School Councils, parents, and principals that have turned them around," said Donald Moore, executive director of Designs for Change. "Chicago has a successful network of elementary schools the size of the entire Baltimore school system."

The 144 "Substantially Up" schools serve nearly 100,000 students, are distributed throughout Chicago, and receive 87 percent of their students from low-income families. Almost all are neighborhood schools that accept any student.

In 1990, only about 20 percent of students in "Substantially Up" schools could read at or above the national average. Today that number has increased to 50 percent.

WHO: Designs for Change is a 28-year-old educational research and reform organization focused on improving the quality of urban education for the most vulnerable students.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Contact: David Kindler, 708-646-3193, or Ray Boyer, 312-730-4914, or Don Moore, 312-236-7252

Find Documents with Similar Topics Help Below are concepts discussed in this document. Select terms of interest and either modify your search or search within the current results set Subject PUBLIC SCHOOLS(91%) EDUCATION REFORM(90%) EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS(90%) PRESS RELEASES(90%) PRIMARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION(90%) PRIMARY SCHOOLS(90%) Minor Terms PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS(78%) FAMILY(75%) POOR POPULATION(75%) LOW INCOME PERSONS(67%) OROR Show Major and Minor Index TermsHide Minor Index Terms | Show Relevancy ScoresHide Relevancy Scores |Clear Selections

SUBJECT: PUBLIC SCHOOLS (91%); PRESS RELEASES (90%); PRIMARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION (90%); PRIMARY SCHOOLS (90%); EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (90%); RESEARCH (78%); EDUCATION (78%); FAMILY (75%); POOR POPULATION (75%); PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (78%); EDUCATION REFORM (90%); LOW INCOME PERSONS (67%)

ORGANIZATION: DESIGNS FOR CHANGE (83%)

LOAD-DATE: September 22, 2005

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newswire

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Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](386) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-08) Source [PR Newswire] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 8 2009 10:44:46

Labels: Chicago, education, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 11:06:00 AM | |

PTA dads 2009

Chicago Tribune (Illinois)
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune News Service
March 4, 2009 Wednesday
Dads raise their profiles in PTA groups

BYLINE: By Tara Malone and Carolyn Starks, Chicago Tribune

SECTION: DOMESTIC NEWS

LENGTH: 975 words

DATELINE: CHICAGO

CHICAGO _ Mike Campbell

Enhanced Coverage Linking

Mike Campbell -Search using:

• Biographies Plus News
• News, Most Recent 60 Days

has two teenage daughters _ daughters who dance.

Volunteering with the local booster group or sports club wouldn't help his girls, so the 46-year-old Libertyville, Ill., man ventured where few fathers go: He joined the school's equivalent of the PTA.

"It's mostly, as you would expect, a bunch of moms who are tireless workers in there, volunteering. Just amazing," said Campbell, who was elected president of the parent organization for the coming year.

Although the vast majority of PTA members are women, fathers like Campbell are increasingly stepping in, shaking up an entrenched division of labor that created generations of "classroom moms" and "sports dads."

The country's Parent Teacher Association, which was conceived as the National Congress of Mothers more than a century ago, will be led by a dad for the first time starting this summer, when Charles Saylors steps in as president.

Ten percent of the group's 5.5 million members are fathers, up from 3 percent five years ago. A father of four from South Carolina, Saylors has made recruiting dads one of his primary goals.

"Half the parents in the world are men. Let's talk about this, guys," Saylors said. "The PTA shouldn't be left to just one parent. It should be a family activity."

His appointment will come a year after Byron Garrett was named the first male chief executive of the Chicago-based organization.

The group launched an initiative called Men Organized to Raise Engagement in June 2008. Meanwhile, many Chicago-area schools have been working to enlist more male volunteers.

Ashburn Elementary School in Chicago campaigned to bring fathers into school three years ago. Today, 5 of the 11 local school council members are men. And although just one dad joined the PTA, men are a common sight in the school's classrooms and hallways, said Principal Jewel Diaz.

"It's just become like a snowball effect. We have, on a regular basis, lots of fathers just coming up and making sure they have a presence. That's all we need," Diaz said.

Clifford Fields was recognized for his school involvement by the Illinois State Board of Education in January. The Chicago man heads the PTA at his daughters' Goodlow Elementary Magnet School and the local school councils at Goodlow and Harper High School, which his older children attend. Fields got involved through The Black Star Project, which recruits African-American men to mentor black boys.

"Why just drop your kids off? Spend an hour in the school," Fields said.

The National Center for Fathering found more fathers attend classroom events, take their kids to school and volunteer than did a decade ago, according to a recent study by the organization, based in Kansas City, Mo. President Barack Obama took his daughters, Malia and Sasha, to school and attended a parent-teacher conference just days after his November election.

Changing the vocabulary is key to boosting male involvement, said Peter Spokes, the center's president.

"Historically if we talked about parents, it meant moms. ... What we found is in the last decade we're starting to change the vocabulary from 'parents' to 'moms and dads' and talk to dads as dads," Spokes said.

The Illinois PTA does not track how many members are men. Two of the state association's 33 board members, or about 6 percent, are men, said President Jean Razunas of Joliet, Ill.

"I think it has a lot to do with the fact that both parents may be working, so fathers are taking a more active role in their child's activities," Razunas said.

Alex Robinson figured it was just his turn.

His wife joined the local parent associations as their son and daughter advanced through elementary and middle school in Libertyville. When the couple's son hit high school two years ago, Robinson thought it was time to get involved and ultimately became president of the Parent CATS.

"When I go into the high school, the principals know me by sight and name. Not all the parents can say that, and I think my kids appreciate that," Robinson said.

Working the third shift isn't a dream schedule. But the late-night hours allowed Don Ridall to join the PTO in his school district.

When the district merged schools, the PTOs combined as well, and Ridall was tapped as president in 2006. He was the first man to lead a parent organization in the district, a distinction he laughed off, saying, "They were just looking for someone crazy enough to do it."

Ridall retired as PTO president this year because his shift changed again _ this time, to afternoons. A mom now leads the group.

Bruce Bohren of Gurnee, Ill., read the best-selling book "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" to help better manage his role as one of the few fathers in the local parent organization. More than a decade later, he is school board president and treasurer of the Illinois Parent Teacher Association.

Rick Orze, a Carol Stream, Ill., real estate broker, said his flexible work schedule and proximity to school made volunteering an option in a way it wasn't for fathers tied to offices in Chicago.

Orze was vice president, then president of the PTO at his local elementary school during the 2004-05 school year. More dads showed up for PTO meetings during his tenure, he said.

He said many fathers assume they're not needed or think they might be uncomfortable.

"I know people had laughed about it _ 'Oh, we have a male in charge' _ but it was never something I focused on," Orze said. "We just hoped the people who showed up were as diverse as the school."

___

(c) 2009, Chicago Tribune.

Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicagotribune.com/

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

SUBJECT: APPOINTMENTS (90%); AFRICAN AMERICANS (79%); MEN (78%); SCHOOL PRINCIPALS (77%); TEACHING & TEACHERS (77%); CHILDREN (77%); PRIMARY SCHOOLS (77%); MAGNET SCHOOLS (72%); EDUCATION DEPARTMENTS (72%)

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL PTA - NATIONAL CONGRESS OF PARENTS & TEACHERS (56%)

PERSON: MICHAEL L CAMPBELL (85%); BARACK OBAMA (50%)

GEOGRAPHIC: CHICAGO, IL, USA (93%); KANSAS CITY, MO, USA (79%) ILLINOIS, USA (94%); MISSOURI, USA (79%) UNITED STATES (94%)

LOAD-DATE: March 4, 2009

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

ACC-NO: 20090304-BC-PTA-DADS

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

JOURNAL-CODE: TB

Copyright 2009 Chicago Tribune

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](386) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-08) Source [McClatchy-Tribune News Service] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 8 2009 10:44:58

Labels: Chicago, education, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 11:04:00 AM | |

Chicago school closings 2004

Associated Press Online
June 25, 2004 Friday
Chicago May Close Worst Schools

SECTION: DOMESTIC NEWS

LENGTH: 338 words

DATELINE: CHICAGO



Mayor Richard M. Daley announced plans to close the city's worst-performing schools and replace most of them with charter and contract schools using private-sector money and ideas.

By 2010, more than 10 percent of the city's schools would be re-created - one-third as charter schools, one third as independently operated contract schools and the remainder as smaller schools run by the district.

The third-largest public school system in the nation, Chicago has almost 600 schools and more than 431,000 students. The changes have already begun at some schools.

"We must face the reality that - for schools that have consistently underperformed - it's time to start over," Daley said Thursday.

Tim Knowles, director of the Center of Urban School Improvement at the University of Chicago, called the Chicago plan "the most ambitious educational agenda for any urban area in the country."

Daley began running Chicago's schools in 1995 and put money into magnet and selective enrollment schools. Test scores improved early on, but have leveled off, and the reforms had little effect at the worst performing schools.

By law, charter schools are exempt from most state education rules outside standardized testing. Contract schools are more closely tied to the district and subject to state regulations such as school year minimums and mandated holidays. But they will be given the freedom to hire their own staffs, set pay, decide the length of the school day and design curriculum, officials said.

Teachers union members are not guaranteed jobs at the charter and contract schools. Union president Debbie Lynch said she would reserve judgment on the mayor's plan because she has not seen its details.

The effort also could diminish local school councils, through which parents have a say in how the schools are run.

"This is wholesale experimentation on poor children," said Julie Woestehoff, director of Parents United for Responsible Education. "Private industry has no proven track record for fixing schools."

PERSON: RICHARD M DALEY (92%);

COUNTRY: UNITED STATES (94%);

STATE: ILLINOIS, USA (94%);

CITY: CHICAGO, IL, USA (94%);

SUBJECT: Chicago-Schools National SCHOOL PERFORMANCE (92%); CITY GOVERNMENT (90%); PUBLIC SCHOOLS (90%); EDUCATION (90%); EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (90%); MAYORS (89%); CHARTER SCHOOLS (78%); CLOSINGS (78%); CURRICULA (78%); STANDARDIZED ACADEMIC TESTING (78%); CHILDREN (78%); ACADEMIC TESTING (78%); STUDENTS & STUDENT LIFE (78%); PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (76%); TEACHING & TEACHERS (73%); TEACHER UNIONS (64%);

LOAD-DATE: June 26, 2004

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
Copyright 2004 Associated Press
All Rights Reserved

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](386) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-08) Source [Associated Press Online] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 8 2009 10:45:30

Labels: Chicago, education, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 11:03:00 AM | |

Parents' Report Cards 2000

The New York Times
November 24, 2000, Friday, Late Edition - Final
Report Cards Are Due, Only This Time for Parents

BYLINE: By DIANA JEAN SCHEMO

SECTION: Section A; Page 37; Column 1; National Desk

LENGTH: 1373 words

DATELINE: CHICAGO, Nov. 17



Earlier this month, Olivia Carillo walked to her daughters' school for the autumn ritual known as report card pickup night, when Chicago parents meet teachers and discuss their children's first round of grades. But this time, Mrs. Carillo, a 41-year-old mother of three, came away with a sobering surprise: Not only her girls, but also she and her husband would be marked by their teachers.

Upon seeing the Chicago public school system's new Parental Involvement Report Card, Mrs. Carillo said, "I was a little bit scared." Some days got so busy she barely remembered to ask her children about homework, much less check it. Occasionally, they showed up late for school. The Carillos always pushed their daughters to work hard. Now, they wondered, what would their own report cards say?

With calls by parents for tighter accountability placing schools across the country under intense scrutiny and pressure to improve student achievement, some school systems are pushing back. Citing decades of research linking student performance to parental involvement in their education, schools are using a variety of means to draw parents in and to hold them responsible as well.

Perhaps the most forceful, if controversial, approach is under way in Chicago, where some 30 schools are handing out parental report cards. An additional 210 public schools in the city are giving out checklists similar to the report cards, but without letter grades. Along with the checklists, teachers are giving parents note pads listing daily tasks. The parents are to complete the list and send it with their children each day.

Not everyone is happy about all this.

Julie Woestehoff, executive director of Parents United for Responsible Education, a Chicago group that trains parents to run for seats on local school councils and is active in educational reform, said parents who contacted her organization were outraged and "deeply insulted" by the plan to rate them.

"This is a one-way communication," Ms. Woestehoff said.

Others, including Mrs. Carillo, have warmed to the idea. This month, parents grade themselves on basics like reviewing homework, reading with their children, getting them to school on time and making sure they had the right supplies. The rest of the year, the teachers hand out the marks.

"It gave me a chance to check myself and analyze my priorities," Mrs. Carillo said. "I felt it was important that I could be graded like my children."

Teachers will grade parents in 14 areas, from the self-evident, like whether notes explain any absences, to the less obvious, like whether parents ask children about their day at school. The grades are partly based on the daily checklists parents send in. Teachers said children seemed to enjoy monitoring their parents for a change and tended to speak up if their parents had not truthfully filled out the checklists.

Parents with poor track records can expect a home visit every 10 weeks from representatives the school system has trained to drop in.

The idea of rating parents originated with Paul G. Vallas, the superintendent of the Chicago public schools. Last spring, Mr. Vallas suggested that some parents were not pulling their weight and ought to be evaluated just like their children. Criticism of his proposal as condescending toward parents led the superintendent to substitute checklists for the report cards and to make their use voluntary for principals.

But Juan R. Rangel, director of the United Neighborhood Organization, a Hispanic nonprofit group active in 30 schools, seized upon the notion of rating parents and distributed report cards printed up with letter grades to the schools. Mr. Rangel noted that parent involvement had traditionally meant backing the school administration by volunteering as hall monitor or joining the PTA.

"What we're talking about is something much more simple, but much more concrete," he said. "We're trying to change the culture of what happens in the home."

Some educators, parents and teachers, while agreeing that the attitudes and actions of parents can prove crucial to a child's academic progress, fear that grading parents could poison the rapport between parents and teachers, particularly where such relations may start out strained.

Delia Medina, 41, found herself at loggerheads with her son's second-grade teacher after the boy failed to hand in homework. Though she signed off on the homework, Mrs. Medina said, her son later said he had been afraid to hand it in for fear it was wrong.

"I like to be told if I'm doing anything wrong," Mrs. Medina said, "but on the other hand, you can't tell the teacher they're not doing a good job. You wouldn't say what you feel, because then you'll have your son in the room with that teacher."

Joyce L. Epstein, director of the Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said parents were generally eager to help their children do well in school but might not understand how.

"If it's not a partnership approach, it comes to look dictatorial," Ms. Epstein said.

At least two dozen public schools here run training classes to help parents who may not have had much academic support themselves, but others offer nothing, noted John Simmons, president of Participation Associates, a consulting firm. A number of principals bar parents from dropping in unannounced, so there is no foundation of familiarity to build upon, Mr. Simmons added.

Educators caution that teachers, too, must weigh the obstacles parents face before taking up the pen.

"Let's say you see your kid once a week for the last four years because that's the shift you have to work," said one assistant principal, speaking on condition of anonymity. "How do you grade that parent?"

While some teachers have embraced the report cards, frequently after overcoming misgivings, others remain deeply uncomfortable and opposed to judging parents.

"It's already a job to teach the children," said Dewain Thames, the curriculum coordinator at Burbank Elementary School, who has been in the Chicago public schools for 27 years. "But it's another job to teach the parents what they didn't do. I was not trained to deal with these people on a psychological level."

The report cards are making their debut in Hispanic neighborhoods, where the prevailing culture reveres the authority of teachers and where Mr. Rangel's organization has smoothed the way. That may make it difficult to generalize about the reception the evaluations would find in less traditional communities.

Hiram Broyls, principal of Burbank Elementary, called the report cards a fine idea, although he acknowledged that in some school districts, criticizing parents could amount to "political suicide."

"Some people, they don't care what you think about them," Dr. Broyls said. "But most parents will want to get good grades, to set a good example."

So far, no parents have been failed by anybody except perhaps themselves. Andrew Rachal, a divorced 37-year-old father of three, said he would have given himself an F had he been asked. Mr. Rachal, a messenger, had two of his sons with him as he made deliveries one recent afternoon. The boys overslept and missed school. He thought a report card might force his estranged wife, who has custody of the boys, to be more conscientious.

At Rachel Carson Elementary School, on Chicago's South Side, the report cards are "opening a dialogue" with parents, said the principal, Kathleen Mayer.

"Our parents are getting good report cards," said Dr. Mayer, whose eight years at Carson have brought a steady rise in math and reading scores. "It makes it easier when you have good news, not bad."

But she added that it was also important for administrators like her to grasp the opportunities report cards open. Through them, Sonia Soler, who teaches third grade at Carson, learned that one child lacked medical coverage. The school helped the mother apply for government-financed health insurance for poor children. Taking her cue, Dr. Mayer sent notices to all her teachers, along with applications for coverage.

"We're not here to say, 'You did this wrong,' " Dr. Mayer said. "Our motto is, Whatever it takes."

http://www.nytimes.com

COUNTRY: UNITED STATES (91%);

STATE: ILLINOIS, USA (91%);

CITY: CHICAGO, IL, USA (91%);

COMPANY: PARENTS UNITED FOR RESPONSIBLE EDUCATION (68%);

GEOGRAPHIC: UNITED STATES (91%); ILLINOIS, USA (91%); CHICAGO, IL, USA (91%);

SUBJECT: Terms not available from NYTimes. PUBLIC SCHOOLS (90%); CHILDREN (90%); EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (90%); SCHOOL PERFORMANCE (90%); PARENTING (90%); PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (89%); EDUCATION (78%); STUDENTS & STUDENT LIFE (78%);

PERSON: OLIVIA CARILLO (87%); DELIA MEDINA (59%); PAUL G VALLAS (57%);

LOAD-DATE: November 24, 2000

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

GRAPHIC: Photos: Olivia Carillo, center, a mother of three, reviewed her report card with Kathleen Carey, right, a teacher at Rachel Carson Elementary School on Chicago's South Side. Mrs. Carillo's daughter Abigail is at left.; Delia Medina has two children in a Chicago elementary school. (Photographs by Todd Buchanen for The New York Times)
Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](386) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-08) Source [The New York Times] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 8 2009 10:49:05

Labels: Chicago, education, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 11:02:00 AM | |

educators' views on sciene education 2007

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](386) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-08) Source [CQ Congressional Testimony] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 8 2009 10:49:47

Labels: Chicago, education, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 10:54:00 AM | |

Muslim pirates attack a US ship!

What should President Barack Obama do?

I hope he takes a cue from President Thomas Jefferson and the Barbary Pirates.

Labels: Barack Obama, Democrats, history, politics, war

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/08/2009 10:25:00 AM | |

America the Stingy

• President Obama gives British PM Gordon Brown 25 DVDs. Gordon Brown is going blind and British DVD players do not play American region 1 DVDs. Also the British PM gave the American POTUS unique items/artifacts, and the American President gave non-unique stuff.
• The President of the United States gives the Queen of England an iPod filled with his speeches. She gave him the standard plaque for foreign dignitaries. So his gift to her was more unique, yet disgustingly narcissistic.
• In response to the recent Italian earthquake the United States gives $50,000 to the stricken nation. Jonah Goldberg asks why we should bother if the sum total of our contribution is so insignificant, and insufficient to cover the expenses of, say, a volunteer EMT squad.
  

Labels: Barack Obama, Democrats, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/06/2009 03:56:00 PM | |

Local School Councils Doing the Job

Study Shows Majority Of Chicago Local School Councils Are Doing Their Job

    CHICAGO Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- A major study released today finds that
the majority of Local School Councils (LSCs) in Chicago Public Schools are
effectively carrying out their mandated functions:  selecting and evaluating
their school principals, approving the budget, and monitoring a School
Improvement Plan.
   "The results of the study contradict the public perception that most LSCs
are ineffective and corrupt -- a perception fueled by recent media stories
about specific councils that are misusing their authority by firing good
principals, inappropriately allocating school discretionary funds, or
pressuring teachers to change their children's grades," said Anthony S. Bryk,
Senior Director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research and a report
author.  "While these cases need to be taken seriously, they are few and far
between."
   The study, conducted by the Consortium on Chicago School Research from May
1995 to February 1996, analyzes surveys from 1,943 Local School Council
members, and assesses how effectively the LSCs are handling their considerable
responsibilities.
   The 1988 Chicago School Reform Act mandated the formation of Local School
Councils in order to involve parents and community members in improving
education, safety, and order in their local schools.  The Act gave the LSC the
power to hire and fire the principal, approve the budget, and implement a
School Improvement Plan (SIP).  Such authority is vastly greater than most
other urban school districts around the country, where local school councils
have, at best, an advisory role, and is a distinctive element of the Chicago's
citywide approach to school reform.
   Each LSC consists of six parent representatives and two community
representatives, elected by the parents and community residents; two teachers,
elected by the school staff; the school's principal; and, in high schools, an
elected student.  In Chicago's 540 schools with LSCs, there are approximately
3,240 parent members, 1,080 community residents, 1,080 teachers, and 540
principals.  LSC elections occur once every two school years (the next is
April 1998), and all work is done on a volunteer basis.
   The study focuses on the following: the background and qualifications of
LSC members, how members operate and carry out mandated functions, indicators
of problem LSCs, and comments from individual LSC members.
   The Consortium found that in general, council members are better educated
and have a higher occupational status than the average adult population in
Chicago.  They spend many hours in their schools and are active in their local
communities.  According to lead author Susan Ryan, a former research associate
for the Consortium who is now at the Chicago Public Schools, "While there are
problems in some individual councils, in general we find no evidence that
parent and community members lack basic background qualifications to govern a
local school.  Thousands of dedicated and committed individuals appear to have
been drawn into this work."
   LSCs are also performing their mandated duties well -- more than half
reported a "comprehensive" to "very comprehensive" evaluation of the school
principal, meaning they implemented a detailed formal process.  For example,
LSC members surveyed teachers and parents, informed the principal about the
process, and provided suggestions to the principal for improvement.  In
addition, more than half of the councils are "active" or "very active" in
developing a School Improvement Plan (SIP), reviewing it with the community,
and monitoring its implementation.  The LSCs are also very active in deciding
how to spend discretionary monies -- nearly a quarter say their council is
"highly involved," and about 60 percent are "moderately involved."
   Forming active partnerships with the surrounding community is not an
official mandated duty of the LSCs, but plays a central role in improving the
school's educational environment.  The study found that because many LSC
members are involved in the community through churches, community groups,
social service organizations, and other local activities, they were able to
create informal occasions for better communication between the school and the
surrounding neighborhood.  Nearly 40 percent of the principals report that
their LSC helped initiate new after-school programs and gang prevention and
intervention programs, and about a third state that their LSCs helped to form
partnerships with recreational activity centers, youth clubs, the Chicago Park
District, and other schools.
   The Consortium found serious problems in 10 to 15 percent of the councils,
where there were reports of low member commitment, infighting, and
inappropriate behavior.  "While 10 to 15 percent is a small fraction of the
system, we should not lose sight of the fact that these schools educate 50,000
or more students," said Mr. Bryk.  "Fortunately, the 1995 Reform Act includes
legislation to solve these problems -- eighteen hours of required training for
LSC members, intervention and reconstitution by the school board if needed,
and the strictest ethics requirements of any elected official in the state."
   Compiled by the Consortium on Chicago School Research, Charting Reform:
LSCs -- Local Leadership at Work is part of an ongoing series on the key
players in school improvement.  Prior studies from the Consortium have
examined the effects of reform on students, effective school leadership, and
professional development and collaboration among teachers.
   The Consortium on Chicago School Research is an independent federation of
Chicago area organizations that conducts research on ways to improve Chicago's
public schools and assesses the progress of school reform.
Formed in 1990, it is a multipartisan organization that includes faculty from
area universities, senior leaders from the Chicago Public Schools, researchers
in education advocacy groups, representatives of the Illinois State Board of
Education, the Chicago Teachers Union, and the North Central Regional
Educational Laboratory, and other interested individuals and organizations.
   Charting Reform: LSCs -- Local Leadership at Work will be released on
December 11, 1997. Copies of this and other reports may be purchased for $10
from the Consortium on Chicago School Research, 1313 East 60th Street,
Chicago, IL 60637.  These studies were funded by grants from the John D. and
Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, and the Joyce
Foundation.

SOURCE Consortium on Chicago School Research


Source http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-11-97/376884&EDATE=

Labels: Chicago, education, politics, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/06/2009 03:01:00 AM | |

Legal Immigrant Non-Citizens Voting in Chicago 2007

The Boston Globe
July 8, 2007 Sunday
THIRD EDITION
A MORE PERFECT UNION - It's time we let legal immigrants vote in local elections. Doing so could save u from becoming like France!

BYLINE: TOM KEANE - Tom Keans, a Boston-based freelance writer contributes regularly to the Globe Magazine. E-mail him at tomkeane@tomkeane.com

SECTION: MAGAZINE; Pg. 8

LENGTH: 711 words

BOSTON UNCOMMON / PERSPECTIVE

When Amherst, Cambridge, or Brookline comes up with an idea - spanking bans, nuclear-free zones, or censoring West Side Story - it's easy to roll your eyes. So it might seem with giving immigrants the right to vote in local elections, a plan that all three communities have asked the Massachusetts Legislature to approve. But this idea is not confined to left-wing burgs. Newton, Wayland, and even Boston have passed or are considering similar proposals. And nationwide, New York, Chicago, and at least four municipalities in Maryland - none of which is axiomatically loopy - allow noncitizens to vote in some local elections (such as for school boards) or have recently done so. So before dismissing the notion outright, consider that this might just be something that makes sense.

Note that we're only talking about legal immigrants - those with green cards who are here for the long haul. They number about 300,000 in Massachusetts. They're just like the rest of us: They have jobs and homes, their kids go to local schools, and they pay taxes.

And if they are just like the rest of us, why not let them vote? The standard response, typically delivered with much harrumphing, is that they're not citizens. One can imagine King George III delivering the same message, a message that Colonists 234 years ago rejected when they threw tea into Boston Harbor. In fact, early on in the nation's history, most states allowed noncitizens to vote (that generally ended in the early 1900s, largely because of a backlash against European immigrants). So did Massachusetts, up until 1811. And, while the US Constitution sets the rules for voting in national elections, decisions about who is eligible to vote in local elections are up to each of the 50 states - an explicit recognition that US citizenship need not be critical to granting the right to vote.

Some opponents to immigrant voting may admit all this, but argue that if we grant immigrants voting rights, then the incentive to become a citizen is reduced. The harm in this, they say, is an increasing fragmentation of American society. It's an important and seemingly compelling argument. As a matter of logic, however, it's upside down: Granting voting rights in local elections should encourage, not discourage, immigrants from becoming part of American society.

Voting is a (perhaps the) key mechanism for any of us to become involved in how our communities are run. Allow immigrants a foot in the door - some small say over local schools or town politics - and you should see them become more engaged and more imbued with American values. "Voting encourages citizenship," says Ronald Hayduk, cofounder of the New York-based Immigrant Voting Project. Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, argues the same thing.

More than just theory, this is an argument that can be empirically tested. Take Chicago, for example. If the critics were right, then one would expect to have seen a reduction in applications for citizenship after noncitizens were allowed to vote in elections for local school councils. Instead, the reverse has been true. From 2005 to 2006, such applications in the Chicago area increased by 32 percent - far higher than other areas of the country - "and it continues to go up rapidly," says Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

That's all to the good, but here's the real reason I favor immigrant voting: I don't want us to become like the Netherlands or - God forbid - France. Both countries have growing immigrant populations, and both find themselves divided, with the newcomers dangerously unassimilated, living as if in a world apart. One of the great fears that run through all of our domestic debates over immigration is that America faces this risk as well.

Immigrant voting is one way to battle against that. One doesn't have to agree or disagree with amnesty for illegals to recognize that it is a good thing for legal immigrants to become assimilated, to become - to resurrect a regrettably unfashionable term - part of the American melting pot. Letting noncitizens vote is not only a matter of justice, it's also a matter of keeping this nation whole.

SUBJECT: ELECTIONS (91%); CITIZENSHIP (90%); CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS (90%); CIVIL RIGHTS (89%); IMMIGRATION (89%); CENSORSHIP (78%); LEGISLATORS (77%); VOTERS & VOTING (77%); LEGISLATIVE BODIES (77%); POLITICS (77%); APPROVALS (76%); REFUGEES (72%); CITIES (70%); HISTORY (64%); CITY GOVERNMENT (63%); NATURALIZATION (77%)

PERSON: MICHAEL MCMAHON (92%)

GEOGRAPHIC: BOSTON, MA, USA (94%); NEW YORK, NY, USA (79%); CHICAGO, IL, USA (72%) MASSACHUSETTS, USA (95%); NEW YORK, USA (92%); MARYLAND, USA (79%); ILLINOIS, USA (72%) UNITED STATES (95%)

LOAD-DATE: July 10, 2007

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company
All Rights Reserved

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](2) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=2007-04-06) Source [The Boston Globe] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 6 2009 01:34:19

Labels: Chicago, education, politics, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/06/2009 02:58:00 AM | |

Local School Council Elections 2008

Ripped straight from the website!

CPS inaugurates new Local School Council members

Thousands of newly elected LSC members to serve two-year terms

Thousands of volunteers inducted as members of CPS Local School Councils (LSC).

Chicago Public Schools swore in and honored thousands of volunteers inducted as members of CPS Local School Councils (LSC) at a city-wide ceremony at the Illinois Institute of Technology in June. A total of 6,600 people ran for LSC positions this year. Newly elected LSC members took office July 1, and the first LSC meeting took place in mid-July. LSC elections are held every two years. The next election will take place in April 2010. Learn more about local school councils.

source Chicago Public Schools public home page

Labels: Chicago, education, politics, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/06/2009 02:35:00 AM | |

Local School Council Elections 2000

PR Newswire
April 5, 2000
LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS TODAY AND TOMORROW; PARENTS AND COMMUNITY VOTING CRITICAL AT SCHOOLS WITH CONTESTED ELECTIONS, SAYS CHICAGO SCHOOL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COOPERATIVE

LENGTH: 577 words

CHICAGO, April 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Local School Council Elections will take place at 566 schools across the city today, April 5th and Thursday April 6th. The election dates coincide with report card pick-up, April 5th at grammar schools and April 6th at high schools. Nearly 75% of schools have contested elections in either the parent or community category, increasing the need for voter turnout.

With nearly 6,000 parent and community representative seats to be decided, LSC elections are the largest municipal election in Illinois. Anyone over 18 years of age living in the attendance area of the school is eligible to vote. This includes not only parents with a child in school but any community resident who cares about children's education. There is no citizenship requirement, and voters do not need to be registered to vote in federal, state, or municipal elections.

"LSC elections are vital because you choose candidates that will make decisions impacting the lives of your children and the children living in your community," said Kathleen Harris, Education Director of the Chicago Urban League. "One individual's vote can really make a difference."

Local School Council members are charged with approving school improvement plans, hiring and evaluating principals, and overseeing budget decisions for their school. Each school in Chicago has an elected local school council made up of six parents, two teachers, two community members, the principal, and at the high school level, a student. LSCs were created by the School Reform Act of 1988 to allow local stakeholders to participate in important decisions affecting the schools in their community.

"It takes some guts to step forward to be a leader," said Ruben McGaughy, Field Organizer for the Cooperative. "It's important that we show support by turning out to vote on April 5th and 6th.

LSCs have the power to make real changes at struggling schools and make good schools even better. LSCs allow stakeholders to participate in vital decisions affecting the schools in their community, such as approving school improvement plans, hiring and evaluating principals and overseeing budget decisions. LSC's knowledge and flexibility at the local level, combined with the fiscal accountability of the central administration, are improving schools all over the city.

The LSC 2000 Campaign is coordinated by the Chicago School Leadership Development Cooperative, a newly formed network of organizations created to increase community support for local schools. Grants are administered by Leadership for Quality Education, a business backed school reform group. /NOTE TO EDITORS: VISUAL: PARENTS VOTING FOR THEIR LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL Wednesday (elementary schools): * Suder Elementary, 2022 W. Washington, contact Carrie Ware, 773-534-7685,

heaviest voting between 12:15-5:15 p.m. * Interamerican Magnet, 919 W. Barry, contact Nancy Perez, 773-534-5490,

heaviest voting between 2-4 pm and 6-7 p.m. * Beasley Magnet, 5255 S. State, contact Dr. Doris DuBois, 773-535-1919,

heaviest voting between noon-6 p.m. Thursday (high schools): * Jones Magnet High, 606 S. State, contact Peg Pinaglia (ask for page) 773-534-8600, heaviest voting between 2-6 p.m./ /CONTACT: Andy Wade or Don Washington, of Chicago School Leadership Development Cooperative, 312-583-1714, or Michelle Wilson or Jeanette McCulloch, of Valerie Denney Communications, 312-408-2580, for Chicago School Leadership Development Cooperative/ 06:20 EDT

SUBJECT: CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS (97%); ELECTIONS (93%); PRESS RELEASES (90%); CITY GOVERNMENT (90%); VOTERS & VOTING (90%); CHILDREN (90%); SCHOOL PRINCIPALS (89%); EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (89%); PRIMARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION (89%); BUSINESS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT (88%); PUBLIC SCHOOLS (87%); CITIES (78%); PRIMARY SCHOOLS (78%); EDUCATION LAW (78%); STUDENTS & STUDENT LIFE (78%); PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (77%); SECONDARY SCHOOLS (77%); CITIZENSHIP (55%); EDUCATION REFORM (89%) GN01 Elections; GN Government News; GOVT Government news

COMPANY: QUALITY EDUCATION DATA (51%)

INDUSTRY: P9199 General Government NEC; P8211 Elementary & Secondary Schools; N9211 General Government Administration; N61111 Elementary & Secondary Schools

GEOGRAPHIC: CHICAGO, IL, USA (94%) ILLINOIS, USA (94%) UNITED STATES (94%) United States of America; Americas; North America; Pacific Rim; Illinois

LOAD-DATE: March 10, 2001

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

ACC-NO: A20000405136F-34E-WR

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Other

JOURNAL-CODE: WPRW

Copyright 2000 Financial Times Information
All Rights Reserved
Global News Wire
Copyright 2000 PR Newswire.

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](383) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-06) Source [Global News Wire] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 6 2009 02:17:54

Labels: Chicago, education, politics, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/06/2009 02:32:00 AM | |

Local School Council response to official's resignation 2001 release

PR Newswire
June 7, 2001, Thursday
LSC VOICES Respond to Vallas Resignation

SECTION: STATE AND REGIONAL NEWS

LENGTH: 397 words

DATELINE: CHICAGO, June 7



The resignation of Paul Vallas tops off a dramatic change in leadership in Chicago Public Schools this spring. How will these changes affect local schools and the leadership of Local School Council who helped launch school reform in 1988? Here's what several LSC members are saying. (As gathered by the Chicago's Successful Schools Project.)

Evelyn Asch, LSC chair and parent at Boone Elementary School 773-508-5255h
"Vallas has not always supported local control (LSCs) in a real way -- he gives lip service to local control, but under his leadership, Central Office was taking more power away from the LSC. [He opposed LSCs having control over additional funds, a vital tool in school reform.] The Mayor should look for someone who is knowledgeable about public education and a good manager, who will take advice from a variety of sources, including Local School councils, parents, teachers as well as university education faculties and management experts."

Lillian Hampton, LSC community rep at Herzl Elementary School 312-633-7792w, 312-556-7773pager
"As I look at the next year, I think it's going to be rough for everyone no matter who Daley appoints. Vallas did a lot, especially in making money available for improvements. It's going to take time for anyone to come in and get established. A lot of things might be put on hold. I think it will require LSCs to really be strong to respond to these changes and keep schools improving."

Steve Buschbacher, LSC Community rep at Palmer School 312-332-5670w
"I think the Vallas resignation comes from a lot of frustration on the part of both Daley and Vallas, basically because they are not professional educators. We need someone running CPS who has been a teacher and approaches the system and the need for change from that perspective."

LSC VOICES is a network of Local School Council members working together to strengthen the voices of LSCs in the public discourse on school reform in Chicago.

MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here
http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X36851636

SOURCE Chicago's Successful Schools

CONTACT: Jeanette McCulloch of Valerie Denney Communications, 312-408-2580, for Chicago's Successful Schools; or Nancy Jones of Chicago's Successful Schools, 312-344-6403

URL: http://www.prnewswire.com

PERSON: CHRISTIAN PAUL (74%);

COUNTRY: UNITED STATES (95%);

STATE: ILLINOIS, USA (95%);

CITY: CHICAGO, IL, USA (95%);

COMPANY: Chicago's Successful Schools

INDUSTRY: Education

GEOGRAPHIC: UNITED STATES (95%); ILLINOIS, USA (95%); CHICAGO, IL, USA (95%); Illinois

SUBJECT: bc-IL-Chicago-Schools; PRIMARY SCHOOLS (90%); EDUCATION SYSTEMS & INSTITUTIONS (90%); PRESS RELEASES (90%); TEACHING & TEACHERS (89%); PRIMARY & SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS (89%);

LOAD-DATE: June 8, 2001

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

DISTRIBUTION: TO CITY AND EDUCATION EDITORS
Copyright 2001 PR Newswire Association, Inc.

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](383) View search details Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-06) Source [PR Newswire] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 6 2009 02:21:08

Labels: education, press releases, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/06/2009 02:27:00 AM | |

Local School Council candidate recruitment 2006 release




ORGANIZATION: DEPAUL UNIVERSITY (57%)

LOAD-DATE: February 7, 2006

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newswire

Copyright 2006 PR Newswire Association LLC
All Rights Reserved

Search Terms [(Chicago "Local School Councils")](383) Search Details You searched for: (Chicago "Local School Councils") and DATE(>=1999-04-06) Source [PR Newswire] Show Full with Indexing Sort Relevance Date/Time April 6 2009 02:18:01

Labels: Chicago, education, politics, press releases, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/06/2009 02:25:00 AM | |

how about a sabbatical for school?

I let the traffic and stuff decline and then rebuild it from scratch later.

How does that sound?

I have let it lapse for an entire month before. How hard could it be?

Labels: meta

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/03/2009 06:35:00 AM | |

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog



Maybe I should provide context.... no.

Labels: embedded media, science fiction

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/03/2009 06:19:00 AM | |

should an American President bow to a foreign king?

President Obama bowed to a foreign monarch, symbolically suggesting a subservient position. From a foreign policy standpoint this suggests weakness and incompetence and and an inadvertent betrayal. The question I have regarding protocol is not whether it is appropriate but how the Saudi king will regard his relationship with us after this incident.

Of course when I first saw this photograph I was incensed, but I calmed quickly. It really has little to do with my own life, after all, but certainly indicates how little respect President Obama has for his own position.

It is likely that many will not even notice. Still, it was stupid. If it was not such a busy situation more attention would be paid to it and they may have been more serious consequences.

Labels: Barack Obama, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/03/2009 06:00:00 AM | |

Megan Fox versus a Transformer

click to enlarge


screen shot from the latest Transformers (live action) movie

Labels: images, science fiction, Transformers

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/03/2009 02:57:00 AM | |

Happy April Fools' Day

What we wish to see

This announcement is not going to happen. That is life.

Labels: Barack Obama, Democrats, holidays, imagery, Liberty, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 4/01/2009 11:35:00 AM | |