From the outside, it seemed like the 350,000 students in Chicago’s public school system had been living the dream—seven whole days, during the school year, with no boring classes and homework.
But in the third-largest school system, where 86 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, missing seven days of school was no cause for celebration. For some families the strike was a headache, and they were glad for the kids to return to school yesterday. Other families joined the Chicago teachers in the picket lines, giving full support to their goals. Mayor Rahm Emanuel used non-union employees to run 147 schools that provided childcare as well as breakfast and lunch. However, for many students, no school meant missed meals and needing to work extra hard to stay away from drug dealers and gang members.
So, what caused some of the highest-paid public school teachers in the country to walk out on the crucial job of educating the budding members of society? Of course, labor disputes are complicated, and this one had its fair share of political wrangling. There were pay raises and longer school days/years and haggling over the rehiring of laid-off teachers. There was the pension fund set up for retired Chicago teachers that experts say could collapse within three years. Never mind the one-liners zinged between Emanuel and Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis. However, one of the biggest sticking points—the one that seemed to cause the most strife—was teacher evaluations.
The Chicago Public School System wanted to phase in a method of evaluating teacher performance based 45 percent on student performance. The other 55 percent would be based on administrative and peer evaluations, but the single greatest influence would be student performance. This seems to make sense. A teacher’s job is to teach students. If the students aren’t learning, the teacher needs to be replaced. It’s Job Performance 101.
However, despite appearances sometimes, our schools are not assembly lines. Teachers do not stand in place mechanically attaching “reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic” to their students, creating one “college-ready” product after another. There are a myriad of factors affecting student achievement that teachers have little control over, and, they argued, they shouldn’t be financially punished for overheated and overcrowded classrooms and chaotic home lives.
I grew up in a middle-class town and made straight As. Yet a fight with my mom before school greatly affected my performance on a first period Algebra test, regardless of how thoroughly the teacher taught. And of course, the challenges faced by many students in urban school settings are far greater than a spat with Mom.
Generational poverty, poor nutrition, and domestic violence are just some of the cyclical problems in neighborhoods like the ones represented by Chicago’s school system. Drugs are provided not only by peers but also by adults. Many students have had a sexual encounter before age 11, often at the hands of a family member. The factors affecting student performance are so much more than a teacher in a classroom—or even a great school—can control. I know this doesn’t define all of Chicago’s schools, but it does describe many of them, and many more in other urban areas around the country.
So, what’s the answer? In Chicago, the school system and the teachers union compromised. The portion of teacher evaluation based on student performance was decreased to 30 percent, and an extensive appeal process was put in place for teachers to plead their case. The new system will also be phased in over the course of the four-year contract. That’s probably the best they could do; as Lewis said, “We couldn’t solve all the problems of the world with one contract, and it was time to end the strike.”
But, in the long run, Christians concerned about educational equity in our country need to look past individual schools into the whole community. Holistic community development that focuses on people, not performance, will improve the quality of life for all residents. With these greater issues managed, students will have a better chance of succeeding in the classroom and in life.
Geoffrey Canada made this approach famous by founding the Harlem Children’s Zone. In an interview with Christianity Today’s This is Our City project, Canada says, “We thought…to literally draw a line around our community and say ‘All of the kids in this community, regardless of whether they go to our school or not, will make it, and the community will begin to heal itself and become a safer and better place.”
In my hometown of Memphis, a similar effort is under way in the Binghampton neighborhood. The Binghampton Ministry Council brings together ministries touching all aspects of life, from early education to health care. The ministries focus on measurable goals in their area of ministry, but meet together regularly to communicate needs and successes. And they have plenty of successes. Blighted buildings are being restored or removed. An urban farm is providing nutrition to a virtual food desert. The area is also becoming a local arts draw, as artists and galleries set up shop. A neighborhood once known for violence and crime is slowly becoming known in Memphis for renewal and revitalization.
Chicago teachers and students are back in school, and that’s a good first step. But political deals struck by city officials and teacher unions will only go so far (and aren't even legal in some states). A crucial step will be Christians practicing holistic community development, ensuring that no child, regardless of their background or socioeconomic standing, gets left behind.
