Like dessert options after a Thanksgiving meal, this newsletter includes three smaller slices on important topics focused on River Forest but not unique to many public schools.
Frist, River Forest District 90’s “social justice” warriors lost a battle on reading instruction Tuesday as a board minority and common sense delivered on campaign promises. District 90’s new curriculum director received unanimous board support for her specific recommendations to overhaul the debunked English language arts program at the Tuesday November 19, 2024, board meeting.
Being a Reader, Being a Writer from The Center for the Collaborative Classroom was adopted for use in grades K-4th. Administrators were careful to share the new curricula will be used along with the district’s existing K-3rd grade literacy resource Foundations A-Z from Cambium Learning Group. Foundations is an early literacy resource used with success by some teachers in recent years.
To put things in perspective, The EdReports curriculum review gave Foundations A-Z a rating of 197 out of 202, and a Meets rating for alignment and usability. The Lucy Calkins Units of Study curriculum, chosen for “social justice equity”, has not survived any credible review, and a 2018 EdReports review assigned a Does Not Meet and a rating of 34/112. A recent EdReports review of Being a Reader wasn’t available; however, the publishers 2019 response to an EdReports rating of Partially Meets is linked here.
New board members Cortese, Eisenberg, and Mackey campaigned with promises to investigate curricular and instructional explanations for sudden academic decline, the initial emphasis on English language arts. As easily as this new board minority had swept the 2022 election, their first attempt to end a re-kindled reading war was blocked by four proponents of lowering the ceiling instead of raising the floor.
With another school board election on the horizon, the ELA writing was on the wall for board members Avalos, Eckmann, and Williams. With board member Thompson (not present 11/19/24), the four endorsed and implemented poor instruction as a “social justice equity” approach to closing the achievement gap between black and white students. Lower academic proficiency of River Forest (D90) and Oak Park (D97) eighth graders was necessary to fit with “teaching to the middle” during a de-tracked freshman year at OPRF High School.
The goal of “social justice” had not been clarified then, and on Tuesday the three hid behind their flip-flopped votes now favoring better curricula and instruction. No taking responsibility, no apology to parents, students, or teachers. A fiercely divided board was suddenly, strangely, unanimous.
Watch the meeting HERE beginning at minute 27 and 00 seconds. Changes to ELA in all grades K-8 are discussed; early literacy was the focus here.
According to teachers, climate change follows “social justice” agendas, and results of the 2024 5-Essentials survey suggests nothing less than a high-pressure system on either side of Chicago Ave. Lincoln, with overall better state standing saw more measures decline, while Willard, with lower standing, saw more measure rise.
At Lincoln, survey measures ranking Very Strong were Student Responsibility, Socialization of New Teachers, and Parent Involvement in School, with Parent Influence on Decision Making in Schools jumping 19 points higher in 2024. At the bottom of the scale, Innovation and Instructional Leadership ranked Very Weak and Collaborative Practices, the biggest mover, dropped 34 points. Lincoln teachers still see room for improvement. Of the 19 measures, 13 lowered in standing, five rose, and one was unchanged. Eight measures ranked lower than Neutral, and two of those were Very Weak. The numeric scale is relative among all Illinois schools.
At Willard, Socialization of New Teachers remained the schools winning measure. The measures Parent Influence on Decision Making in Schools rose 26 points in 2024 to the second highest spot, with Parent Involvement in School and Innovation both ranking just below. The biggest winner was Instructional Leadership, rising from a Very Weak 17 in 2023 to a Neutral 57 in 2024. Willard teachers are very content with the current climate; not one measure ranked less than Neutral, and 16 of 19 measures rose higher in score from 2023 to 2024.
Teachers appear to say the school climate is very different between these two neighborhood schools. It is uncertain whether results are linked to a new principal at Willard, a new curriculum director for the district, or divergent practices on early literacy instruction, and only time will tell if elevating feelings delivers academic excellence.
Speaking of feelings, the last newsletter struck a nerve.
The piece pointed out the greater than 3 times difference in 3rd grade reading proficiency between Willard and Lincoln elementary schools, and district whitewashing of academic achievement in the neighborhood door drop.
Superintendent Condon wrote E3 saying “I’m contacting you to raise my objections with the disparaging way that it mischaracterized our elementary school staff.” He went on saying “commentary you provided about our staff members was both unwarranted and disrespectful”. Maybe it was the lack of euphemisms. Regardless, we are all entitled to an opinion.
The E3 response called for clarity since E3 does not disparage or disrespect teachers and pointed out how silly it is to blame teachers for bad decisions by leadership. E3 response below.
Ed, can you please be more specific on the disparagement of staff you reference below. How and which staff were disparaged?
The divisiveness and academic disparities were entirely predictable if there was infidelity to the new unproven and poorer performing curricula that accompanied the new pedagogy. It was understood to those paying attention, and it was discussed by teachers, this is why D90 hired the curriculum cops (who enjoy different titles now) to patrol classrooms for fidelity. Even a cursory study of history shows forcing ideology at any scale is unsuccessful unless everyone goes along. This is why the most successful public schools ignore politics and ideology and make curriculum and instruction their incontrovertible mission.
Does the disparagement claim point to Lincoln teachers that would abandon unproven and poor performing curricula for better, or is it the Willard teachers upset at Lincoln teachers for not doing what they were told? Maybe it is the relative absence of euphemisms. Please explain.
It seems Martire's rogue board, its two elected candidates, you, and the curriculum director failed students first in comprehensive changes including ELA. The data came in immediately after 2016, and criticism in that is warranted. Sadly, it was the same leadership that put all D90 teachers/staff in difficult positions, failing them second. At a minimum, there were some teachers that could anticipate the academic decline under the new pedagogy and left the district. Those that stayed would either adopt the pedagogical ideology or challenge it in their own way. A disproportionate number of teachers at one school challenging an ideology is difficult to refute with > 3x divergent proficiency in ELA between elementary schools. This isn't disparaging of any teachers; it points directly at bad leadership.
Good leadership would have delivered a thorough and honest picture of good curriculum and instruction that most, if not all, teachers and families in the district could have rallied behind.
Looking ahead, it is exciting to hear the rally cry in favor of ELA changes pushed by the last three new board members. The expertise and expediency of our new curriculum director Christine Trendel is outstanding, and the rebound evident at Lincoln is the best evidence D90 can and will do better.
There is tremendous opportunity to help RF return to educational excellence not just in ELA, but in math, science, and more, and E3 remains committed.
Happy belated Thanksgiving from E3 - where equity still means fairness.
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