Adkins-Dutro attempts to slay the detractors

Adkins-Dutro at AFL-CIO Union meeting

"Jeff has no experience at all." hahahahahahaha. I LOVE it! :) I do have experience . . . I was on the executive board . . . Areas of Consultation . . . bargaining committee . . . building rep. . . . went to TURN conferences, AFT National Conference . . . took a leadership role in the collaborative effort Darling started early in his tenure . . . etc . . .

BUT . . . that said . . . I'm not submitting a resume for a job . . . that's not what the office of president of the PFT is . . . or should be, anyway.

Truth be known, there's enough experienced members on the executive board that the business side of the union could operate just fine sans any president at all.

My job as president will be to revitalize the union, to give us a bold yet intellectual collective voice, and to push (hard) for the kinds of reforms our district so desperately needs.

I heard some crotchety old bat commented that she "wouldn't vote for anyone who makes a joke of things" -- referring, of course, to my polyester armor. That's exactly the kind of attitude that has helped those in power preserve the district's played out bureaucracy. THAT ain't no joke. It's a tragedy.

Teachers. We need to bring the noise. 600+ strong for Adkins-Dutro.

SLAY THE BEAST!

Adkins-Dutro

Adkins-Dutro wants your support

We need a HUGE show of force - a vote of CONFIDENCE - in the PFT's ability to take the lead in this district. The mayor has started talking about a mayor-appointed board. We need to be the ones LEADING that discussion. Mayors will come and go, board members will come and go, and superintendents will come and go. We teachers will be here for the long haul. We are the foundation. We need a system into which those who come and go can fit - not a system where someone new comes in every four years and reinvents the wheel. If I'm elected, we teachers will team with the community and we will be at the HEAD of that table.

Plus, I've decided that if I get over 600 votes in the election, I'll have no option but to wear a warrior's KILT during my speech at the back to school institute.

Cast your vote of CONFIDENCE! 600+ strong!

Adkins-Dutro

A message for those who profess to teach

Not bitching, just making an observation...

Duncanville High School sophomore Jeff Bliss tells the teacher that passing out packets is not teaching the students. If Bliss seems inordinately articulate for a sophomore, it may be because he is 18. He dropped out of school and returned, according to Texas news reports.

In the 84-second video, Bliss tells the teacher: 

“If you would just get up and teach us instead of handing ‘em a packet yo. There’s kids in here that don’t learn like that… they need to learn face-to-face. You want kids to come to class? You want them to get excited? You gotta come in here, you gotta make ‘em excited, to change him and make him better, you gotta touch his freakin’ heart.”

The Dallas Morning News reports that Bliss will not be disciplined for this behavior, which was caught on a cell phone by a classmate and posted. Source

Adkins-Dutro Announces Presidential Run

Long-time District 150 teacher, parent, and community member Jeff Adkins-Dutro has announced that he will be running for president of the Peoria Federation of Teachers. Adkins-Dutro says he’s stepping up because he feels a sense of obligation to the teachers, parents, and students of District 150.

When asked what kinds of changes he would make, Adkins-Dutro points to the system that governs the schools. “The antiquated bureaucracy that governs District 150 is played out. I think that’s why everyone is so exhausted. We’ve tried to collaborate with the school board and with the administration. President Darling explored every possible avenue and did so with the best of intentions; unfortunately, every avenue ended up being a dead end. What we need to do now is to take the lead in advocating for a more streamlined system that will respect, reward, and retain quality teachers and administrators -- a system (and governing body) that will draw families to our district instead of chasing them away. That said, families will only be drawn to District 150 if morale is high, if discipline is under control, and if parents are allowed to make solid connections with a consistent school staff. We need a system that will rebuild that kind of foundation.”

“We can’t continue to explore the dead ends. It’s time to forge a new path. I have four children in District 150 and one more who will be in 150 a year from now. I have absolutely no intention of taking my kids out of District 150 nor do I have any intention of moving out of this community. I intend to stay and to fight for the teachers, parents, and students of our district.”

“We have the most highly qualified, hardest-working teachers in the state. It’s time for us to stand up and to fight for a system that will set things right. There’s absolutely no reason for us to be anything other than the best district in the state. Period. We need to slay the beast -- do away with the bureaucracy -- and start anew.”

Retweet:   #JAD4PFTPrez

Nobody learns in a disruptive classroom...

and that is why my student is no longer in District 150.

Study Quantifies Cost of Disruptive Students

A study from the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute has finally quantified the impact that disruptive students have on their classmates’ academic achievement. By looking at differences in grades on standardized test scores between districts that high suspension rates and low ones, the study was able to conclude that lowering the suspension rates by just 5% would translate to a 3.5% gain in the number of students proficient in reading and a full 5% in rates of proficiency on mathematics.

WPRI Research Director Mike Ford called the gains statistically significant and said that the study is only one of a number that shows what schools can achieve by removing disruptive elements from the classroom.

Ford stresses that all students – disruptive and not – have a right to a public education, yet because of the nature of a traditional classroom, those who interrupt the teacher by misbehavior make learning a zero-sum game. When they continue to disrupt class, no one learns.

The study not only shows the impact the misbehaving students can have, it also proposes a solution to the problem.

The study, The Impact of Disruptive Students in Wisconsin School Districts, recommends that chronically disruptive students be removed from classrooms and enrolled in a statewide virtual school created specifically for them. The virtual school could be hosted by a district or districts willing to enroll pupils via the state’s open-enrollment program. Students enrolled in such a school could be provided with both a computer and an Internet connection. They would continue to have the opportunity to learn, but would no longer be a detriment to the education of their classmates.

In addition to setting up an online school as an alternative for those who don’t perform well in traditional classrooms, the authors also recommend that Wisconsin invest in so-called “character education” — lessons in values such as respect for fellow students and teachers, self-sufficiency, responsibility, honesty, fairness and empathy.

In practice, applying this lesson to the problem of disruptive students might be as simple as automatically enrolling students deemed chronically disruptive in a statewide virtual school created specifically for disruptive students.

Specifically, school districts would be given the option of assigning students to a statewide virtual school as an alternative to expulsion. The virtual school could be hosted by a school district (or districts) willing to enroll these pupils via the state open-enrollment program. Under that set-up, resident school districts would still be able to count these students in their enrollment, while sending a transfer payment to the district(s) housing the virtual school.

Source

Hat tip: Brooke!

Local newspaper going to new commenting format

I haven't been able to post a comment on pjstardotcom for a while now... they blocked my black behind post haste, years ago! However, people like those shown in the photo below, have been allowed to post regularly and have their nasty comments stand for all to see...

Comments made on article regarding new public housing in Harrison.

Whenever I did comment, it was usually in defense of the underdog (a black person), who was having crap like the nonsense above thrown at them. 

The recent decision by pjstardotcom to go to a Facebook format for commenting should be interesting. Will the bigots that the paper has been so proud to host in the past continue to show up? I'll be checking.

This time the police got there before he could kill her

For the third time this year, we have a report of a fatality when police responded to a call related to domestic violence...

On at least two occasions, the officers arrived at the scene, AFTER a woman/mother/wife was murdered at the hands of her husband, with the use of a gun.

This time, the police appear to have gotten there in time. In this instance, it was the husband who was shot and killed by the police, when they responded to the call of domestic violence. Disturbing trend.

Police officer shoots and kills suspect

An investigation is underway after a Bloomington man was fatally shot by Bloomington police. Officers responded to a Domestic Disturbance call at 8 Melrose Court at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. There they were confronted by Stephen Bethea, 53, wielding a revolver.

An officer fired and struck Bethea. He was taken to OSF St. Joseph Medical Center where he later died of multiple gun shot wounds.

The incident is being investigated by Illinois State Police, along with the McLean County State's Attorney and Coroner. Source

City of Peoria weekly Issues Update

Issues Update

How classroom placement decisions are made

What (if anything) is wrong with this statement...

Children are placed in classrooms based on many factors: 

• Academic achievement
• If students have free/reduced lunch 
• Gender 
• Ethnicity 
• Teacher recommendation
• Parent Requests

Irony in the NRA teaming with a person called Noir

No Shame: The NRA Shoots Multiple Rounds of Fear Into the Black Community
Just recently, the NRA has placed their bulls-eye on the heart of Black America with their new advertisement starring some black guy with a Yankees hat. I find the message of this new video by the NRA deeply troubling, where the guy in the Yankees hat is advocating that our people arm themselves and fight the government (all under the banner of the NRA). Quite hypocritical of them, as during the Civil Rights movement, when the government was overtly oppressing our people, the NRA was quick to pressure legislatures across the country to get the guns out of the hands of the Black militants who were ready to fight back. I guess those weren't the "well-regulated militias" they had in mind when they read their version of the Second Amendment. But, now that we have a Black president, and we have made great progress in creating a more equal playing field in America (although we still have much work to do), the NRA is encouraging us to pick up guns again and start poppin'. With smokescreens and a barrage of bullets, the NRA is intentionally playing into the fears of very few people. Very, very few.

Our communities know that our problems do not mirror the same problems of many communities across this country that have experienced mass shootings. We are not plagued with random school shootings or sociopaths with dreams of amassing more assault weapons than the military. Our set of problems are quite different and need to be handled quite differently. To create more hysteria and confusion about our relationship with our government is what the NRA would like to do. That is fear-mongering at its finest and a distraction to the real problems that our communities face. We can't be scared any longer. While other communities are holding tight to their guns, we're dealing with a gun violence epidemic in our communities. We know the danger of taking up arms, and we know that guns weren't invented to protect us -- they were meant to kill us.

The Black-on-Black crime epidemic that is destroying our communities will not be solved by arming more people with more guns. We do not need more 15-year-old children placing their fingers on triggers that when pulled, kill more 15-year-old children.

Our community is not interested in a corporate sponsored gun group telling us what to do, when their real mission is to make more money for the corporations that line their dirty pockets with rolls of cash and silver bullets. We're much smarter than that and certainly can see through their motives. Until they show a real interest in solving the violence problem in our community, they can keep their Yankee hat-wearing spokesman and their African-American "campaigns" for themselves. In the words of another Internet star, "ain't nobody got time for that." Source

Don't even think about messing with the Bankhead Bounce

Yeah, I'm talking about this again. Why, because where I come from the weight of your black card (yes I said black card) has a lot to do with your ability to throw down on the new dance step of the day. These dances were difficult to learn and even more difficult to do with STYLE and GRACE.

It was work to learn the REAL Harlem Shake, The Crip Walk, The Bankhead Bounce, The Stanky Leg, The Walk It Out, The Chicken Noodle Soup and on and on... but I got em'. And you best believe, if I see anybody doing them wrong, I most certainly correct - that's just how we do.

The Hood owns these dances people, they are a part of the culture...

DEETS: The Bankhead Bounce. Atlanta, Georgia, circa 1995; in a west
end neighborhood on a highway called Bankhead, the Bounce was born.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

Click image to enlarge.

How many Cardinals can you find?

A distrubing trend...

two murders; at the hands of a spouse; within one month. Do we have a book for that? If so, let's pull it out, quick.

Click images to enlarge.

The PPD took great care and handled the Valentine's Day slaying expeditiously.  Along those lines, they will be holding a press conference this afternoon, to update the public. Alas, if only the PPD were so diligent about every murder that happens...

Beyonce' Bright and Light for Pepsi...

Click images to enlarge.

We already know that Beyonce' appears to have a propensity to lighten her hair and skin when appearing in print media. I blogged about it here and here.

I collect vintage marketing and advertising materials. The minute I heard that Beyonce' had signed the $50 million dollar Pepsi deal, the ad to the left immediately came to mind...

Beyonce' new Pepsi ad.

Notice how closely the style of Beyonce's Pepsi ad resembles the vintage Pepsi ad. You must admit... she is Bright and Light. It's just a matter of time until a Pepsi ad with Beyonce' and the words "light" and "bright" show up.

Shooting Manual High School...

kid shot in the leg, in a private drive way in between football field and Manual High School (shooting occurred on Proctor and victim is at the school now). Police scanner 3:02 p.m.

#therealHarlemShake

Redlining made easy with CrimeView Peoria

This map shows that the Civic Center, Museum and the Warehouse
District is not safe to visit.  Click image to enlarge.

I was reading something today about the level of crime in different parts of Peoria. It made me realize that thanks to CrimeView Community, just how much easier it is to redline neighborhoods in the City. 

No longer do real estate and banking professionals have to worry about possibly implicating themselves when giving information to potential investors who may ask questions about specific neighborhoods, all they have to do is point them to CrimeView Community. Slick.

Perhaps the City of Peoria is doing itself a disservice with CrimeView Community. Exactly who is it helping? 

When parents of slain children become part of the debate

Although the mother of murdered Florida teen, Travon Martin, joined lawmakers pursuing a repeal to "Stand your Ground" she has made it clear that she wants justice for her son, but she "is not against gun rights."

“My dad was a police officer for the City of Miami, you hear all of these people saying we are against guns. I can't possibly be against guns. I grew up with a gun in my house." Sabrina Fulton, the Mother of Trayvon Martin

Trayvon Martin's mother has been vocal, but she didn't do a gun control commercial. Hadiya Pendelton's mother did. Some are beginning to question whether she is being used to push the gun control agenda. What do you think... is she being used?

The black kid who won the Jeopardy Teen Tournament

I thoroughly enjoyed watching young Leo on the Jeopardy Teen Tournament, so when I saw this editorial in today's local newspaper, I had to post it here along with the video...

The bullet in the chamber allegedly killed his girlfriend

As friends of the NRA will tell you, guns and bullets don't kill - people kill.

NIKE hastily removed an advertisement with the phrase “I Am The Bullet In The Chamber” from Oscar Pistorius’ website, soon after news broke that the 26-year-old paralympics star was taken into custody and charged with murder.

Pissy (my name for him) allegedly shot his girlfriend several times in the head, chest and arm. Paramedics treated former FHM model, Reeva Steenkamp, 29, but she died at the scene.

The couple had dated for only 3 months after meeting each other at a South African awards ceremony following the Summer Olympics in London. Steenkamp was shot four times, just hours after she excitedly tweeted her Valentine’s day plans on Twitter.com.

A handgun was found at the scene.

A dead person in North Peoria...

700 block of W. Mossville Road and the Chief of Police is on the scene. Can you recall ever seeing him on the scene of a dead person in the inner city? If so, point it out to me.

Happy Valentines Day!

I thought 90 days for Grand Theft was too lenient

... apparently, the people charged with up holding the rules thought it was too harsh. 

Didn't the local newspaper say this person was serving 90 days for a host of crimes including... grand theft auto, driving under the influence, aggravated battery, marijuana possession, speeding through town at 70 miles per hour, driving on a suspended license, violating 11 traffic signals, criminal damage to property, eluding police for over 20 miles, and assaulting a police officer?

How is that the exotic dancer/stripper, known as Misty Light-Yow was arrested AGAIN, last night, for being a drunken driver? They'll probably give her chocolates for this one, considering it's Valentine's Day and Misty is obviously somebody's very special Valentine...

Hat tip "lisao"

How much catering can a charter school program do

... before it begins to look like resegregation?

Parents are reportedly complaining that Quest Charter School, which is supposedly created to give kids from disadvantaged backgrounds more Math and Science, is not offering enough "truly honors courses."

There is a very small group of families who have a voice that will actually be heard by the Quest Board. Recently two such parents (who have the means to take their students on the annual school trip to Turkey and separate from the others on the trip to spend more time with school administrators and their families) went before the Quest Board seeking "smaller, pull-out classes" (i.e., segregation) for their students within a public charter school.

For years now, critics have questioned whether charter schools, which are supposedly created to serve kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, can also effectively appeal to middle-class parents. Quest Charter Academy is fortunate that it has been able to attract several middle-class families, with students having parents who are employed at Caterpillar and Bradley University (which works out nicely since those are two Quest sponsors).

The Quest Lottery has afforded the school some diversity, as their annual lottery is open to families from all across the City. As a result, on one hand you may have a student whose parent could be an engineer at Cat or a professor at Bradley, in a classroom with a child who never met an engineer. Of course, the child who has a parent who is a professor may be "ready to fly" on certain subject matters, but does that mean they should be separated from other students who may come from a disadvantaged background and working on flying? Shouldn't differentiated instruction work in a school the size of Quest?

The Quest website touts the benefits of their differentiated instruction:

"...teachers differentiate their instruction by content, process, and product in order to meet the needs of accelerated students. Concept Schools (CS) teachers receive training in differentiated instruction at the Summer Institute, Concept Schools’ annual conference, and professional development days. The dean of academics monitors lesson plans and observe in the classroom to ensure that teachers differentiate instruction.

High school students requiring acceleration are enrolled in academically challenging Mathematics and English Language Arts classes. Students have the opportunity to take AP courses, dual-credit courses, and courses offered through the Virtual High School. Accelerated students may have the opportunity for early graduation.

Accelerated students have the opportunity to participate in special interest after-school programs. These programs have a project-based, challenging curriculum and provide students the opportunity to participate in local, national, and international competitions. Examples of programs/activities include Math Counts, Math League, robotics team, science fairs, Olympiads, bridge building, Destination Imagination, and Word Masters. CS also organizes winter and summer programs for accelerated students in order to meet their needs and challenge them to perform to their full potential."

It was reported in November of 2012, that nearly 60% of students at Quest received a 3.0 grade point average or better in the second quarter; the school's average GPA is 2.95.

Nearly 20% percent of students had a failing grade in one or more subjects. To address the remedial concerns, students take part in Saturday pull out classes called "Buckle Down Saturday," which take place from 8 a.m. to noon.

Meanwhile, the exceptional students take pull out classes called "Ivy League" classes, which is a program for advanced instruction:

Click images to enlarge.

The Ivy League is already a "smaller, pull-out class," which can provide a student with intense differentiated instruction, so I'm left wondering, just how much "smaller" these parents really want a pull-out class to be?

When you consider the population that Quest is serving, the school's Math and Science programming is already considered by many to be ambitious.

Quest demographics, 2012

If Quest is already offering students differentiated instruction, Ivy League classes and other special opportunities, what more should they be called upon to do for a select few students? 

How much catering should a charter school program that is geared towards serving disadvantaged children, do for it's middle-class parents?

Perhaps it's time for the two parents at Quest to consider other District 150 Programs, such as Washington Gifted and/or Richwoods IB, for their students that are "ready to fly." Or, there is always Peoria Academy, Notre Dame or Peoria Christian (or any other private school), for those who may be so fortunate to have the means.

Thank you for funkin up my life...

When one closes, another one opens...

The Door, by Ava DuVernay, the fifth Miu Miu Women’s Tale, is a celebration of the transformative power of feminine bonds, and a symbolic story of life change. The symbolic centre of The Door is the front entrance of the protagonist’s home. As she opens it to greet a friend in the powerfully framed opening scenes, she is shrouded in an oblique sadness.

“In the film, characters arrive at the door of a friend in need, bringing something of themselves,” explains director DuVernay. “Eventually, we witness our heroine ready to walk through the door on her own. The door in the film represents a pathway to who we are.”

Clothing is also a symbol of renewal, each change of costume charting our heroine’s emergence from a chrysalis of sadness. In the final scenes, she takes off her ring, pulls on long, black leather gloves, and walks, transformed by the emotive power of the clothing, through the door.

Grand Theft Auto Peoria style... it's just a game

The Stripper

That must have been quite some exotic dancing this stripper did in order to get off so light...Yow!

The stripper, Misty Light-Yow faced three felony charges carrying up to seven years in prison each and other charges (grand theft auto, driving under the influence, aggravated battery, marijuana possession, speeding through town at 70 miles per hour, driving on a suspended license, violating 11 traffic signals, criminal damage to property, eluding police for over 20 miles, assaulting a police officer) AND just like the video game - there are little to no consequences for her criminal behavior. 

Bartonville woman gets 90 days and restitution for Grand Theft

A Bartonville woman will spend at least another month in jail for stealing a cab while drunk, speeding through Pekin and continuing south as police chased her for 20 miles and, when they caught her, spitting and kicking at them.

Misty Light-Yow, 35, also will spend two years on probation and pay the cab company $1,690 for her damage to the vehicle in the wild, dangerous ride the night before New Year’s Eve.

Thursday before Tazewell County Circuit Judge Joe Vespa sentenced her to 90 days in jail, including the 31 days she had served since her arrest and day-for-day credit for good behavior, on charges of aggravated battery to a police officer, aggravated fleeing police and aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol.

Charges of possessing stolen property, driving with a suspended license, and other traffic-related charges, were dismissed.

A little Peoria Black History

Local Black history, in honor of Black History Month, 2013. Enjoy...

History was in the making when Peoria Public Schools District 150 hired the 1st ever African-American as Superintendent. 

This CAPtions "Back in The Day" from April, 2002 includes the hiring of Kay Royster, a press conference after the meeting, a CAPtions interview with Royster, and comments by Board Members, including Jan Deissler, Garry "Pepper" Allen, Martha Ross, and a very young Aaron Schock. Despite positive feedback and hopes from the community, Dr. Royster's contract was bought out in 2004.

This edition also includes footage of the 2002 Food-Share Can-A-Thon; an interview with Kathryn Timmes on the 21st Century program at Dist. 150; and storytelling by Brian 'Fox' Ellis and PCCEO Foster Grandparents.

Hat Tip Dennis-in-Peoria

When homicide becomes a hereditary disease

It's not uncommon to have more than one person in the same family suffer from some type of potentially deadly hereditary disease. In most black families, you can more than likely find diabetes,  high blood pressure and/or glaucoma.  Unfortunately for the Chambers' family, you can also find homicide:

Click image to enlarge.

With over 40 homicides and more than 150 shootings in Chicago, the country’s third most populous city reached a grim death toll in January. Among them Ronnie Chambers, 33, who was the fourth of Shirley Chambers’ children to die from gun violence in Chicago.

Chambers gave her last respects to her son Monday in a church on the near North Side of Chicago where there was standing room only. Friends and family who gave remarks remembered Ronnie Chambers, whose nickname was “Scooby,” as someone who was “always networking” and “pointing kids in the right direction.”

In a sanctuary filled with more than 400 people, one friend remarked, “Scooby was like everybody’s hero.” As people shared fond memories of Ronnie Chambers, his mother sat, sometimes weeping, sometimes smiling, remembering her son in her own way.

Chambers knows the feeling all too well. She lost her 18-year-old son Carlos to gun violence in 1995. In 2000, Chambers’ 23-year-old son Jerome and 15-year-old daughter LaToya were both shot to death outside of a Cabrini-Green housing facility just months apart.

Chicago’s residents are crying out for a remedy to the city’s violence issue. In 2012, the city shamefully topped 500 murders for the first time in four years.

Civil rights leader and former presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson led about 150 people in a march Saturday highlighting the gun violence issue and asked President Barack Obama to come to Chicago to address the epidemic.

Read entire article here.

Happy 100th Mother Rosa Parks

As a young woman growing up in Peoria, I often rode the city bus. I cannot ever remember sitting in the back of the bus. If there were no seats available towards the front, I would rather stand.

Rosa Parks, the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, has been and will always be a part of who  and why I am.

Hat tip Denise Jackson for button photo.

Will District #150 implement the 5Essentials Survey?

Source

The District is known for picking and choosing which State requirement they will comply with. Hopefully they will choose to comply with the 5Essentials Survey; it could provide some very useful information:

Survey dates: February 4 –March 31, 2013
Web site: https://illinois.5-essentials.org
Details: 5Essentials Frequently Asked Questions
Sample: Student Survey Questions

The Illinois 5Essentials Survey, required to be implemented this school year by legislation passed in 2011, represents the first attempt by a state to administer a statewide survey of learning conditions to teachers, students, and parents.

Between February 4, 2013 and March 31, students in grades 6-12 will be given time during one of their classes to participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. The survey is conducted online through the University of Chicago, on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education.

In taking the survey students have the unique opportunity to comment on and make an impact on their own school environment. While staff will administer the online survey:

Students’ identities will be completely confidential.

Teachers or administrators will never see individual responses to survey questions only summary level responses, such as the percentage of students’ who agree homework assignments help them learn the course material.

If you are the parent of a middle or high school student and you do not want your child to participate in this survey, please contact your junior high or high school student’s school office on Monday, February 4. To view student survey questions, click here. Please DO NOT have your child take this survey at home to avoid duplication of information.

ABOUT THE SURVEY
Across Illinois, parents, teachers, and high school and junior high students are being invited to take part in improving their school environment by participating in the Illinois 5Essentials Survey. This survey was designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of our schools by gathering individual thoughts on the important elements of school effectiveness.

The 5Essentials Survey identifies five indicators that can lead to important student outcomes, including test score gains. The research shows that schools that are excellent in 3 out of 5 show 10 times the potential for improvement. The five indicators that effect school success are:

Effective leaders
Collaborative teachers
Involved families
Supportive environments
Ambitious instruction

Based on 20 years of research conducted by the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research in more than 400 schools, the 5Essentials have been shown to be strongly predictive of school improvement. For more information about the Illinois 5Essentials Survey, or to view sample school reports, please visit https://illinois.5-essentials.org.

Statewide summary results will be shared with the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) this summer. School-level results will also be sent to schools this summer. A portion of the results will be part of the 2013 school report cards, typically released by ISBE at the end of October.

Getting educated on gun control from your dealer...

Hopefully this is not what all of the dealers are telling their customers:

Boyd Outdoors Facebook Page

Local gun owners not holding back

Thousands made their way to the East Peoria Convention Center for the Midwest Gun Collectors Association Gun Show.The higher number of visitors can likely be stemmed from the increased look at gun control in Congress.

"With the change in politics, people are going out and buying a lot of more ammo and a lot of more guns," said Mike James, Midwest Gun Collectors Association President. "Some of our dealers couldn't even show up today because they ran out of stock."

However, federally licensed gun dealers like Bill Fritz say politics won't stop those who are pro gun from using their 2nd amendment right.

While gun control is no doubt a hot button issue for debate in Congress, gun owners continue their efforts to keep their constitutional rights. Source

If you worked for the City of Peoria...

would you be willing to forfeit 2% of your salary to waive the residency requirement:

click image to enlarge

Talk about fanning the flames "PEORIA"

For years now, the public has pleaded with the District #150 School Board to televise the Board meetings in their entirety. Now that the meetings are available on UStream, the School Board has elected to cut out the public comment portion. As a result, local blogger, Elaine Hopkins has been posting the public comment section of the meetings over on her blog, Peoria Story. 

Finally, the local "mainstream" newspaper decided to report on the issue, due to a Board member taking offense to a statement made by a man (Mr. Sierra) who has been scolding the School Board and the City Council, for as long as I can remember:

... no they don't ["have to take Cloyd's word for it."]  Thankfully, once again, Elaine was there to catch the public comments of the Monday, January 14, 2013, meeting.

Apparently, the statement made by Mr. Sierra made a regular poster on the newspaper's web page, ("PEORIA") feel some kind of way:

"I, truly fear for our school board's safety!

click images to enlarge

Really? Do you even live in Peoria? Because if you did, you would know that the School Board has no reason to fear Mr. Sierra, Terry Knapp, Sharon Crews or any of the other REGULAR people who care enough to speak at School Board meetings and/or speak out on blogs about School Board issues. 

PEORIA went on to say:

"The local media and independent (internet) blog's part in 'fanning the flames' of animosity and division are helping set the stage for a violent, tragedy... BEWARE!" 

WOW, now that's what I call 

Is it time for African-American parents to take up arms?

It's a valid question. Black children continue to be gunned down on the streets and in their neighborhoods at alarming rates. As a group, African-Americans have pretty much remained silent in the gun debate. Our silence continues to be pierced by the sound of bullets ringing through our neighborhood and parents crying over dead children.

What if inner city parents, as a group, decided we are going to arm ourselves, so that we can begin to protect our children from neighborhood thugs. Imagine the gunfire that would ring out in inner city neighborhoods. Would rural gun lovers welcome the inner city to their special little fight for 2nd Amendment rights; would the push for concealed carry continue to be so strong; would the NRA stand firm with us?

Friend of slain Chicago teen Hadiya Pendleton: I don’t know how to cope

Friends who witnessed the random gunning down of a 15-year-old Chicago girl less than a week after she performed at President Obama’s inauguration continue to grapple with the senseless loss of the prep school honors student. 

 “She was honestly like the happiest person I know and I don’t know, like, how to cope with this because it shouldn’t have been her,” an emotional Klyn Jones said of her friend, Hadiya Pendleton. “It shouldn’t have been anyone but especially not her.” 

 Pendleton was killed Tuesday afternoon in a quiet south-side neighborhood less than a mile from Obama’s Chicago home. She was huddling with Jones and other friends under a canopy to escape the rain when an unidentified gunman came at them, opened fire, and then escaped the scene in a car. 

 “We were all running because we heard the gunshots and then she stopped and she was like, ‘I think I got shot.’ And I was like, ‘Hadiya, please stop joking,’” Jones said. “She was like, ‘No seriously, Klyn, I think I got shot’ and she just fell. And then time just like started moving in slow motion.” Source

Related article: Blacks need to participate in the gun debate