6 Motivated Organizations Improving Education In Chicago
Public schools can do a lot for kids, but sometimes class sizes are too big for students to get enough individual attention, which makes it easy for them to fall behind. Luckily, there are a number of organizations that can give students the extra push they need to succeed. The groups listed here are all great resources for Chicago parents who want to give their children the best possible future. This video was made with Ezvid Wikimaker.
6 Motivated Organizations Improving Education In Chicago
| Organization | Mission |
|---|---|
| Sit Stay Read | Advance children's literacy skills using an engaging curriculum, dedicated volunteers, and certified dogs |
| Community TV Network | Empower low-income youth by engaging them in the creative and collaborative process of modern video production |
| Chicago International Charter School | Enable students to thrive every day and put them on a path to success in college and life |
| Chicago Scholars | Resolve the barriers to success for academically driven, first generation college students from under-resourced communities |
| Merit School of Music | Transform the lives of Chicago-area youth by removing barriers to high-quality music education |
| Barrel of Monkeys | Create an experimental learning environment in which students share their personal voices and celebrate the power of their imaginations |
8 Great Movies About Education
- He Named Me Malala (2015)
- Dead Poets Society (1989)
- The Great Debaters (2007)
- Precious (2009)
- The Lottery (2010)
- Stand and Deliver (1988)
- Girl Rising (2013)
- Not One Less (1999)
Toys & Games That Can Help Kids Learn
- Coding Robots
- Math Games
- Mechanical Puzzles
- Cranium Games
- Science Kits
- Telescopes
- Trivia Games
- Solar System Toys
- Talking Globes
Why Teachers Need to Connect With Kids
In Depth
When it comes to education, budget cuts and a lack of funding are making it hard for children to thrive in a quickly changing world. In Chicago, a number of organizations dedicate their time to ensure that there is equity for outstanding education, no matter a child's family's ability to pay. In no particular order, here are six motivated organizations improving education in Chicago.
#1 on our list is Sit Stay Read. Dedicated to advance children's literacy with the help of certified dogs, and volunteers, Sit Stay Read has been able to increase fluency at a rate of 47.8% greater for those Chicago Public Schools who participate. What started as an idea to keep an older volunteer dog, active, turned into an innovative, year round literacy program for low-income students in kindergarten through 3rd grade.
All programing focuses on a one hour, once a week structure over the course of six to eight weeks. Starting in kindergarten, Sit Stay Read begins by introducing the concept of having dogs in the classroom as well as dog safety for students while enjoying stories. From first grade through third grade, reading aloud is done both in large groups and one-on-one, with creative story writing, drawing, and independent poetry writing time worked in as students progress.
Starting in kindergarten, Sit Stay Read begins by introducing the concept of having dogs in the classroom as well as dog safety for students while enjoying stories.
Up next at #2 is the Community TV Network. A non-profit devoted to empowering youth with the resources and education they need to make digital media, Community TV Network has supported Chicago youth for over forty years. Founded in 1974 by Denise Zaccardi as a special project in the Alternative Schools Network, the network promotes positive youth and community development for the neighborhoods in which the young participants live and work.
As the longest student run TV show in Chicago, over 10,000 students have participated. Each year, seventy-five students partake in more advanced projects through the leadership track program. In addition, both in-school and after-school, semester long video production programs help familiarize students with media work, allowing them to provide their perspective on community issues, expressed through media.
Coming in at #3 is the Chicago International Charter School. Chicago International Charter Schools were founded in 1997 with the purpose of providing families outstanding and innovative school choices for their children to thrive in. Serving over eight thousand students at fourteen diverse campuses across Chicago, C.I.C.S. uses four specific models to provide an excellent and equitable education.
Chicago International Charter Schools were founded in 1997 with the purpose of providing families outstanding and innovative school choices for their children to thrive in.
Models include personalized learning, turnaround, project-based learning, and identity-affirming education that has surpassed the Chicago Public School's average for literacy and college acceptance. Committed to ensuring that their schools serve as models of diversity, equity, and inclusion, C.I.C.S. believes this is the most effective way to live, learn, and experience the world in the diverse city and world we live in.
Sliding in at #4 is Chicago Scholars. Chicago Scholars sets out to select, train, and mentor academically ambitious students from under-resourced communities. They help them complete college and become the next generation of leaders who help transform their communities. Chicago Scholars believes in education, plus mentorship and leadership, leads to transformation.
Their seven year model includes college counseling, mentoring, and a supportive community. Three programs span from scholars junior year of high school, all the way until they become leaders in their chosen field, providing support, resources, and training to help them succeed. Over three thousand students have completed the program, representing 109 high schools, with a successful college graduation rate of 86% within six years.
Three programs span from scholars junior year of high school, all the way until they become leaders in their chosen field, providing support, resources, and training to help them succeed.
Up next at #5 is Merit School of Music. Merit School of Music removes barriers to high-quality music education, so that all children can experience the transformative power of music. Founded in 1979 by Alice S. Pfaelzer and Emma Endres-Kountz, Merit has been providing equal access to music for youth for forty years. Serving over three thousand students annually, seventy percent of on-site students receive financial aid with approximately one thousand students renting instruments at little to no cost.
Programs at thirty Chicago area partner sites include early childhood, for newborns through age eight, private lessons and group classes, both for age four and up, summer camps, for all ages by experience, tuition free conservatory, for all ages by audition, and Merit music in communities, across Chicago for school aged students.
Last, but not least at #6 is Barrel of Monkeys. Founded in 1997 by Erica Halverson and Halena Kays, this non-profit focuses on storytelling, theater, and social-emotional skills for students aged seven to thirteen. In-school residency programs, for Chicago Public School students in grades three through five, engage in creative writing workshops for six weeks.
Founded in 1997 by Erica Halverson and Halena Kays, this non-profit focuses on storytelling, theater, and social-emotional skills for students aged seven to thirteen.
The after-school program serves third through sixth grade C.P.S. students with an extension of the in-school curriculum, also incorporating theater. Public performances are a key part of Barrel of Monkeys, allowing for the stories imagined by the students to be performed by actors in a public setting. Over ten thousand elementary school students in primarily low-income communities have worked with Barrel of Monkeys, in over sixty Chicago Public Schools.
