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5<TITLE>Illinois Loop:  Introduction
6</TITLE>
7<LINK REL=STYLESHEET TYPE="text/css" HREF="illoop.css">
8<META  name="description" content="For parents mystified by the practices of their children's school, the Illinois Loop is a rich source of answers and insights.">
9<META  name="keywords" content="Chicago, Illinois, Loop, Illinois Loop, ISBE,
10    education, science, history,
11	geography, reading, phonics, school, schools,
12	fuzzy, math, whole language, textbook, curriculum, curricula">
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94					<IMG SRC="illinoisloop.jpg" border="0" WIDTH="246" HEIGHT="40" ALT="Illinois Loop">
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163					The Illinois Loop website is no longer updated on a a regular basis.
164					However, since many of the links and articles have content and perspectives
165					that are just as valid today, we are keeping this website online for parents,
166					teachers and others researching school issues and solutions.
167					</TD></TR>
168
169					
170					<TR><TD valign=top>
171					<B>Broken links:</B>If you encounter links that no longer lead to the
172					desired article, it's still often possible to retrieve them.  Most of the
173					linked items include a sentence or more from the original.  Copy a section of that
174					text, and type it into Google surrounded by quotes.  More often than not, 
175					Google will find the article at a revised location.
176					</TD></TR>
177
178
179					<TR><TD valign=top>
180					-- <A HREF="mailto:[email protected]">Kevin C. Killion</A>, writer, editor and webmaster
181					</TD></TR>
182
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426					
427			
428					&nbsp;&nbsp;<A class="sidemenu2" HREF="index.html#whatshappening">What's Happening<BR>
429						&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;to Illinois Schools?</A><BR>
430
431
432					&nbsp;&nbsp;<A class="sidemenu2" HREF="index.html#thankyou">Compliments</A><BR>
433			
434					&nbsp;&nbsp;<A class="sidemenu2" HREF="index.html#stories">Personal stories</A><BR>
435					
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437					
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472	
473		<li><a href="#thankyou">Compliments</a>
474		<li><a href="#tips">Viewing Links</a>
475		<li><a href="#broken">Broken Links?</a>
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495
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497
498<!--
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503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511</UL>
512<H3>The Illinois Loop will help you understand your child's school
513</H3>
514<UL>
515
516	<FONT SIZE="+2" color=green>
517	<DIV align=center>
518	
519		Are you puzzled by your child's school?<BR>
520		Mystified?<BR>
521		Bewildered?<BR>
522		We can help you!
523		<P>
524	
525	
526
527		<!--
528		Be a lifelong learner!  Think critically!  Practice higher-order thinking skills!
529		Be an agent for change!
530		<P>
531	
532		In other words, <B>READ</B> what other parents are saying about their schools,
533		and <B>LEARN</B> how to understand what school administrators are saying.
534		<P>
535		-->
536
537		<B>
538			To get started:<BR>
539			Just click on any of the topics on the blue bar at the top of this page!
540		</B>
541		<P>
542
543	</DIV>
544	</FONT>
545
546
547</UL>
548<A NAME="whatshappening"></A>
549<H3>What is happening to Illinois schools?
550</H3>
551<UL>
552
553	
554	
555	All across Illinois parents are talking about very startling developments:
556	<P>
557	
558	<UL>
559		<LI>First graders not taught the mechanics of reading,
560			and instead told to <I>guess</I> at words by their <I>shapes</I>
561		<LI>Second graders asked what "color" math is, and "working in groups"
562			on "strategies" -- but not learning basic arithmetic
563		<LI>Fourth graders who have yet to be exposed to any real substance 
564			in history or geography
565		<LI>Fifth graders required to choose a book to read from a list of "award-winners"
566			with dark, depressing themes
567		<LI>A lone, nervous sixth grader reciting his short report on Britain -- the only exposure his
568			grade-school classmates will <I>ever</I> get to <I>any</I> English history
569		<LI>Seventh graders doing a unit on rainforests (for the third time)
570		<LI>Graduating eighth graders who can't do basic math without a calculator,
571			who are unable to identify major cities, states or nations of the world on a map,
572			and who have never heard of Copernicus, Renoir, Napoleon or Frost
573	</UL>
574	<P>
575	
576	<B>How can this be</B> ... when Illinois claims to have "strong state standards" for education?<BR>
577	<B>How can this be</B> ... in suburbs groaning under huge property taxes to pay for their lavishly-funded local schools?<BR>
578	<B>How can this be</B> ... when the <I><B>average</B></I> school district superintendent is paid more than the Illinois governor?
579	<P>
580	
581	The <B>
581Illinois Loop</B> website helps to provide information on issues
582	in Illinois education to the parents who are consumers of that education,
583	to the taxpayers who pay for it, and to everyone who wants to restore
584	quality to Illinois schools.
585	
586
587
588
589
590
591
592	
593
594
595</UL>
596<A NAME="thankyou"></A>
597<H3>Compliments</H3>
598<UL>
599
600
601
602
603
604<DIV align=center>
605<blockquote>
606
607
608
609	
610	
611	
612	
613	"I've now visited your website and I think it is wonderful.<BR>
614	[The] school reform movement [is] no longer a
615	wilderness, thanks to efforts like yours<BR>
616	to inform parents about what really
617	goes on in their children's schools <BR>
618	and how things got that way and what to
619	do about it. ... Keep up the good work!"<BR>
620	-- Rita Kramer<BR>
621	Author, <I>Ed School Follies</I>
622	<BR><BR>
623	
624	
625	
626	"Your web site is spectacular! So glad you brought it to my attention.  
627	Gratefully yours,"<BR>
628	-- Christina Hoff Sommers<BR>
629	Author, <I>The War Against Boys</I>
630	<BR><BR>
631
632
633
634	
635	
636	"I finally got around to examining your web site and I was amazed.<BR>
637	What a marvelous job you have done!"<BR>
638	-- Frank Allen<BR>
639	Former president, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
640	<BR><BR>
641			
642			
643			
644	"I could spend hours -- days -- on your site."<BR>
645	-- Peyton Wolcott<BR>
646	Author, <I>Education, Inc.</I>
647	<P>
648
649			
650	"I want to commend you on the Loop!  ... You and the online network
651	have created a lasting impression on the school reform movement."<BR>
652	-- Patricia H. Lee<BR>
653	Managing Vice President, Institute for Justice
654	<BR><BR>
655	
656	
657	"Illinois Loop: Great critiques on looney fads in education.<BR>
658	Excellent source of reason and evidence."<BR>
659	-- Martin Kozloff, Watson Distinguished Professor,
660	University of North Carolina
661	<BR><BR>
662	
663	
664	
665	"A terrific site that offers a fabulously rich environment for the
666	exploration of educational lunacy."<BR>
667	-- <I>The Instructivist</I> blog
668	<P>
669	
670	
671	
672	
673	
674
675	"What an awesome site!"<BR>
676	-- John E. Stone, Ed. D.<BR>
677	Education Consumers ClearingHouse
678	<BR><BR>
679
680
681	
682	"Your site looks wonderful!"<BR>
683	-- Donna Garner
684	<BR><BR>
685	
686	
687	"The research on your Illinois Loop website continues to be incredibly useful!
688	Thank you so much for your many years of work on behalf of Illinois and the rest
689	of the nation."<BR>
690	-- Elizabeth Carson, NYC HOLD
691	<P>
692
693	
694	"There is a terrific site that offers a fabulously rich
695	environment for the exploration of educational lunacy ...
696	IllinoisLoop.org"<BR>
697	-- <A HREF="http://instructivist.blogspot.com/" TARGET="_blank">
698	The Instructivist</A>
699	<P>
700	
701	
702	
703	"<B>Gettin' Loopy:</B> Yep, they're loopy out in the Prairie. 
704	Any more (as Midwesterners like to preface their sentences), 
705	there's the Chicago El Loop, the now-famous Lake Erie 
706	Electrical Loop, and, my favorite, the Illinois Loop Web Site. 
707	<!-- 
708	Orvat Zvqjrfgrea Zbqrfg, gur sbyxf jub qrfvtarq naq znvagnva gur 
709	Vyyvabvf Ybbc unir yrsg gurve anzrf bhgfvqr gur Ybbc. 
710	Ubjrire, V oryvrir gur perngbef gb or gur vagercvq 
711	Xriva Xvyyvba, Znel Qnzre, naq Qnir Mvssre. 
712	-->
713	...
714	I post here the 
715	link to their interesting, no-holds-barred, and ever-expanding 
716	web page on testing and assessment. 
717	But, the entire Illinois Loop Web Site is a wonder to behold; 
718	it is well worth one's time to complete the circuit.<BR>
719	-- Richard P. Phelps, <A HREF="http://www.EducationNews.org/" TARGET="_blank">
720	Education News</A>, Tuesday, August 19, 2003
721	<BR><BR>
722
723
724
725
726	
727
728
729</blockquote>
730</DIV>
731
732<HR>
733
734<TABLE width=100%><TR>
735
736
737<TD width=5%>&nbsp;</TD>
738
739<TD width=40%  valign=top>
740<DIV align=center>
741<I>
742
743
744
745
746	"It's nerve wracking ... to watch the years passing by while [my children's] boredom and frustration grows.
747	They attend what is considered to be one of the best public schools in Chicago and yet the bar is so low.
748	Illinois Loop is helping me gain the confidence and calm I need to fully face my responsibility for my children's education.  Thank you."<BR>
749	-- a Mom in Chicago
750	<P>
751
752
753
754
755
756	"I just have to tell you that I'm amazed whenever I go to the Illinois Loop website.
757	You continue to do the most incredible job at synthesizing and highlighting
758	key information. The whole country is lucky that you have designed this website."<BR>
759	-- a college professor in Ohio
760	<BR><BR>
761	
762	
763	
764	
765	"Your site is fantastic because it is everything that
766	should be done in education, none of this fluffy, touchy-feely business"<BR>
767	-- a high school physics teacher in the Chicago Public Schools
768	<P>
769	
770	
771	
772	
773	"I want to thank you for your honest and forthright information and not being
774	afraid to tell the truth.  I wish more parents were not so apathetic and would
775	get informed and involved.  ... Thank you, thank
776	you, thank you Illinois Loop!"<BR>
777	-- a parent in Homer Glen
778	<BR><BR>
779		
780		
781		
782	
783
784	"One of the best sites for public education information that I've ever seen. ...
785	Every parent and taxpayer in the U.S. should access this site to
786	get a basic understanding of what has happened to public education in the U.S. ...
787	Keep up the outstanding work!"<BR>
788	-- G.B., a visitor to our website
789	<P>
790		
791	
792	
793		
794	
795	"Thank you for your timely, informative, and insightful articles
796	on the status of education in Illinois and the nation.
797	I have recommended your web site to many friends.  In my opinion,
798	it is a gem and always worth the time that I invest in perusing the articles."<BR>
799	-- a parent in Grayslake
800	<BR><BR>
801	
802	
803	
804	"This is a great site.
805	A number of parents in our area have been concerned about many of these issues in our school district for some time. 
806	... Keep up the great work! It will be a wonderful resource for use in our
807	continuing efforts to bring content back into the classroom."<BR>
808	-- a suburban parent
809	<BR><BR>
810	
811
812	"The Illinois Loop has been the life raft that has pulled us to the shore of knowledge.
813	Thank you!! (Goodness this sounds like an academy award speech!!)."<BR>
814	-- a parent in Highland Park
815	<BR><BR>
816	
817	"The Loop is just great.  Thanks for all you are doing."<BR>
818	-- a suburban parent
819	<BR><BR>
820	
821	" You are doing education a great service."<BR>
822	-- a suburban parent
823	<BR><BR>
824	
825	"Wow! I stumbled upon your incredible website purely by accident, and what a gold mine of information and links!
826	Your content needs to be shouted from the rooftops, posthaste!
827	Here's fair warning that I plan to quote from your material a LOT in the near future,
828	and I won't take no for an answer. :-)
829	Please keep up the excellent work, I look forward to exploring the rest of your site!."<BR>
830	-- a teacher in Philadelphia
831	<BR><BR>
832	
833	" I must tell you 
834	how absolutely delighted I am to have discovered your site via the web."<BR>
835	-- a suburban parent
836	<BR><BR>
837	
838	"You provide a worthy service with illinoisloop.org; I pass the website on to family and
839	friends -- and it's an eyeopener for many."<BR>
840	-- a suburban parent
841	<BR><BR>
842	
843	"You have a wonderful and indispensable site. I am glad there are people out 
844	there battling the anti-knowledge forces."<BR>
845	-- a suburban parent
846	<BR><BR>
847	
848	"I look forward to regular visits to illinoisloop.org, with real hope that
849	you are able to effectuate change.  Please let me know if there is
850	anything I can do to assist you ... I do intend to point others to your informative site. ...
851	Believe me when I say that our
852	future as a society truly depends on this sort of effort."<BR>
853	-- a parent in Guam
854	<BR><BR>
855	
856
857
858	"My husband is running for the school board so we can try to rescue our
859	schools from projects, fuzzy math and whole language reading instruction. 
860	We're looking for GOOD info on education.  I bookmarked your website several
861	years ago when I was researching reading and I come here to see the
862	'real deal' on methods.  A thousand thanks for this excellent resource!"<BR>
863	-- a couple in Wyoming
864	<BR><BR>
865	
866	
867	"Your website is a gold mine of education information. ...
868	Please add me to your list so I can stay on top of the issues."<BR>
869	-- an elected state school board member [in another state]
870	<BR><BR>
871	
872	
873	This message is my way of trying to thank the folks responsible for your website
874	and its many useful links.  .. I fought the system
875	for four years with its attempts to force me to read to/for my students, allow
876	them to cheat off each other in so-called group learning activities or draw
877	pictures and cut out paper dolls [Thematic Visualization] rather than read and write."<BR>
878	-- former public school English teacher
879	<P>
880	
881	
882	
883	"Thank you for your tireless work in coordinating the Illinois Loop and educating
884	others about what's really going on in the world of education these days!  I love
885	the Illinois Loop and often direct people to the web site and forward the
886	articles to our current board members."<BR>
887	-- a north suburban parent
888	<BR><BR>
889	
890	
891
892</I>
893</DIV>
894</TD>
895
896<TD width=5%>&nbsp;</TD>
897
898<TD width=40% valign=top>
899<DIV align=center>
900<I>
901
902
903
904	"Thanks for bucking the tide of unreason!"<BR>
905	-- Ph.D. professor of education, Canada
906	<P>
907
908
909
910	"Your site is fantastic because it is everything that
911	should be done in education, none of this fluffy, touchy-feely business."<BR>
912	-- A high school physics teacher in the Chicago Public Schools
913	<P>
914	
915	"Prior to becoming an attorney, I earned two Masters degrees (one of which was in
916	special education) and a Doctorate in education.  For 30 years I was a public
917	school teacher and administrator.  I absolutely concur with your perspective on
918	the structure and strategies of public education."<BR>
919	-- a Chicago attorney
920	<P>
921	
922
923
924	"Wow, is illinoisloop.org ever accurate about school processes and strategies!
925	... I find schools' resistance to systemic change to focus on children to be
926	pathetic and embarassing.  Advocates for public education are having more and
927	more difficulty defending schools.
928	... Every day I understand more about the enormous difficulty of
929	truly changing schools so that they focus on kids.  ...
930	I applaud your insights and efforts."<BR>
931	-- A local former teacher and assistant superintendent
932	<BR><BR>
933
934
935
936
937	"I have 8 more years of teaching in the public school system still to go before I
938	can retire and I feel more optimistic that I can make it since finding your
939	website.  You are a most welcome antidote to the insanity!!  I need the laughs,
940	the insight and the sense that I'm not alone which your website provides and I've
941	only explored a little.  Many thanks!!!!"<BR>
942	-- Kathy, a teacher in Toronto
943	<BR><BR>
944     
945     
946     
947
948	"For all you do, thank you! How I wish you were running the
949	educational programs in our district, our state. Ever consider?"<BR>
950	-- a local parent
951	<BR><BR>
952	
953	
954	
955	"Thanks for everything you are doing! How can I get involved?"<BR>
956	-- an Illinois math teacher (25+ years)
957	<BR><BR>
958	
959	
960	"Thank you so much for your site - I thought I was losing my mind!"<BR>
961	-- signed, "frustrated Math Mom in New York"
962	<BR><BR>
963		
964		
965	"This site is the Holy Grail!  ...
966	Great site ... keep up the good work."<BR>
967	-- an architect
968	<BR><BR>
969	
970	"This is the most fantastic education site, and I just wanted to thank you for
971	your work.  I wish everyone could see this site so they had a clear understanding
972	of the follies in the modern education establishment. ...
973	You guys are my heroes, and I absolutely love this site."<BR>
974	-- a teacher in Miami
975	<BR><BR>
976	
977	
978	"My son ... forwarded your [web address] to me a few weeks
979	ago. Your notes are the best current compilation of what is happening
980	today and I commend you for them."<BR>
981	-- a parent in Newton, MA
982	<BR><BR>
983	
984	"God bless you!  Know this is lots of work on your part.  
985	But it will pay off in the long run.  I am starting to give out
986	the web site address to candidates who often talk about solutions to education when in reality they have "no clue" as to what their solution will do.  Thanks for all you do."<BR>
987	-- a suburban parent
988	<BR><BR>
989	
990	"This is DELIGHTFUL! I was an English professor for 20 years and now am a talk radio
991	show host. ... Your site is delightful ...
992	And your clear laying out of the issues (liberal vs. conservative) is balanced and fair-minded.
993 	Thank you so much for your wish to return high standards and common sense to public school teaching."<BR>
994	-- a Vermont Dad
995	<BR><BR>
996	
997	"I just started browsing through your site.  However, it will take me a while 
998	to digest it all.  I think, based on what I have read so far, that it is 
999	wonderful."<BR>
1000	-- a career-switcher, going back to ed school to become a teacher
1001	<BR><BR>
1002	
1003	"What a spectacular bringing together of information!"<BR>
1004	-- a suburban parent
1005	<BR><BR>
1006	
1007	"Thanks for all your work! The site is a wealth of information and I have used it often in my struggles.."<BR>
1008	-- a suburban parent
1009	<BR><BR>
1010	
1011	"Congratulations on creating a comprehensive, one-stop information shop for
1012	parents and education activists that is both deep and wide! You have provided
1013	pointers to all of the "things that make you go, 'Hmmm...'" in K-12 education,
1014	which would otherwise take weeks of intensive Interent searching to collect --
1015	if you knew what to look for in the first place.
1016	Keep up the good work."<BR>
1017	-- a Minnesota education activist
1018	<BR><BR>
1019	
1020	"You are such a gem to send out these marvelous pieces to all of us.
1021	I am in awe of your passion and perseverance to fix the problems
1022	with education."<BR>
1023	-- an Ed.D. in the Chicago suburbs
1024	<BR><BR>
1025	
1026	"Congratulations! You should be so proud of having provided such
1027	quality information to so many people."<BR>
1028	-- a suburban teacher
1029	<BR><BR>
1030	
1031	
1032	"I love being able to arm myself
1033	against the progressive establishment with the articles you post.  Thanks."<BR>
1034	-- a sixth grade teacher in Texas
1035	<P>
1036	
1037	"Fantastic site!!  Hope we can get something going like this in MA."<BR>
1038	-- a former teacher and current school board member in Massachusetts
1039	<P>
1040
1041
1042</I>
1043</DIV>
1044</TD>
1045
1046<TD width=10%>&nbsp;</TD>
1047
1048
1049</TR></TABLE>
1050
1051
1052
1053
1054
1055
1056	
1057</UL>
1058<A NAME="tips"></A>
1059<H3>Tips on Viewing Links</H3>
1060
1061
1062
1063
1064<H4>PDF Documents</H4>
1065<UL>
1066
1067
1068
1069
1070Many of the links we provide are to "PDF" documents.
1071If your computer doesn't have the Adobe Acrobat Reader already,
1072you can <A HREF="http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html" TARGET="_blank">
1073download it here</A> for free.
1074
1075
1076<A NAME="broken"></A>
1077</UL>
1078<H4>Broken Links?</H4>
1079<UL>
1080
1081
1082
1083We link to many other sources for information.  Sometimes these other websites
1084drop an item, or relocate it to a new web address.  A newspaper may
1085make an article available for free for a short term, but charge a fee after that.
1086<BR><BR>
1087In such cases, <B>you still may be able to find the story!</B>
1088For most of our links, we provide a brief excerpt.
1089Find a phrase or sentence in that excerpt that is unlikely to 
1090appear commonly in many stories.  Then,
1091go to <A HREF="http://www.google.com/" TARGET="_blank">Google</A>
1092and enter this phrase as your search request, making sure
1093<I>(this is important!)</I> to enclose your phrase in quotes.  
1094That tells <A HREF="http://www.google.com/" TARGET="_blank">Google</A>
1095to only report items with that exact phrase.
1096<BR><BR>
1097
1098If Google finds it, but their link doesn't work either
1099(this happens quite a bit with newspaper stories), then use the 
1100link on the word "Cached" in the Google listing.  
1101(Most people don't even notice that this helpful link is there.)
1102<BR><BR>
1103
1104
1105If we have a broken link to an article, but you find an updated location on the Internet, <A HREF="c
1105ontact.html">please let us know</A>!
1106It's especially helpful to us if you send us both
1107<OL>
1108	<LI>the web address we have on our Illinois Loop website (so we can find where we refer to it).<BR>
1109			<I>(Note: you can get this by pointing to it, doing a right-click (or a control-click on a Mac)
1110			and choosing the popup item with something like "Copy Link Location".  You can then paste the address into your message to us.)</I>
1111	<LI>the new web address where you found it.
1112</OL>
1113Thank you!!!
1114<BR><BR>
1115
1116
1117
1118<!-- -----------------------
1119</UL>
1120<A NAME="comment"></A>
1121<H3>Post a Comment</H3>
1122<UL>
1123
1124	Here's your chance to post a comment on your experiences
1125	with schools in Illinois, or to report on a promising development,
1126	or just to tell what you've found useful on the Illinois Loop website! 
1127	Just click to go to our 
1128	<A HREF="http://books.dreambook.com/raharaguy/guest.html">comments page</A>.
1129-------------------------- -->
1130
1131
1132
1133
1134</UL>
1135<A NAME="contact"></A>
1136<H3>Contact Us</H3>
1137<UL>
1138
1139	We are all volunteers, providing this site without salary or compensation.  If you'd like to send us a note,
1140	<A HREF="contact.html">use our "contact" page</A>!
1141	
1142	
1143
1144<!-- --------------------------------
1145
1146</UL>
1147<H3>Discussion Forum</H3>
1148<UL>
1149
1150	Here's your chance to post a comment on your experiences
1151	with schools in Illinois, or to report on a promising development,
1152	or just to tell what you've found useful on the Illinois Loop website! 
1153	Ask questions about finding good schools, or how to improve your school's
1154	academic programs.
1155	Just click to go to our 
1156	<A HREF="forum.php">Illinois Loop Discussion Forum</A>.
1157
1158---------------------------------- -->
1159
1160
1161
1162
1163
1164</UL>
1165<A NAME="search"></A>
1166<H3>Search</H3>
1167<UL>
1168
1169	
1170	You can search the Illinois Loop website <A HREF="search.html">here</A>.
1171
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1214		              		Copyright 2012, The Illinois Loop. All Rights Reserved.
1215		              		<BR>
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1227		            </TD>
1228				    <TD WIDTH="30%" VALIGN="TOP" align=right>
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