Recently, Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel announced the latest edition to his team, new Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Jean-Claude Brizard.
Brizard, a graduate of the Broad Superintendent's Academy, served as superintendent for the Rochester, N.Y., school district for a little more than three years. During that short time he earned a reputation for being reform-minded but hard to work with. This past February, 95 percent of the Rochester teacher's union voted that they had no confidence in him.
"His record on engaging students, teachers and community around decision making is troubling," said Gender JUST, an LGBTQA group working for racial, economic and gender justice, in a statement about Brizard.
Robert Duffy, Rochester's mayor during 2006-2010, defended Brizard, stating that his critics were simply resistant to change. He called him "a man of vision, passion and exceptional integrity."
In Rochester, Brizard closed schools that were not meeting performance standards, and opened new smaller programs. He also implemented an in-school suspension program, keeping students learning in school instead of at home.
Brizard, like Emanuel, is a supporter of charter schools. He is anti-tenure and thinks teachers should be paid based on merit, not seniority. Brizard also introduced the idea of tying school budgets to enrollment in Rochester.
Rochester has one of the lowest four-year graduation rates in New York state, at 46 percent in 2009. The school district credited Brizard for increasing it from 39 percent in 2007, but later confirmed that the actual rate was closer to 48 percent. Tiffany Lankes, education reporter for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, told WBEZ radio that the tracking system being used in 2007 was faulty, and the huge bump came from better tracking with a new data system.
According to Alicia Vega, youth program director at Center on Halsted, a lot of LGBTQ youth stop going to school because they do not feel safe. She said many are also left homeless after their families put them out and have trouble finishing school.
The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) 2009 National School Climate Survey showed that 84.6 percent of LGBTQ students had been verbally harassed at school, 40.1 percent had been physically harassed and 18.8 percent had been physically assaulted.
Vega said in CPS, many schools have evolved gay-straight alliance groups, especially in the last five to seven years.
"Young people are coming out much earlier than they used to," said Vega. "They're being much more open about it."
Vega said while this is an advancement, these students can also become more harassed and isolated if they don't get proper support in school. She said schools should recognize these students and offer help.
Staff members at the Center reach out to schools to participate in their programming, which includes handling LGBTQ issues on the job, safe sex education and anti-bullying training. Vega said they've also had full classes come to the Center for field trips.
The Center also works to start more gay-straight alliances in schools. However, Vega said "it doesn't feel like it encompasses everything."
Vega said adults in schools should "put their personal feelings aside and look out for the well being of the students." She added that if adults don't act OK with LGBTQ students, other students definitely will not.
The Center incorporates "how to respond when someone is different than you," into all of its youth programs, and Vega said that stopping harassment is a major goal.
"There's still a lot of growth that needs to happen," Vega said.
Gender JUST's statement said the group is hopeful that Brizard will work with the community to keep LGBTQ students safe in school. However, the organization added, "We are ready and able to push back when needed and challenge the system when necessary."
