Fed up with Chicago’s school system, student around the city have begun to voice their consternation over the closing of 54 schools in low income areas as well as the city’s devotion to high stakes standardized testing.
Brian Sturgis is a senior at Paul Robeson High School and as an organizer of the student protests and co-founder of the Chicago Students Organizing to Save Our Schools group, he helped to lead students to boycott the state mandated standardized test. Hundreds of students protested the test by refusing to take part in the testing process… a process that nationwide has become the major focus of education… the creating of good test takers.
Like any good modern protest movement, students used social media, specifically Twitter, to spread their message and organize their protests.
At this point it is unclear what penalties will result for the students. Whatever happens, students are now making their voices heard in an industry that should, but which rarely is, devoted to the success and prosperity of students, rather than the adults running said industry.