https://time.com/4633460/mlk-day-ella-baker/

In an attempt to synthesize the achievements and shortcomings of Illinois Families for Public Schools, I will use the frameworks of activists Ella Baker and Saul Alinsky as well as the Black Lives Matter at School organization. Activist Ella Baker used three main strategies in her organizing; focusing on grassroots organizations that involve people within the community, minimizing hierarchy, and calling for direct action as an answer to fear, apathy and disenfranchisement (Payne, 1989). To fulfill her first pillar of activism, Baker recommended grassroots organizations should consist of small, community-based groups that could advocate for local change. These groups would also be connected under a larger network that could mobilize collectively when facing bigger issues. This method of organizing resonates with IFFPS’s structure as IFFPS provides guiding resources to parents so that they can organize around an issue independently while still remaining connected to IFFPS (Illinois Families for Public Schools, n.d.-b). Along with this, IFFPS often endorses, or asks for the endorsement, of other local grassroots organizations tackling similar issues (Police Free Schools coalition, n.d.). That said, IFFPS differs in many key ways from Ella Baker’s methodology. For example, IFFPS is very hierarchical. Cassie Cresswell is the board director and organization president and seems to be the only voice that represents this organization (Illinois Families for Public Schools, n.d.-a). While parents can contact Cresswell though the website and on Facebook, there seems to be less consistent and scheduled collaboration between the volunteers and Cresswell. Along with this, IFFPS differs from Ella Bakers philosophy of organizing in that IFFPS works as a parent resource rather than a hub of parent involvement. For example, there are working groups parents can join to advocate for certain issues, but it is unlikely parents will be in charge of determining groups or adding input about how and when groups are made (Illinois Families for Public Schools, 2020c).

https://forward.com/culture/363919/whos-afraid-of-saul-alinsky-and-why/

Some of the methods of activist and organizer Saul Alinsky resonate with IFFPS as well. The Alinsky tradition of organizing proposes that an organizer should act as an outside member that listens to the concerns of the people, and then agitates them to encourage mobilization (Martinson & Su, 2012). This tradition usually tackles tangible issues, such changing legislation. The Alinsky Tradition resonates with IFFPS as IFFPS is most concerned with altering old, or writing new, legislation to improve the school district. They do not organize protests or provide community support directly, but instead offer information to the public about their schools and encourage them to contact their elected officials (Illinois Families for Public Schools, 2017b). This results in tangible “wins”, such as passing a bill, but fails to provide services to community members activity facing hardship. That said, IFFPS differs from the Alinsky tradition in some meaningful ways. While IFFPS is focused on legislative changes, they do not ignore the existence of pervasive issues such as equity and racial justice. Instead, the organization acknowledges these issues by supporting organizations that deal with them directly. IFFPS also is careful to highlight how their legislative change can be used as an avenue for change (Police Free Schools coalition, n.d.)(Our Work, n.d.).

IFFPS’s focus on legislative change instead of creating social change is made especially clear when comparing IFFPS to organizations such as Black Lives Matter at School. As mentioned above, IFFPS is policy based and encourages parents to organize through contacting elected officials, starting petitions within schools, and knowing their rights. This lends itself extremely well to issues such as student privacy and protection as it is not a very divisive issue. While some parents might not care about their students’ information, it is unlikely they will actively work against this issue. This is not the case for more pervasive issues such as racial justice or student equity. No single piece of legislation will fix racism and not all parents understand their role in upholding white supremacy. With issues such as these, organizations such as Black Lives Matter at School offers a more productive avenue for change. For example, Black Lives Matter at School planned a week of action with a huge range of workshops that encouraged open dialogue and provided ample opportunities to learn and engage (Curriculum, n.d.). Black Lives Matter at School also offers a starter kit that other schools can use to plan their own week of action. This is conceptually similar to IFFPS’s information toolkits, however, unlike IFFPS, the Black Lives Matter at School toolkit is much more nuanced and is not about completing or checking off action items (Starter Kit, n.d.). Instead, this toolkit is focused on creating space for dialogue and beginning work around complicated issues such as ending zero tolerance and preventing Black teacher pushout (Starter Kit, n.d.). IFFPS does not ignore these issues and advocates for some pieces of legislation that will support equity in schools, but their model doesn’t lend itself well to creating social change (Our Work, n.d.).