Re-framing, Re-imagining, and Re-tooling Curricula from the Grassroots: The Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce

Oct 15, 2026

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Explores the work of the Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce (CGCT), a Chicago-based collaboration that collectively produces K-12 curricula capturing the cultural, economic, and political realities of Chicago Public Schools students. Details CGCT’s partnerships with parents, teachers, students, community members, activists, and researchers to develop its first unit, Urban Renewal or Urban Removal (URUR). Discusses a second collaboration with Northeastern Illinois University to build liberatory grassroots curriculum, plus challenges faced in grassroots community collaboration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

The Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce (CGCT)

Collaborative process and curriculum production

Partnership with Northeastern Illinois University

Challenges in grassroots community collaboration

The Chicago context: understanding the need for CGCT

Neoliberal reforms and test/standards-based curriculum trends

Re-framing, Re-imagining, and Re-tooling Curricula from the Grassroots: The Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce Isaura B. Pulido Northeastern Illinois University, USA Gabriel Alejandro Cortez Northeastern Illinois University, USA Ann Aviles de Bradley Northeastern Illinois University, USA Anton Miglietta Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce, USA David Stovall University of Illinois at Chicago, USA This article explores the work of the Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce (CGCT), a Chicago-based collaborative that engages in collective production of curricula that more adeptly capture the cultural, economic, and political realities of Chicago Public Schools’ students. We first examine the collaborative processes CGCT undertook with parents, teachers, students, community members/activists, and educational researchers to produce their first unit, Urban Renewal or Urban Removal (URUR). The second section explores CGCT and Northeastern Illinois University’s College of Education’s collaborative effort to partner with practitioners, educators, students, and communities to invest in liberatory grassroots K-12 curriculum while becoming partners in its development. CGCT partnerships are firmly grounded in a framework of mutual respect for the knowledge and expertise that parents, students, teachers, and community members bring to bear on K-12 education. The final section highlights challenges encountered when engaging in grassroots efforts. The purpose of this article is to document the work of the Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce (CGCT) as we partner with others to revolutionize the traditional educational model of classroom learning. We see developing culturally relevant curricula as critical to our personal and professional lives. In the spirit of community and collectivity, the following narrative is reflective of our combined voices as we choose not to refer to ourselves as individuals within the writing but instead focus on the processes and collaborations of CGCT as we engage in the work of developing community and curricula. At the same time, we highlight the work of individuals who have been instrumental to the development and work of CGCT. As a community-centered collaborative project, we would not be able to write about this work without acknowledging their contributions. We begin our work with the understanding that schools and curricula have the ability to empower or disempower communities. Historically, working-class youth and youth of color have been underserved by the American educational system. At the same time, neoliberal policies arguing for the corporatization of knowledge are increasingly marginalizing these youth. We believe that if we are to counter this trend, we must create curricula with community members that speak to local political, social, and economic conditions, while developing critical academic skills that equip youth to create change. The processes described here are multifaceted and non-linear. Several components of our endeavor occurred simultaneously and/or idiosyncratically, though we structure this article into three consecutive sections. The first section contextualizes the need for grassroots curriculum development, as an outgrowth of larger educational reforms in Chicago and across the country. This section also identifies how CGCT operationalized these frameworks in developing our first curricular unit, Urban Renewal or Urban Removal: A History of Chicago’s Land Grabs and the Struggle for Home and Community (URUR) (2012) . The second section documents the university and community collaborations that have resulted as an outgrowth of CGCT efforts. The concluding section explores the challenges inherent in grassroots community collaboration. The Chicago Context: Understanding the Need for CGCT Documented extensively in the works of Lipman (2003, 2004, 2011), Saltman (2007, 2009), and Fine and Fabricant (2012), Chicago has been a hotbed for neo-liberal e

FAQs

What is the Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce (CGCT) and what does it aim to do?

CGCT is a Chicago-based collaborative focused on collectively producing K-12 curricula that better reflect the cultural, economic, and political realities of Chicago Public Schools students.

How did CGCT develop its first curricular unit URUR?

CGCT worked with parents, teachers, students, community members/activists, and educational researchers to produce its first unit, Urban Renewal or Urban Removal (URUR).

What challenges does the article highlight about grassroots curriculum efforts?

It concludes by highlighting challenges encountered when engaging in grassroots efforts and grassroots community collaboration.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by jayni