Raise brilliant Black children with a plan, from the first year to the high school decision.
A monthly virtual circle for parents of children from birth to age 14, including parents of infants and toddlers. Culture · Family · Education · Community
Our promise: you leave in June with a one-page family education plan and your own school short list, built alongside parents who share your hopes.
- Free Virtual Meet and Greet: Monday, November 2, 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. Central
- First Circle: Saturday, November 7, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Central, on Zoom
- Season Pass: $120 per family for all 8 sessions (that is $15 a session). Single sessions are $20.
Applying to CPS this fall? Application Decision Clinic
Saturday, October 24, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Central, on Zoom. $50 per family, limited to 12 families. GoCPS applications for 2027-28 close Friday, November 13 at 5:00 p.m. In this small working session we walk through how the application works, how to order your choices, what testing and acceleration involve, and the questions to ask on a tour, so you can finish your application with confidence. Uhuru Shule families are invited first. The clinic teaches the process; it does not rate or recommend individual schools.
This month’s conversation
In 2016, Nikole Hannah-Jones wrote in The New York Times Magazine about why she and her husband, as Black parents, purposely chose a low-income public school for their daughter. This month she returns to that choice in a companion essay, “In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?” Underneath both essays is a question Black families know well: every education decision we make for our children carries trade-offs that other families may never have to weigh. In our first Circle we read it together, talk about it honestly, and begin writing the vision that will guide our own choices.
The season
Each month adds one page to your family’s education plan. Families learn together, then break into three tracks: birth to 2, ages 3 to 8, and ages 9 to 14. For parents of infants and toddlers, the plan starts early: your family vision, building early language and literacy at home, getting ready to learn, and choosing child care and preschool.
- Nov 7: Our Children, Our Culture, Our Vision
- Dec 5: How Children Grow, Birth to 14
- Jan 9: Reading a School or Child Care Setting: What to Look For and What to Ask
- Feb 6: Milestones from the First Words through 8th Grade
- Mar 6: Identity, Belonging, and Bright Black Children
- Apr 3: Advocating for Your Child with Teachers, Caregivers, and Schools
- May 1: Choosing and Applying: Your Calendar for Fall 2028
- Jun 5: Our Family Education Plan: Share and Celebrate
How each hour works
- Before: send your question anonymously, and it shapes the session.
- 15 minutes: short teaching grounded in research, with links you can read for yourself.
- 25 minutes: your parent trio, the same three families all season, working on your own child’s plan.
- 10 minutes: the whole circle comes back together to share what we learned.
- Between sessions: two short emails a month, each with one reading and one thing to try at home. The month’s plan page is your homework.
- Babies welcome: parents of infants are welcome to join with a baby on your lap, and cameras can stay off whenever you need them to.
Who leads the Circle
Dr. Peggie Burnett-Wise began her career with nine years teaching pre-K for three-year-olds through kindergarten in Chicago, where she was nominated for the Kohl McCormick early childhood teaching award, and served as the parent teacher at a Chicago Public Schools Child-Parent Center, working side by side with families of young children. A licensed reading specialist with a master’s degree in Reading and Learning Disabilities, she went on to earn certifications in middle school English language arts, school administration, and the superintendency.
As a Chicago principal and turnaround leader, she took her school to Level 1+. She founded the first Regional Gifted Center on Chicago’s West Side and later founded Uhuru Shule, an independent school for gifted students in Bronzeville, and she has served as a district administrator. Today she is a clinical assistant professor and program director who prepares the next generation of school principals, and an ICF-credentialed executive coach to Chicago principals. An Illinois State Board of Education “Those Who Excel” honoree, she holds a doctorate in education from the University of Illinois Chicago and Harvard’s Leading Change certificate. She is also a mother who has made these choices for her own child.
Save your seat
Step 1: Choose and pay securely through Stripe. Your Zoom link arrives by email.
Step 2: Register below for the free Meet and Greet and send your question for the season. We only ask your child’s age band: please do not include your child’s name, diagnoses, or school records.
Thank you for your response. ✨
Questions parents ask
Why a Season Pass?
The Circle is built as a season. Each month adds a page to your plan, and your parent trio stays together from November to June, so families who come to all eight sessions get the most. The Season Pass is $120, or $15 a session. Want to try one session first? A single session is $20, and if you continue, your $20 counts toward the Season Pass, so the rest of the season is $100.
My baby is 10 months old and my friend’s child is 13. Is this for both of us?
Yes. The Circle is for parents of children from birth to age 14. We learn together, then break into three tracks: birth to 2, ages 3 to 8, and ages 9 to 14. Parents of infants and toddlers focus on early language and literacy, getting ready to learn, choosing child care and preschool, and setting the family vision early. Each family fills in its own plan for its own child. For questions about your baby’s health or development, your pediatrician is always the right first call.
Is this only for families applying to CPS?
No. We cover child care, preschool, and public, private, and independent schools, and the planning is useful whatever setting your child is in.
Will sessions be recorded?
No. Sessions are not recorded. Notes and slides are sent to registered families after each session.
Is what I share kept private?
Yes. What is shared in the circle stays in the circle. The one exception: as an educator, Dr. Burnett-Wise is a mandated reporter and must report a concern that a child is being harmed.
Will you tell me which school to choose?
No. The Circle gives you the questions, research, and planning tools to make your own best choice. Because Dr. Burnett-Wise coaches Chicago school leaders, the Circle never rates or ranks named schools, and nothing from her coaching work is ever shared.
Is this counseling or an evaluation?
No. The Parent Circle offers educational information. It is not individual placement, testing, legal, or clinical advice, and it does not guarantee admission to any school.
Want one-to-one support for your child? See For Families.