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The
Chicago Public Schools says it has to close schools
because of declining enrollment. BUT. . .
- CPS ordered Lucy Flower Career Academy to stop
enrolling incoming students for the past 3 years;
even
so, Flower had 975 applicants clamoring for admission last Fall.
- CPS Central Office also ordered the relocation
of Munoz-Marin School’s third grades, thus
lowering enrollment.
- Both of the threatened alternative programs for
young mothers have experienced a spike in enrollment
over
the past year
The Chicago Public Schools says it will live up
the Federal “No Child Left Behind” Act.
BUT. . .
- Five of the schools to which CPS wants to
transfer the students from closing schools have
been on the
State’s NCLB Failing Schools list since
July 2002: Lowell, Doolittle West, and Doolittle
Intermediate,
Tilden, and Douglass.
The Chicago Public Schools says it doesn’t
intentionally segregate children. BUT . . .
- Of this
year’s proposed closings, children
from 9 out of 12 schools will potentially transfer
to 10 schools that are equally, or more, racially
segregated than the closing school.
- Of the potential
receiving schools for the APC students, 5 out
of 7 are nearly or are 100% racially isolated.
(APCs, or, Academic Prep Centers, are a special
program for children struggling academically.)
The Chicago Public Schools says it wants a new
partnership with Local School Councils. BUT. . .
- For
the third consecutive year, CPS failed to meet
with ANY PARENTS or elected LSC before announcing
its school closing plans. This year, the duly
elected
LSCs found out about the CPS plan only 24-48
hours before the CEO’s April 25 press conference.
In the Spring of 2001, the Riis School principal,
parents, and LSCs learned about their school
closing in the newspaper.
The Chicago Public Schools says it supports small
schools, BUT apparently only for certain kids or
neighborhoods . . .
- Donoghue School students, a small
school, made such huge gains in test scores,
that CPS awarded
the school
a $10,000 prize earlier this year.
- As a small school
Munoz-Marin has been able to attract young, highly
qualified teachers, and established
successful special education and bi-lingual programs.
- Since
2001, CPS closed five schools, all of which
had achieved small class size, and one of which
(Riis)
used the opportunity to provide full-day kindergarten
for its students:: Near North Metro HS (Cabrini
Green
CHA), Riis Elementary School (Jane Addams CHA),
Williams School (Dearborn Homes CHA), Terrell
School (Robert
Taylor CHA), and Dodge School (served some
from Rockwell Gardens and Henry Horner CHA).
The Chicago Public Schools says it supports community-centered
schools. BUT . . .
- Donoghue School houses a Child
Parent Center, a Parent Resource Center (including
CPS’
citywide NCLB Parent Advisory office), a Computer
Learning lab for parents, and CPS’ Youth
Outreach offices.
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