We’ll zoom in on Chicago’s neighborhoods to give you a better idea of how each school ranked in terms of where it placed in the city overall. But this time, we’re giving you year-end and year-end scores as well. Where did your school district rank in the city?
The Department of Education, which serves as the overseeing agency for the Chicago Schools, distributes grade values for each grade level as did last year. Below are the year-end student performance scores for Chicago Schools. These scores take into account all of last year’s students and are on a scale of 20 to 80, which represents the statistical standard deviation of a grade. With all this data in hand, it’s now time to glimpse into the future.
What neighborhoods did your school district rank in overall?
Of the 250 school districts serving Chicago Schools, 150 had a student graduation rate of 80 or more. The number of joint RTE districts serving these schools in Chicago Schools was born 62. About a third of these districts reside in the city itself. The lowest five cumulative graduation rates were recorded for Chicago Schools in Englewood, Broninewood, Chicago Lawn, and Lincoln Park. The highest was for West Englewood, Crestwood, and Bridgeport.
What has that translated in terms of parent concern?
Obviously, not all schools are created equally. Chicago Schools that struggle with high levels of an achievement gap, low attendance rates, and teacher turnover have a greater challenge keeping kids in touch with their principals. The lack of a strong school support network cannot be ignored by the parent.
The need for better district communication and positive relationships with parents runs counter to the school district’s efforts to manage candidly, in detail, and restrict communication to approved channels. By revealing only what it knows about its schools, the community loses control of the conversation. Chicago Schools’ parents want to know how their children are doing in relation to their peers in the district. They need to be able to hold the district accountable for studying and adjusting strategies that will be implemented in the coming years.
The family’s perspective is a critical piece to the Chicago Schools story. From the district’s perspective, it needs to be able to address areas of concern and develop solutions that reflect concretely what the parents want. Many times, when a child’s performance isn’t up to snuff, a parent’s concern will carry the day. The solution needs to be tangible and clearly defined.
Advisories offer a different perspective. They’re not blind to the challenges Chicago Schools faces. In fact, they view them as an opportunity to help. Many parents feel that the system is failing their children. They’re correct- Chicago Schools have their work cut out for them. They deserve the opportunity to embrace parents and use them as partners for success.
The role of a private business in addressing Chicago Schools’ problems is another. I visited a proposed site for a charter school in the Englewood district of Chicago. The charter school would resemble a regular school with extra emphasis on technology and different learning methods. The thinking of students, parents, and teachers has transformed this traditional school into a mini-mart hospitality center.
Why such a stunning transformation? The answer involves more than money. It’s human energy. The charter school’s success will rely on accelerated learning methods, direct instruction, and a strong relationship with parents and Chicago Schools teachers. traumatized students have higher levels of interest in school and show greater improvement in learning and school success than elsewhere in the city.
Why? The answer involves money. Authorize a special taxing district and Chicago Schools will exert its energies to create a better learning environment for all students. By changing the education system, parents have the chance to discover what works for their children. Chicago Schools are truly capable of addressing education problems because they have begun to listen to parents. Part of the reason for low test scores is that students don’t have teachers on the staff to listen to them.
What will this do for the students of Chicago Schools? It will continue to pressure schools to change and accommodate students’ needs. It will provide the timeline for when courses and classrooms are most needed. It will compel administrators to find more ways to connect with parents. These changes will in the long run alleviate what has resulted in only a Co2 project for the African American students.
