Tyrone N. Butts
APE Reporter
16
High school with 'culture of failure' to get shut
After years of failing to educate students, Englewood High School should close in three years, and Bunche, Grant and Howland elementary schools should be shut down after this school year, Chicago Public School officials declared Tuesday.
"We have a culture of failure at Englewood that we must break, and the only way is with a fresh start -- new leadership, new staf
f and new educational approaches. The same is true of Grant, Bunche and Howland," CEO Arne Duncan said at a press conference, with Board of Educ
ation President Michael Scott signaling agreement at his side.
Last week, officials said a whopping 19 elementary and eight high schools deserved to be shut for chronic low performance, but only four would be closed quickly and "reborn" as Renaissance 2010 schools under new criteria that considered factors other than scores.
The four schools were notified Tuesday morning, sending ripples of anger and fear, as parents, students and teachers began to grapple with the potential impact of finding new schools.
"By every measure, these four schools have struggled -- from test scores over time to student gains. While so many other schools in the system are improving, these schools have shown little if any progress," Duncan said.
1,100 to
switch
Under the plan, 1,100 grammar school students would have to seek new schools next year, but they would get first dibs -- along with busing -- for any transfer slots available at high-performing schools under the No Child Left Behind Act.
n"I'm not interested in their busing, and I'm not interested in having my son attend another school that will now be overcrowded. Dvorak already has 15 kids in a classroom. This is not right," said Howland parent Lanice Williams.
Under the plan, neighborhood options for Howland students include Dvorak, Johnson or Pope schools. Bunche students could choose from Earle, Goodlow, or O'Toole, and Grant students have the choice of Calhoun North or Herbert.
Howland, at 1616 S. Spaulding; Bunche, 6515 S. Ashland, and Grant, 145 S. Campbell, have each been on probation at least five years, and their reading scores the past four years have fallen to less than half the citywide average. Bunche and Howland are barely half full and
Grant is less than one-fourth full.
'It's about gentrification'
But school reform groups and the Chicago Teachers Union, which has 90 teaching and staff positions affected by the closings, accused CPS of catering to gentrification. The 107-year-old Englewood is the alma ma
ter of CTU President Marilyn Stewart.
"This is really about gentrification and moving out poor people," said CTU Vice President Ted Dallas. "Take Englewood. You're going to have low-performing, low-income students going to these other schools. What's going to make them be successful at Robeson or Hyde Park, unless they put programs in place at those schools? Why don't they put those same programs in place at Englewood? We know why. Because they want to put different kids in there."
At Englewood, which has struggled on probation for nine years and undergone various attempts at reform under both Duncan and former schools CEO Paul Vallas, fewer
than 5 percent of students meet state standards -- the lowest of any CPS high school. And the dropout rate over the past four years has been twice the city average.
Only a quarter of students in the Englewood attendance area choose to go there, making it a "school of last resort,'' Duncan said.
Englewood students said gang terr
itories would prohibit many of their peers from attending Hyde Park, Robeson, Hirsch or Dyett, identified by CPS as school alternatives for eighth-graders from the Englewood neighborhood.
"Our dropout rate is probably going to be higher than it already is because of this," said Mark Blakely, 17, a sophomore at Englewood, 6201 S. Stewart. "I think it's a shame."
Englewood's current freshman class would be the last to graduate from the school, under Duncan's proposal.
The board will consider Duncan's recommendations at its Feb. 23 meeting.
Public hearings are scheduled to be held at bo
ard headquarters next week, on Feb. 8 for Bunche, Feb. 9 for Grant, and Feb. 10 for Howland and Englewood.
**************
All t
he skewls mentioned in the above paragraph are 100% nigger.
T.N.B.
High school with 'culture of failure' to get shut
After years of failing to educate students, Englewood High School should close in three years, and Bunche, Grant and Howland elementary schools should be shut down after this school year, Chicago Public School officials declared Tuesday.
"We have a culture of failure at Englewood that we must break, and the only way is with a fresh start -- new leadership, new staf
f and new educational approaches. The same is true of Grant, Bunche and Howland," CEO Arne Duncan said at a press conference, with Board of Educ
ation President Michael Scott signaling agreement at his side.
Last week, officials said a whopping 19 elementary and eight high schools deserved to be shut for chronic low performance, but only four would be closed quickly and "reborn" as Renaissance 2010 schools under new criteria that considered factors other than scores.
The four schools were notified Tuesday morning, sending ripples of anger and fear, as parents, students and teachers began to grapple with the potential impact of finding new schools.
"By every measure, these four schools have struggled -- from test scores over time to student gains. While so many other schools in the system are improving, these schools have shown little if any progress," Duncan said.
1,100 to
switch
Under the plan, 1,100 grammar school students would have to seek new schools next year, but they would get first dibs -- along with busing -- for any transfer slots available at high-performing schools under the No Child Left Behind Act.
n"I'm not interested in their busing, and I'm not interested in having my son attend another school that will now be overcrowded. Dvorak already has 15 kids in a classroom. This is not right," said Howland parent Lanice Williams.
Under the plan, neighborhood options for Howland students include Dvorak, Johnson or Pope schools. Bunche students could choose from Earle, Goodlow, or O'Toole, and Grant students have the choice of Calhoun North or Herbert.
Howland, at 1616 S. Spaulding; Bunche, 6515 S. Ashland, and Grant, 145 S. Campbell, have each been on probation at least five years, and their reading scores the past four years have fallen to less than half the citywide average. Bunche and Howland are barely half full and
Grant is less than one-fourth full.
'It's about gentrification'
But school reform groups and the Chicago Teachers Union, which has 90 teaching and staff positions affected by the closings, accused CPS of catering to gentrification. The 107-year-old Englewood is the alma ma
ter of CTU President Marilyn Stewart.
"This is really about gentrification and moving out poor people," said CTU Vice President Ted Dallas. "Take Englewood. You're going to have low-performing, low-income students going to these other schools. What's going to make them be successful at Robeson or Hyde Park, unless they put programs in place at those schools? Why don't they put those same programs in place at Englewood? We know why. Because they want to put different kids in there."
At Englewood, which has struggled on probation for nine years and undergone various attempts at reform under both Duncan and former schools CEO Paul Vallas, fewer
than 5 percent of students meet state standards -- the lowest of any CPS high school. And the dropout rate over the past four years has been twice the city average.
Only a quarter of students in the Englewood attendance area choose to go there, making it a "school of last resort,'' Duncan said.
Englewood students said gang terr
itories would prohibit many of their peers from attending Hyde Park, Robeson, Hirsch or Dyett, identified by CPS as school alternatives for eighth-graders from the Englewood neighborhood.
"Our dropout rate is probably going to be higher than it already is because of this," said Mark Blakely, 17, a sophomore at Englewood, 6201 S. Stewart. "I think it's a shame."
Englewood's current freshman class would be the last to graduate from the school, under Duncan's proposal.
The board will consider Duncan's recommendations at its Feb. 23 meeting.
Public hearings are scheduled to be held at bo
ard headquarters next week, on Feb. 8 for Bunche, Feb. 9 for Grant, and Feb. 10 for Howland and Englewood.
**************
All t
he skewls mentioned in the above paragraph are 100% nigger.
T.N.B.