Closings & Turnarounds For Everyone! [img=/assets/blog/200712/turnaround_sign.jpg F:L]If this year is like any other, soon we'll have an announcement from Clark Street about schools that are going to be closed at the end of 07-08 and re-opened in the fall as something new. And it's possible or even likely that the number of schools targeted for closure will be higher this year than in the past couple of years, given that CPS has -- sort of -- figured out how to close and re-open schools without dispersing them along the way. Last year, there was the Sherman experiment, overseen by AUSL. This year, there's Harvard. But it won't just be AUSL doing the work anymore. As you may recall from September, CICS was creating a new "turnaround" division called [url=http://district299.typepad.com/district299/2007/09/heres-a-leading.html]RISE[/url]. You can guess that they'll be tapped to run or support some of the new turnaround schools for CPS, even though their experience is primarily (exclusively?) with new charter school startups. As may other groups tempted into the exciting but dangerous world of turnarounds. I hear there's also a new turnaround czar at CPS, though I forgot his name already. Some obvious questions include: (a) how have the Sherman and Harvard turnaround efforts gone since we last heard about them from the Tribune and WBEZ in September? (b) is the current turnaround model any better than the old one?, (c) what schools are most likely to be on the turnaround list for next year, and (d) how many schools are likely to be closed?
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Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 10:04 PM
Closings & Turnarounds For Everyone!
I always see the term "turnaround school," with "turnaround" in the present tense. Are there any schools that have actually turned the corner and are now "turned-around" schools? We are more than halfway through this Ren 2010 thing. Shouldn't there be many examples of schools filled with students from closed underperforming schools, and shouldn't those same students now be succeeding academically? Can we see a list of those schools?
Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 10:50 PM
Closings & Turnarounds For Everyone!
Did you notice no charter schools in the CPS news release?
Dear CPS Community:
Please join me in congratulating five of our high schools that were ranked by US News & World Report in its annual list of the top 100 high schools in the nation. These schools were selected from nearly 19,000 high schools across America for their exceptional academic performance and proven ability to prepare students for college. (Click on each school to view findings.)
- Northside College Preparatory High School (#24)
- Walter Payton College Preparatory High School (#46)
- Whitney Young High School (#67)
- Lincoln Park High School (#90)
- Jones College Preparatory High School (#100)
These schools have a lot in common. Students come from across the city for the opportunity to learn inside their walls. The teachers and staff provide students with exceptional instruction and support, and these schools are consistently among the highest-scoring in the state on the Prairie State Achievement Exams.
But these schools also provide students with a wide variety of options, from rigorous and innovative academic offerings like Chinese and other world language classes, in-depth seminars on a variety of topics and environmental science courses to outstanding theater, music, arts and sports programs. Our goal is to develop schools and programs that challenge and motivate each of our students, and these schools are shining examples of that principle at its finest.
Sincerely,
Arne Duncan
Dear CPS Community:
Please join me in congratulating five of our high schools that were ranked by US News & World Report in its annual list of the top 100 high schools in the nation. These schools were selected from nearly 19,000 high schools across America for their exceptional academic performance and proven ability to prepare students for college. (Click on each school to view findings.)
- Northside College Preparatory High School (#24)
- Walter Payton College Preparatory High School (#46)
- Whitney Young High School (#67)
- Lincoln Park High School (#90)
- Jones College Preparatory High School (#100)
These schools have a lot in common. Students come from across the city for the opportunity to learn inside their walls. The teachers and staff provide students with exceptional instruction and support, and these schools are consistently among the highest-scoring in the state on the Prairie State Achievement Exams.
But these schools also provide students with a wide variety of options, from rigorous and innovative academic offerings like Chinese and other world language classes, in-depth seminars on a variety of topics and environmental science courses to outstanding theater, music, arts and sports programs. Our goal is to develop schools and programs that challenge and motivate each of our students, and these schools are shining examples of that principle at its finest.
Sincerely,
Arne Duncan
Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 11:04 PM
Closings & Turnarounds For Everyone!
they told a high school in vermont that it was number 5 in the nation and then had to apologize when they realized they got it wrong.
Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 3:22 PM
Closings & Turnarounds For Everyone!
Really the only charter high school that would have even an outside shot at being considered a top shelf school would be Nobel St. But the comparison between the top shelf selective high schools and even Nobel St. probably is unfair. If you look at a school like Payton with an average ACT score of 26.4 and Nobel St with an average ACT score of 19.5 you need to note that Nobel St. has over 80% low income whereas Payton is under 31% low income.
Nobel St really is a very good low income Hispanic school (the school is 80% Hispanic) and nationally should be compared to similar such schools across the nation or our state. In Illinois Nobel St. would be similar in some respects to Waukegan High School which has an average ACT score of 17, or Morton East High School which has an average ACT score of only 16.4. Making a more realistic comparison Nobel St. looks good. But Nobel St. is not a top school and that is why so few white children apply to the school (it has only 3.3% white students) even though the main branch of the high school is located in a gentrifying community. I seem to recall some months ago reading a post from a middle class white family on this blog indicating how they were completely unimpressed with Nobel St and pulled their child out putting the kid in Gordon Tech. Charters were not created to be top shelf schools for the white middle and upper class, they were created to provide a good education for largely minority working class children.
Nobel St really is a very good low income Hispanic school (the school is 80% Hispanic) and nationally should be compared to similar such schools across the nation or our state. In Illinois Nobel St. would be similar in some respects to Waukegan High School which has an average ACT score of 17, or Morton East High School which has an average ACT score of only 16.4. Making a more realistic comparison Nobel St. looks good. But Nobel St. is not a top school and that is why so few white children apply to the school (it has only 3.3% white students) even though the main branch of the high school is located in a gentrifying community. I seem to recall some months ago reading a post from a middle class white family on this blog indicating how they were completely unimpressed with Nobel St and pulled their child out putting the kid in Gordon Tech. Charters were not created to be top shelf schools for the white middle and upper class, they were created to provide a good education for largely minority working class children.
Thu Dec 13, 2007 at 3:41 PM
Closings & Turnarounds For Everyone!
It's unfortunate to me that Catholic schools like Gordon Tech are too pricey much of the working class to attend. I believe Gordon Tech and school like it were in fact created to serve the needs of "largely minority working class children" back in the day when those minorities were Polish and Irish.
Gordon Tech is not a school that would make the Newsweek or US News lists, for sure. Top shelf it ain't. But it's price tag has moved it out of its original target market. Now charters are beginning to fill that gap. It would be better if we could fix neighborhood high school so they served those students well, but ambitious parents realize they don't and are looking for alternatives.
Gordon Tech is not a school that would make the Newsweek or US News lists, for sure. Top shelf it ain't. But it's price tag has moved it out of its original target market. Now charters are beginning to fill that gap. It would be better if we could fix neighborhood high school so they served those students well, but ambitious parents realize they don't and are looking for alternatives.
Wed Dec 19, 2007 at 1:20 PM
Closings & Turnarounds For Everyone!
just a week later, here's the latest from CPS about what the school closing and underuse criteria are going to be for this year:
Chicago Public Schools officials on Wednesday informed the Chicago Board of Education that the district is looking for solutions for more than 140 elementary schools that are experiencing low enrollment.
Officials also said that various actions were being considered to help students at about 20 other schools for academic reasons. District officials said they were still reviewing all of the information and would be making recommendations to the board at the January meeting.
“We want to come up with solutions that are first and foremost in the best interests of our children, that will minimize the movement of students while also offering them the best possible education options,’’ said CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan. “We also want what is best for the community and the district. In reviewing all of this information, we will look for the highest use of our buildings and best use of the taxpayer’s money.”
James Dispensa, director of CPS school demographics and planning, told board members that geographical shifts in population throughout the city over the last several years have created both pockets of overcrowding and pockets of underutilization in schools. At the same time, the overall enrollment for the district, and for districts across the country, has dramatically dropped over the last decade because of fewer overall births in the United States.
Most of the underutilized schools in Chicago fall into strips that lie on the South and West sides of the city, as well as along the lakefront. According to the latest review of elementary schools, there are 25 schools where less than 30 percent of the building is being used, 43 schools where less than 40 percent of the space is being used, and 79 schools where less than 50 percent of the structure is being used, for a total of 147 underutilized schools.
Among solutions officials will consider are closing low-enrollment schools, consolidating them with other schools, relocating entire school populations to another site, or phasing out schools.
Ginger Reynolds, officer of CPS Research, Evaluation, and Accountability, also outlined new criteria for turning around schools next year, as officials work to raise the bar on academic standards and improve student performance.
“Every time we’ve set higher expectations for our students, our students have risen to the challenge,’’ Duncan said. “Many more of our students are meeting state standards than they were just a few years ago, and our district is making progress at a much faster pace than the rest of the state. While we are very proud of these accomplishments, we know there is still a lot of work we all have to do.’’
Reynolds told board members that actions would be considered to help elementary schools if all of the following criteria are met:
· 40 percent or fewer students met or exceeded composite standards on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test in 2007.
· 35 percent or fewer students met or exceeded ISAT composite standards on average from 2005 through 2007.
· 35 percent or fewer students met or exceeded ISAT standards on average from 2005 to 2007 in reading, math and science.
· Fewer than 50 percent of students made expected year-to-year increases from 2006 to 2007 in reading and math.
Reynolds said actions would be considered for high schools if all of the following criteria are met:
· Fewer than 15 percent of students met or exceeded Prairie State Achievement Exam composite standards in 2007.
· More than 10 percent of students dropped out of school in 2006-2007.
· On average, students missed more than 35 days of school.
· Fewer than 50 percent of students made expected year-to-year gains in 2006 on the ACT Educational Planning and Assessment System series.
“We are asking more of our students, but we also are asking more of our teachers, principals and administrators,’’ Duncan said. “We still have to meet national standards that require that more of our students be in the exceeding state standards category. We still have an achievement gap with the rest of the state that we need to close. And we still want to prepare more of our students for post-secondary education.’’
CPS Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins agreed.
“Many of our schools are making progress, and many students are experiencing success, but students in schools that aren’t making progress deserve the same kind of success,’’ she said. “We can’t get to our goal of reaching every child in every school by accepting the status quo.”
Next month, school officials will be presenting information to the board on specific schools and specific recommendations for addressing low-enrollment and low-performance issues.
Chicago Public Schools officials on Wednesday informed the Chicago Board of Education that the district is looking for solutions for more than 140 elementary schools that are experiencing low enrollment.
Officials also said that various actions were being considered to help students at about 20 other schools for academic reasons. District officials said they were still reviewing all of the information and would be making recommendations to the board at the January meeting.
“We want to come up with solutions that are first and foremost in the best interests of our children, that will minimize the movement of students while also offering them the best possible education options,’’ said CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan. “We also want what is best for the community and the district. In reviewing all of this information, we will look for the highest use of our buildings and best use of the taxpayer’s money.”
James Dispensa, director of CPS school demographics and planning, told board members that geographical shifts in population throughout the city over the last several years have created both pockets of overcrowding and pockets of underutilization in schools. At the same time, the overall enrollment for the district, and for districts across the country, has dramatically dropped over the last decade because of fewer overall births in the United States.
Most of the underutilized schools in Chicago fall into strips that lie on the South and West sides of the city, as well as along the lakefront. According to the latest review of elementary schools, there are 25 schools where less than 30 percent of the building is being used, 43 schools where less than 40 percent of the space is being used, and 79 schools where less than 50 percent of the structure is being used, for a total of 147 underutilized schools.
Among solutions officials will consider are closing low-enrollment schools, consolidating them with other schools, relocating entire school populations to another site, or phasing out schools.
Ginger Reynolds, officer of CPS Research, Evaluation, and Accountability, also outlined new criteria for turning around schools next year, as officials work to raise the bar on academic standards and improve student performance.
“Every time we’ve set higher expectations for our students, our students have risen to the challenge,’’ Duncan said. “Many more of our students are meeting state standards than they were just a few years ago, and our district is making progress at a much faster pace than the rest of the state. While we are very proud of these accomplishments, we know there is still a lot of work we all have to do.’’
Reynolds told board members that actions would be considered to help elementary schools if all of the following criteria are met:
· 40 percent or fewer students met or exceeded composite standards on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test in 2007.
· 35 percent or fewer students met or exceeded ISAT composite standards on average from 2005 through 2007.
· 35 percent or fewer students met or exceeded ISAT standards on average from 2005 to 2007 in reading, math and science.
· Fewer than 50 percent of students made expected year-to-year increases from 2006 to 2007 in reading and math.
Reynolds said actions would be considered for high schools if all of the following criteria are met:
· Fewer than 15 percent of students met or exceeded Prairie State Achievement Exam composite standards in 2007.
· More than 10 percent of students dropped out of school in 2006-2007.
· On average, students missed more than 35 days of school.
· Fewer than 50 percent of students made expected year-to-year gains in 2006 on the ACT Educational Planning and Assessment System series.
“We are asking more of our students, but we also are asking more of our teachers, principals and administrators,’’ Duncan said. “We still have to meet national standards that require that more of our students be in the exceeding state standards category. We still have an achievement gap with the rest of the state that we need to close. And we still want to prepare more of our students for post-secondary education.’’
CPS Chief Education Officer Barbara Eason-Watkins agreed.
“Many of our schools are making progress, and many students are experiencing success, but students in schools that aren’t making progress deserve the same kind of success,’’ she said. “We can’t get to our goal of reaching every child in every school by accepting the status quo.”
Next month, school officials will be presenting information to the board on specific schools and specific recommendations for addressing low-enrollment and low-performance issues.
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