Lorraine Forte | catalyst-chicago.org

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School closings

As CPS prepares to close a record number of schools, the fate of students and communities is in question.

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Lorraine Forte

Q&A with Elizabeth Kirby December 05, 2005 By: Lorraine Forte Earlier this year, former teacher and assistant principal Elizabeth Kirby became principal of Kenwood, taking over from Arthur Slater, who was initially sent to the school by central office. Kirby, who taught at Triumphant Charter and Olive-Harvey Middle College before coming to Kenwood, talked with Consulting Editor Lorraine Forte about the lessons she learned from charter schools, leadership and plans to make the school more academically competitive. How did teaching prepare you to be principal? Read More \| (0) Comments	Q&A with Phillip Jackson November 08, 2005 By: Lorraine Forte Phillip Jackson is a walking warehouse of statistics on the academic achievement gap between black and white students. "Most parents know it exists, but they don't know the true extent of it," says Jackson, one-time deputy chief of staff under former Schools CEO Paul Vallas and founder of the Black Star Project, a parent-involvement initiative. Jackson is engaged in what he calls a "shock and awe campaign" to jolt minority parents into becoming more active in their children's education. Read More \| (0) Comments
Q&A with Sarah Howard November 08, 2005 By: Lorraine Forte In March, the School Board bowed to pressure from parents and students and renewed the charter for the Academy of Communications and Technology in impoverished West Garfield Park, after threatening to shut it down because of low test scores. Principal Sarah Howard talked with Consulting Editor Lorraine Forte about the experience and the school's plan for raising achievement. The board wants charters to outperform neighborhood schools. Is that fair? It's part of the deal—autonomy in exchange for student performance. Read More \| (0) Comments	Q&A with R. Eden Martin November 08, 2005 By: Lorraine Forte In July 2003, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago issued the report "Left Behind: Student Achievement in Chicago Public Schools" which called for creating at least 100 new charter schools to jump-start lagging achievement and offer parents more educational choice. Almost a year later, this past June, Mayor Richard M. Daley echoed the recommendation when he unveiled Renaissance 2010, a sweeping plan to shut down dozens of existing schools and create 100 new ones—mostly charter and contract schools—over the next six years. Read More \| (0) Comments
Q&A with Greg Washington November 08, 2005 By: Lorraine Forte Grassroots activists, parents and local school council members have pounced on the Chicago Public Schools' Renaissance 2010 and Mid-South plans, accusing the School Board of sidestepping community input before deciding to shut down dozens of schools and reopen most as charter or contract schools, without LSCs. Greg Washington, who was on the planning team for Mid-South, talked with Consulting Editor Lorraine Forte about what's wrong—and what's right—with the board's plans. Are activists satisfied with CPS' response to their concerns? Read More \| (0) Comments	Q&A with Jacqueline Leavy November 08, 2005 By: Lorraine Forte Chicago Public Schools cut a dozen major capital projects from its budget when state lawmakers failed to approve money for school construction. Despite the lack of funds, CPS still needs to do a better job of capital planning, says Jacqueline Leavy, executive director of the Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, which made the case for a comprehensive facilities plan in a January report. Leavy talked with Consulting Editor Lorraine Forte about how CPS' capital planning falls short and strategies to fix it. Is CPS behind the curve on this issue? Read More \| (0) Comments
Q&A with Bianca Garcia November 08, 2005 By: Lorraine Forte Kelvyn Park sophomore Bianca Garcia recruited a small group of classmates to start a youth advocacy council and come up with ways to improve their school and community. The idea came via the Mikva Challenge, a non-profit organization that works with high schools to promote youth activism and civic engagement. Bianca, 16, talked to Consulting Editor Lorraine Forte about starting the council and the problems teens face in high schools today. How did you get involved with the Mikva Challenge? Read More \| (0) Comments	Q&A with Pa Joof November 08, 2005 By: Lorraine Forte Alternative education should not be viewed negatively, says Pa Joof, longtime principal at Prologue, which now serves about 500 former dropouts at its main Uptown campus and other satellite centers. Joof, a former math and history teacher, spoke with Consulting Editor Lorraine Forte about empowering youth to take ownership of their education, the alienation that drives young people to drop out and what can be done to prevent it. Principal turnover is a concern in Chicago Public Schools. What keeps you on the job? You have to have the passion to educate young people. Read More \| (0) Comments

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