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Click below for the monthly Ren-10 newsletter.

Letter from the Chief

 

Dear Colleagues:

 

With the release of the fifth ONS Request for Proposals

(RFP) on Wednesday, April 2, it is a good time to give an update on Renaissance

2010.

Renaissance

2010 is on track to exceed our goal of 100 new schools by 2010

21 new

schools will open in Fall 2008 to bring the overall Renaissance 2010 total

to 76

Thus far

Renaissance 2010 schools have served 13 of 25 identified high priority

communities

 

Our RFP release is earlier than last year because we wanted

to give prospective applicants more time to complete their proposals. 

Important deadlines include:

June 2, 2008 Design

Frameworks Due

July 28, 2008 Final

Proposals Due

October 22, 2008 Board Decisions 

 

The 2008 RFP will target several key district priorities

including:

Options in High Need Communities – we remain committed to offering new school options in

neighborhoods that lack quality seats due to low performance or

overcrowding

High Quality High Schools –

we are especially interested in attracting applicants excited about

working with 9th – 12th grade students

Turnarounds – we are recruiting

local and national operators to apply to offer high quality options for

students in some of our most challenging schools

Career Prep – ONS expects at

least two applicants for

career academies – Chicago Transit

Academy and Poly Technical

Academy

Single Sex Schools –

Building on the success of the existing Ren10 single-sex schools (Young

Women’s Leadership Charter and Urban Prep), the RFP will be calling

for additional gender specific schools

Residential/Boarding Programs/Schools – Applicants will be encourages to submit a concept paper for pilot

programs to partner with the district for a 2010 opening

 

Finally, we are excited about broader community

engagement through our Community Transition

Advisory Councils (C-TAC).

The 2008

RFP will not list specific CPS facilities available to new school

operators as in past RFPs

The 2008

RFP will list 4 communities – West

Garfield Park,

East Garfield

Park, South

Shore and South

Chicago – in which new school creation opportunities

will be available

ONS will

form community-based C-TACs in targeted communities rather than

site-specific TACs

 

We are excited to continue to expand the educational

options available for Chicago’s

youth through the creation of new schools! 

 

 

Josh Edelman

Executive Officer, Office of New Schools

 

 

REN10 TOP TEN

Ten Things You Must Know About the 2008 Request for Proposals

(RFP)

 

10. Who can apply to start a new school? In the

past design teams submitting an RFP have ranged from local educators to

national management organizations and from those applying to open their first

school to groups applying to open their eleventh. 

 

9.   Where can someone obtain a copy of the RFP?

The RFP is available online at http://www.ren2010.cps.k12.il.us/ or by contacting the Office

of New Schools, (773) 553-1530.

 

8.   Priority neighborhoods. This RFP is calling

for new school proposals in four of the priority communities where there is the

greatest need for educational options. These communities include: East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park,

South Chicago, and South

Shore.

 

7.   Community Transitional Advisory Councils (C-TAC).The Office of New Schools (ONS) is dedicated to partnering with the community

to understand their educational needs. A C-TAC is a council of community

members who act as the voice of the community. C-TACs will be formed in the

four priority neighborhoods. Consist of community members interested and

invested in education who review proposals of groups interested in opening

schools in their community and make recommendations to CEO Arne Duncan.

 

6.   Overcrowded neighborhoods. In addition to

the priority neighborhoods, this RFP is also seeking providers who can offer

educational options in the top 13 overcrowded neighborhoods as identified by

the most recent CPS statistics and who have access to independent sites in

these neighborhoods. These neighborhoods include: Clearing, Dunning, East Side, Edison

Park, Forest Glen, Gage Park,

Garfield Ridge, Hegewisch, Jefferson Park, Norwood

Park, Portage

Park, West Elsdon,

and West Lawn.

 

5.   Turnaround Questions. New to this

year’s RFP, providers will have the opportunity to apply to operate a

turnaround school. Turnaround schools are a district priority.

 

4.   Questions regarding the RFP. Potential

applicants with questions about the RFP may contact Angie Alleman, recruitment

coordinator at the Office of New Schools, (773) 553-3631.

 

3.   Information sessions and workshops. ONS

along with the Renaissance Schools Fund (RSF) will offer information sessions

and workshops for people to learn about the RFP process and to provide

resources for those interested in submitting a Design Frameworks. Additional

information is available at: http://www.ren2010.cps.k12.il.us/potential.shtml.

 

2.   Deadline to turn in Design Frameworks.

Submit online cover sheets by May 2, 2008. Submit Design Frameworks by June 2,

2008.

 

1.    The press conference for the release of the RFP is

Monday, April 7, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. at the Englewood Campus (6201 S. Stewart). Please

come and celebrate with ONS as we begin our fifth round of school openings and

pick up your copy of the 2008 RFP.

 

 

Special Section: 2008 RFP 

 

New Schools

RFP Release Press Conference? | Englewood

Campus (6201 S. Stewart) | Monday, April 7, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. 

The Office of New Schools is

pleased to announce the release of the Request

for Proposals (RFP) for new schools to open in 2009 and 2010.

Renaissance 2010 has been one of many CPS initiatives to improve the quality of

education in Chicago.

Currently there are 55 Renaissance 2010 schools, with 21 schools scheduled to

open Fall 2008. We celebrate schools that are currently open and look forward

to many more innovative high quality options. We look forward to seeing you

there.

 

For more information on starting

a new school contact Angie Alleman, Recruitment Coordinator, aaalleman@cps.k12.il.us.

 

RFP

Information Sessions: Want to Start a New School | April 7-10, 2008 

In preparation to launch the 2008

Request for Proposals (RFP), during the beginning of April the Office of New

Schools will conduct four general information sessions for those interested in

starting a new school. The sessions will provide a better understanding of the

following:

 

• Overview, goals, and

purpose of Renaissance 2010

• Current performance

indicators that demonstrate Renaissance 2010’s success

• Process and timeline for

the RFP

• Components of a

“high quality proposal” and a “high quality school”

 

Monday, April 7, 2008  

CICS – Prairie Campus

11530 S. Prairie

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Tuesday, April 8, 2008  

Bowen HS

2710 E.

89th St.

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Wednesday, April 9, 2008  

Al Raby

3545 W. Fulton

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Thursday, April 10, 2008  

South Shore HS

7626 S. Constance

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

 

For more information, please contact the Office of New

Schools at (773) 553-1530.

 

TAC

Recruitment 

The Office of New Schools is

dedicated to partnering with the community to understand their educational

needs. A Community Transitional Advisory Council (C-TAC) is a council of

community members who act as the voice of the community. C-TACs:

·        Are made up of community members

interested and invested in education

·        Review proposals of groups

interested in opening schools in their community

·        Make recommendations to CEO Arne

Duncan

 

Come to one of the following

information sessions to play a role in creating a new school for your

community, join a C-TAC, and invest in the future of the community.

 

South Chicago 

Monday, April 21, 2008

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

At Bessemer

Park

8930 S.

Muskegon Ave. 

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

 

South Shore 

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

At South

Shore Cultural Center

7059 S.

Shore Dr.

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

 

East and West Garfield

Park

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

At Garfield Park Field House

100 N. Central

Park Ave. 

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm

 

 

EVENTS 

 

New

Ventures in Education: An Educational Entrepreneurship Series | TAMS building (501 W. 35th Street)

| Thursday, April 3, 2008 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

To assist educational leaders in

starting their own Chicago

public school, the Renaissance Schools Fund hosts New Ventures in Education: An Educational

Entrepreneurship Series.  With major funding provided by

The Boeing Company and support from United Airlines, New Ventures is a series

of 13 seminars from April to July that will expose participants to best

practices of new school development and assist them in the Renaissance 2010 Request

for Proposals (RFP) process.  The seminars are free but require an RSVP as

seats are limited.  The series begins this Thursday, April 3rdwith Building and Managing Your

Team through the RFP Process. 

 

Building and

Managing Your Team through the RFP Process is targeted

to Chicago’s

educational entrepreneurs looking to start a new school through the Ren10

process. This seminar will prepare participants to submit a strong new school

proposal to the Chicago Public Schools.  Topics to be covered include:

building a strong school design team, management of the school design process,

critical components of competitive proposals, and new school start-up

challenges and opportunities. 

 

Register for

this seminar and any other seminars you may be interested in attending at: http://www.rsfchicago.org/rsvp.html. For

more information on the series, please visit www.rsfchicago.org/nve. 

 

The

ABCs of Growing Green | Polaris

Charter Academy

(620 N. Sawyer) | Saturday April 26, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 

Polaris Charter Academy

is a new K-8 charter school serving the Humboldt

Park neighborhood of Chicago’s

West Side. Founded by three award-winning

teachers, Polaris provides an under-resourced community with a high-quality

educational option for its children.

 

Discover and explore methods of

city gardening, organic cooking, and all things “green” during

hands-on workshops and a luncheon to support Polaris’s school-wide

gardening initiative. Learn from experts as they take organic products from

ground to plate at this unique event. Adult and child-oriented workshops will

be offered. Families are welcome. Please RSVP by April 10 to the Development

Office, Polaris Charter Academy,

620 N. Sawyer Avenue,

Chicago, IL 60624.

 

“Free

to Choose, Free to Succeed: The New Market of Public Education,” The

Renaissance Schools Fund Symposium | The Mid America

Club (200 E. Randolph, Chicago,

IL) | Tuesday, May 6, 2008 from 8:00

a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

The Renaissance Schools Fund

(RSF) invites education leaders from across the country to the Symposium,

“Free to Choose, Free to Succeed: The New Market of Public

Education.” RSF is a strategic partner to the Renaissance 2010 initiative

to create 100 new schools of exceptional quality in Chicago’s most underserved communities.

 

Guests will learn how Chicago’s business,

civic, and local communities have come together with the district to drive

education reform through new school development. Presenters will include

education leaders from organizations such as: Green

Dot Public

Schools, New Schools Venture Fund, KIPP, Chicago Public Schools,

and many more. Early registration is strongly encouraged as space is

limited.  To register or for more information, go to: www.rsfsymposium.org. 

 

Swing

for CMSA Golf Outing & Fundraiser | White Pines Golf Course (Bensenville, IL) | Friday May 9, 2008 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Founded in 2004, Chicago

Math and Science Academy (CMSA) has built a reputation of being an

effective learning environment through high test scores, attendance rate,

student and teacher retention rate, and parent satisfaction. 

 

CMSA needs your support in order

to reach their vision. Their goal is to add a mobile computer

lab, including interactive smart boards. This technology will allow them to

continue providing students with a high-caliber education, fully preparing

them for college. For $125 you can enjoy a delicious lunch and a

round of golf at this beautiful west suburban golf course. For more information

visit: http://cmsaonline.net.

 

 

NEWS/ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

North

Lawndale College Prep Men’s Basketball Team Wins 2A State Championship 

On March 8, 2008 North

Lawndale’s men’s basketball team became the first charter school in

Chicago to win

a men’s basketball state championship. With a 30-4 season record, North Lawndale went on to defeat Peoria Manual in the 2A

championship 56-42. This state championship is the first in any sport for North Lawndale in their 10 year history.

 

The character of the team was

tested as they faced countless adversities on their way to the state title. A

great article about the championship team can be found at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-09-2a-boysmar09,0,3864091.story. Congratulations

to the young men on the team for all their hard work, the coaches and staff,

and the entire North Lawndale College Prep community.

 

Perspectives Middle School 1 of 5 Schools to Share $18 Million Grant

The Atlantic Philanthropies is

sponsoring a four year, $18 million grant to fund the Integrated Services in

Schools program in 5 Chicago Public Schools. Perspectives

Middle Schools will share the grant along with Ames,

Orozco, Marquette,

and Reavis. With the grant schools will have the opportunity to offer

additional programs before and after school, on Saturdays, and during the

summer. More information about the grant can be found by reading the following

article from the Chicago Tribune:http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-cps-grantmar26,0,3158808.story.

 

University of Chicago Donoghue Named EPIC Winner

The University of

Chicago-Donoghue was named an Effective Practices Incentive Community (EPIC)

National Charter School Consortium award-winning school.

 

New Leaders for New Schools

developed the EPIC initiative in order to identify and learn from schools with

significant student achievement gains and to honor educators in these schools

for sharing their knowledge and skills with colleagues nationally. School

leaders, teachers, and teacher aides in EPIC award-winning schools will receive

financial awards for sharing their time and expertise. Funded through a federal

Teacher Incentive Fund grant, EPIC is in its first pilot year of a five year

program.

 

This year’s award-winning

schools were selected using a value-added model that determined which schools

had the largest one-year gains on state math and reading tests. In this pilot

year, test scores were collected from 2005-06 and 2006-07.  The Gold-Gain

schools had the highest gain, and the Silver-Gain schools had the next highest

level of Gain. The University

of Chicago Donoghue was

identified as a Silver-Gain school. Congratulations to the U of C –

Donoghue team for this recognition and for sharing their success with the

education community.

 

Austin Polytechnical

Academy Places 9th out of 42 at Robotics

Competition

In their first year, a team of

nine freshmen students from Austin

Polytechnical Academy

(the Tech Tigers) finished 9th out of 42 teams at the FIRST Robotics

Midwest Regional Competition, February 28-March 1 at the UIC Pavilion. The Tech

Tigers ranked as high as fourth place at one point during the three-day

competition, but finished ninth after a showdown on Saturday.

 

The students were the recipients

of this year's Rookie Inspiration Award, which is given to the most inspiring

first-year team. Team mentor Antigone Sharris, coordinator of engineering

technology at Triton College in River Grove, said the Tech Tigers also

held the distinction as one of the only all-freshmen teams in the Midwest regionals.

 

The students built their robot

from a box of raw materials they received the second week in January and worked

late into the evenings after school to ready their invention for competition.

In January the Tech Tigers had a chance to show off their work in progress to

dignitaries touring the school, including Kathleen Kennedy-Townsend, former

lieutenant governor of Maryland

and daughter of the late Senator Robert Kennedy. Congratulations to these nine

freshmen and their teachers and advisors. They will surely be an even great

threat at next year’s competition with a year of experience under their

belts.

 

3 Pershing

West Middle

School Students Speech Arts and Young Authors

Winners

3 students from Pershing West

Middle School were named

Speech Arts and Young Author Winners from Area 15.  The 1st Place winners will proceed to the

CityWide Competition.  

 

Speech Arts Competition Winners 

Intermediate Category 

Justus Eason (1st Place) Pershing

West School

 

Upper Grade Category 

Tylar Zanders (2nd Place) Pershing West

School

 

Young Authors Winners

Upper Grade Category 

Tyanna Patino (1st Place) Pershing West

School

 

Congratulations to these students, their families, and

the teachers and staff at Pershing West.

 

Sandra

Aguilar from Prologue Early College Receives ICEARY Award

Sandra Aguilar’s

journey to academic success has been filled with several barriers and

hardships. Until she was seven Ms. Aguilar lived in abject poverty in a small

town in Honduras.

At the age of eight Ms. Aguilar journeyed to the US with her father, but her life was

anything but easier. She and her father were captured by Immigration and

Naturalization Service and detained in a migrant camp. Ms. Aguilar’s

mother recovered her from the camp only to abandon her shortly thereafter.

 

Living with older siblings,

Ms. Aguilar took the initiative to obtain her education. She enrolled in five

different schools before finding a home at Prologue Early

College. Ms. Aguilar took

first-place in the 2006 Safe Alternative Schools (SAS) Science Fair and

participated in the SAS Academic Bowl. While expecting her first child, Ms.

Aguilar held a 100% attendance rate and earned 10 credits in her first year at

Prologue.

 

The Illinois Coalition

for Educating At-Risk Youth (ICEARY) optimizes the positive growth of at-risk youth

and those individuals working with at-risk youth through educational program

support, training, legislative leadership, information exchange, advocacy, and

other support services. Ms. Aguilar was 1 of 8 student

recipients of the 2008 ICEARY award. Congratulations to Ms. Aguilar and Prologue Early College

for not letting anything stand in the way of academic success.