catalyst-chicago.org

The mix of candidates who want to run charter and contract schools comes primarily from the ranks of universities, nonprofit institutions and leaders within Chicago Public Schools, according to letters of intent filed with the district and a list of attendees from summer training camps for applicants.

Conspicuously absent are for-profit education management companies and private corporations, though Mayor Richard M. Daley made a public pitch to businesses to sponsor schools when he announced the Renaissance 2010 initiative.

Principal Kathleen Hagstrom attributes discipline problems at Disney Magnet in large part to the Uptown school's open classroom structure.

The school, built in the 1970s, is divided into pods, in which three classes share a large space with no walls or dividers to block sound. The setup exacerbates problems for children who have difficulty paying attention in class, Hagstrom explains.

And with nearly 70 percent of students bused in from other communities, before- or after-school detentions are impractical.

It takes only one committed person to get the ball rolling toward a student health plan, say those who have done it. To help individuals who want to try, Catalyst sought advice from staff at Chicago Communities in Schools, a non-profit that links schools to free services, and from people who work on Community Schools, a district initiative that pairs schools with non-profits that provide social and academic support to kids and families. Communities in Schools is working with 116 schools; Community Schools has set a goal of 100 by 2007.