Special Education

Spring 2012

Even as CPS opens more new schools, children with special needs have a tougher time finding options. Placements in private therapeutic schools are scarce, and some charters are reluctant to enroll them.

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No place in line Sarah Karp After her son, Darion, was attacked by Fenger High School football players who accused him of stealing flip flops, Patricia Jones decided that he could not safely return to the rough school on the far South Side. Diagnosed with both bipolar and explosive intermittent disorder, Darion was liable to lash out. The players, too, were out to get him again, Jones felt. Jones told the principal that she wanted Darion transferred, but was stunned when she was told he should go to an alternative school. Most alternative schools in CPS have small budgets and too few social workers,... special education > Read More
Hope aims high Rebecca Harris In its first two years, Hope Institute Learning Academy was roiled by the departure of two principals, more than half the school’s first cadre of staff and a private education management company. The Academy, which aims to be a model for the inclusion of students with special needs, lost a legal complaint filed by parents who accused Hope of failing to provide legally required special education services for their children, raising questions about whether the school can achieve its goal. Now, the school’s leadership hopes it’s finally stepping off on the right foot. But low... special education > Read More
The right choice? Sarah Karp At 6, Maria Martinez’ son barely spoke a sentence, and when he did, it came out garbled. His reading and writing skills also were below grade level. He was enrolled in a small Catholic school, and his teacher knew he needed specialized help. But she doubted the school could offer it and gently explained to Martinez that she would need to transfer him to her neighborhood public school. “I noticed it too,” says Martinez, whose name was changed to protect the privacy of her son. “I noticed that he was disconnected. I noticed him lost.” Martinez took him and his older... charter schools, special education > Read More
Charters seek more cash for special needs students Sarah Karp Charter school operators have long complained that the district undercuts them when it comes to funding for special education students and are pushing CPS for more equitable funding. Illinois Network for Charter Schools President Andrew Broy says that the issue is one of the last remaining negotiation points for a charter-district compact now in the works. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is pushing these compacts nationally, to encourage cooperation and collaboration between charter and traditional schools. “It is a tough issue,” Broy says. Charter schools want more... charter schools, special education > Read More

Letter From the Editor

Ensuring equity for children who have special needs

By: Lorraine Forte

To paraphrase a common saying, sometimes a statistic is worth a thousand words.

As reporting for this issue of Catalyst In Depth unfolded, a telling statistic emerged (shown in the accompanying graphic). Its point: Racial disparity in CPS reaches down even into small-scale programs that fly under the radar.

To paraphrase a common saying, sometimes a statistic is worth a thousand words. As reporting for this issue of Catalyst In Depth unfolded, a telling statistic emerged (shown in the...

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