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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In the News: Stimulus funds for anti-violence; $1 billion in pension benefits
By: Cassandra West / June 23, 2010
Mayor Daley, public school's CEO Ron Huberman and other city and community leaders announced a plan Tuesday to deploy $25 million in federal stimulus funds for anti-violence programs in Chicago's Public Schools. About $10 million will go toward mentoring 1,500 high school students at 13 high-risk high schools across the city. CPS plans to award contracts to 59 community organizations that will administer the mentorship, Safe Passage and Culture of Calm programs. (NBC Chicago)
Mayor Daley, public school's CEO Ron Huberman and other city and
community leaders announced a plan Tuesday to deploy $25 million in
federal stimulus funds for anti-violence programs in Chicago's Public Schools. About $10
million will go toward mentoring 1,500 high school students at 13
high-risk high schools across the city. CPS plans to award contracts to
59 community organizations that will administer the mentorship, Safe
Passage and Culture of Calm programs. (NBC Chicago)
WBEZ's Hunter Clauss has a list of the 59 organizations CPS says are set to receive stimulus money to help students. The groups include the politically connected United Neighborhood Organization, and the local Black Star Project, which has challenged the district on various issues, including school closures and the new magnet admissions policy. And, education reporter Linda Lutton of WBEZ talks with Colleen Cicchetti, an adolescent psychologist with Children’s Memorial Hospital whose program will get money to help schools address kids' anger and trauma.
In the state:
A University of Illinois task force charged with belt-tightening says it has found a way to save nearly $60 million over three years by changing how the university buys supplies and streamlining its information technology spending. (Sun-Times)
The Springfield School Board adopted a budget for the 2011 fiscal year that could result in the district spending as much as $6.2 million more than it takes in next year. (State Journal Register)
In the nation:
A new report by University of Chicago economists concludes that people who receive GEDs fare little better economically than high school dropouts when factors such as their greater academic abilities are taken into consideration. The authors of the report, released by the National Bureau of Economic Research, also say that the availability of the GED at younger ages could push more students out of traditional school programs. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
In a Washington Examiner opinion piece, writer/blogger E.D. Kain totals the pension benefits of "just the top 100 public school administrators in Illinois" and comes up with a figure nearing $1 billion. His calculation is based on data from Teachers Service Record of the Illinois State Board of Education and posted on The New Editor.
Several major philanthropic organizations in Boston announced they will give $27 million to a new partnership that aims to greatly accelerate student achievement across the city, from “cradle to career.’’ Also, Boston College will launch a training program for school principals in January to improve urban education and prepare more low-income students for college, with a $20 million donation from Fidelity vice chairman Peter Lynch and his wife, Carolyn. (Boston Globe)
John Deasy, a senior administrator from the Gates Foundation, has been tapped to run the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school system, a senior district official confirmed. (LA Times)
After three years in a charter school run by the Knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP, students’ gains in mathematics are large enough in about half of schools to significantly narrow race- and income-based achievement gaps among students, according to a report conducted by Mathematica Policy Research Inc., of Princeton, N.J. The report is the first in a series focusing on the nationally known charter school network. (Ed Week)
In the News: Stimulus funds for anti-violence; $1 billion in pen
While I have the upmost respect for the knowledge base of Dr. Cicchetti I have very serious reservations about the contract she and CMH entered into with CPS. On November 6, 2009 I sent the following letter to Dr. Cicchetti relating to this contract, she never responded. I would still like answers to the questions I raised in this letter.
Colleen Cicchetti, PhD
Children’s Memorial Hospital
2300 Children’s Plaza, Box 10
Chicago IL 60614
Dear Dr. Cicchetti,
We are writing this letter to you in reference to consulting agreement with the Chicago Public Schools for implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) Tier II behavioral intervention services at Harper High School and Fenger High School (CPS Board Report 09-0923-PR27). This consulting contract will also involve implementing Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools and other anger coping approaches. These seem to be worthwhile efforts for many of these students. Access Living is a center for independent living in Chicago and we monitor all CPS contracts and policies that may impact students with disabilities.
Our primary interest is over another aspect of your consulting agreement which requires you and Children’s Memorial to “develop a system for identifying students appropriate for the interventions, obtaining consent, and tracking student progress that will allow for progress monitoring of student behavior.†One concern is how your system will differentiate those students who are appropriate for an immediate full evaluation for serious emotional disturbance pursuant to the rules for IDEA and those students who are appropriate to go thought a behavioral intervention as part of the RtI process. It is also our opinion that any students your system identifies as appropriate for these interventions who do not currently have IEPs should be considered as students suspected of having a disability and the rules for disciplining these students as established under IDEA should be followed.
Access Living is interested in your opinion on this important issue, because it is directly linked to issues of school discipline and processes that must be followed for these students.
Access Living has serious concerns that the Chicago Public Schools are systematically under identifying students with emotional disturbance in the school district.
Using annual data for a court case CPS in involved in, Corey H, we have developed the chart below [chart can not be posted]
We believe there reason to believe that there should be a higher incidence of emotionally disturbed students in CPS. While the CPS identification rate of students with emotional disturbance is consistent with national rates, it is low for a school district with high levels of poverty and violence.
Your agreement with CPS requires you to work with, Harper and Fenger high schools. We would like to give you some data to consider as part of your system development process. On June 1, 2009 Harper High School enrolled 789 students of whom 194 were identified with disabilities (24.5% of the school). Of these 194 students only 15 were identified as emotionally disturbed (EBD). While this identification rate for EBD of 1.9% is much higher than for the school district as a whole it is relatively low for a troubled urban high school. On the other hand 140 students were identified as learning disabled (17.7% of the school). At Fenger we see a similar profile. There were 1,210 students enrolled as of June 1, 2009. 229 had IEPs (18.9% of the school). 27 EBD (2.3% of the school) and 142 LD (11.7% of the school).
Academically of those students with IEPs that make it to their junior year and who take the ISAT we see in 2009 at Fenger that 73% of these disabled students are reading at the lowest possible measureable level and at Harper 74% are functioning at this basically illiterate level.
What we have found in our work with families of inner city CPS students over the years is that many of these students have both learning disabilities and interrelated psychological problems that could easily be determined to be an emotional disturbance. Often CPS elects to address only the learning disability issues, and then very weakly as the achievement data clearly indicates.
It is our opinion that if the system that you are being contracted to develop determines that intervention is appropriate for any LD students who do not have current IEPs that address behavioral issues that an IEP meeting must be held to develop a behavior plan for these students. Consent from a parent to participate in any tier II interventions is not adequate for these students. For students who are identified as EBD, it seems that a meeting must also be held to add any services your program may be providing to the student’s behavior plan as a formal service. We are sharing this letter with colleagues who represent many students with disabilities who attend CPS schools in due process hearings.
Access Living hopes that these attorneys and advocates will examine the issues we have raised in relation to your agreement with CPS and provide input either directly to you or back to Access Living so we can share them with you.
It is our opinion that virtually no one in the disability advocacy community in Chicago is aware that CPS is entering into an agreement with a non-public entity to create systems and policies for students exhibiting behavioral issues in these two high schools.
The agreement you have entered into with CPS may bring real benefits for students at these two high schools. But we believe that implementing the process outlined in your agreement also requires following established rules related to IDEA and the identification of students when this is required. We hope you can respond soon. We know that your primary interest is helping these students and any assistance we can provide to you in that endeavor we would be more than glad to provide.
Truly yours,
Rodney D. Estvan
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