catalyst-chicago.org

One of the justifications given for phasing out the West Side’s Crane High School is that most students in the attendance boundary are “voting with their feet” to go elsewhere. Only 17 percent of the students living in the neighborhood this year attend Crane, notes Chief Portfolio Officer Oliver Sicat.

But Crane’s situation is far from unique. In just the last five years, the percentage of students attending their neighborhood high school fell by 10 percent, from nearly half in 2006-2007 to about 37 percent in 2010-2011, according to a Catalyst Chicago analysis of CPS data.  

Students in low-achieving high schools are often required to take double periods of basic reading and math, a strategy that aims to raise their skills up to grade level. But Harlan High School is trying a different approach: Placing a group of middle-tier students in a higher-level humanities program.

At a low-key board meeting, district officials told members they are formally looking for partners to better prepare principals. Also, board members approved a contract to develop a single application for high schools, to take the place of the hodge-podge of applications that parents must now wade through.