Thursday, December 8, 2011

Mapping 10 years of school closures

WBEZ provides a graphic that charts all school closures or turnarounds over the past 10 years. Amongst the turnarounds in our area is Deneen School which was acted upon by the school board in 2010.

Got wind of this link via Chicagoist who said:
In November Chicago Public Schools designated 10 South and West Side schools for turnaround — firing all staff — and said it would close or partially close eight others. It would be the most the district has ever done in one year, and the district expects to spend about $20 million hiring new staff and restructuring the schools.

If the district’s Board of Education approves the proposals, Chicago will close its 100th school since Mayor Daley’s administration introduced the “renaissance” program. In light of that landmark, WBEZ and Catalyst compiled this fascinating map that shows where schools have been closed or turned around, how well the new facilities are performing and what has become of those old school buildings.

Not surprisingly, the turnarounds have hit African Americans hardest. Humboldt Park and the Near West Side, followed by Grand Boulevard, have seen the most school shakeups. Those three areas are also due for more turnarounds under the new proposal.
It has also been noted that most of these schools that have either been turned around or close have been either turned into either charter or magnet schools. Entrance into such schools are either by test scores or a lottery and not based upon neighborhood boundaries.

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