Tag Archives: Chicago Public Schools

Chicago and Educational News

Englewood is getting a new high school.  The public educational institute will open its doors later this year and will feature modern, high-tech, quality facilities.  This is particularly good news for the neighborhood since over the last few years it has witnessed the closure of many schools.

An opening day was held this past Saturday at the Kennedy King College’s gym which seemed like a graduation ceremony!  Attended by parents of future students, this $85 million STEM school – located at the old Robeson High School at 6835 S. Norman – will initially be available for 9th-12th graders.  According to Janice Jackson, CPS CEO:

“Our design was to ensure this was a neighborhood school. We’re so excited to bring a high-quality option right here in their backyard that the students can go to and be proud of.”

Taking an umbrella look at comprehensive look at how Emanuel Rahm is leaving his Mayorship we find that there is an “all time high graduation rate nearing 80 percent…within the Chicago Public Schools system.”  Also the rate of learning has increased to 96 percent throughout America’s schools districts, even compared to far wealthier ones.  According to Emanuel:

“There was never a problem we pushed down the road or kicked the can on. We confronted every problem: Everything that had gotten worse because we had avoided making tough calls, we confronted head on.”

Rahm’s achievements since taking office include: STAR program; formation of the free, pre-K program for 4 year olds; getting more money for a new school funding formula.

Chicago Corporations Score Low Marks in Public School Support

According to inquires made by a new collaborative task force called Generation All, only 8 out of 300 school principals answered in the affirmative as to whether they had a corporate partner. Furthermore, there are 400 corporate headquarters located in the Chicago area, and a total of 250,000 businesses, and only 3 percent of the city’s more than 500 public schools are getting direct support from a corporate partner.

Yes, the Chicago business community does help the district-run public schools via taxes, but the truth is, they can do more.

School principals are facing steep budget cuts. The students often come from poor families, teachers are not happy, and administrators are feeling bombarded by growing debt that can possible lead to insolvency of the system.

Chicago Public Schools, simply put, needs help, and the corporate community can offer it, and make a huge difference to the future of the city. According to the principals, investing in schools pays off in a very real way for business. Better test scores, higher rates of graduation, more internship possibilities, and better qualified future employees, are all benefits of a well-endowed CPS.