CPS to use tougher standard for evaluating schools

Joel Hood:

After years of futility inside the classroom, Chicago Public Schools soon will adopt a more rigorous internal evaluation system that judges schools on how well they prepare students for college, a move that could lead to more school closings in the years ahead.

This stricter method of evaluation promises to be an eye-opener for many parents, considering the current process used for years already paints a bleak picture of the district: 42 percent of schools -- 207 elementary and 76 high schools -- are on probation for low-academic performance and poor attendance.

Seventy-two schools have been on probation for five consecutive years, and 16 of them for 15 years in a row.

Approximately 123,000 students are in underperforming schools, officials said, prompting parents in large numbers to uproot their families for neighborhoods with better schools inside or outside the city. Maps presented to the school board Wednesday showed a correlation between some of the city's poorest-performing schools and schools that are most underenrolled.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 29, 2011 3:10 AM
Subscribe to this site via RSS/Atom: Newsletter signup | Send us your ideas