Chicago wants to phase out coveted magnet school

Linda Lutton:

Chicago Public Schools is floating a plan to phase out one of its most popular magnet schools.

LaSalle Language Academy magnet school in Old Town gets 1,500 applications a year for around 70 openings.

Now, CPS wants to slowly convert the magnet to a neighborhood school that draws from the immediate area, one of the ritziest in the city. The school would take no new magnet school kindergartners in the fall, unless they already had a sibling enrolled in the school. Instead, the kindergarten would be filled with neighborhood children.

The change would relieve overcrowding at nearby Lincoln Elementary, where rising test scores have made the school a popular option for Lincoln Park families.

But LaSalle parents say the change would also dismantle their school's diversity, achieved from 30 years as a desegregation school.

Related: Matthew DeFour:

Madison Superintendent Dan Nerad said Wednesday he will unveil next month a new plan for improving the achievement of low-income minority students.

The plan will summarize the district's current efforts as well as put forth new approaches, such as a longer school year and opening magnet schools, Nerad said.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at December 17, 2011 4:12 AM
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