Photo courtesy of the Mother Nature Network.
By Odalis A. Suarez
The road to education has been tumultuous for Chicago families this year. After closing approximately 50 public schools, parents were left astray and faced with the task of relocating their child to a safe alternative school.
Now that the 2013-2014 school year has begun, where have these thousands of students transferred to?
Chicago Public Schools assigned a number of their surviving locations as “welcome schools” for students that came from shut down campuses.
However, according to the Chicago Tribune “…more than 3,300 of those children — 48 percent — are not attending the ‘welcoming’ schools designated to take them in this fall…”
The article presents a concerning issue in youth education: where are these unaccounted for students, who are not attending these welcoming schools, going to?
In another report by Chicago Tonight, after the CPS closures, Chicago Catholic schools encountered a rise in student enrollment. An increase that the article claims is “…the first time in nearly 30 years” and that “Some of that increase has come from students and parents concerned about the turmoil last year in Chicago Public Schools.”
And to make matters even more complex, the CPS is proposing to create more charter schools. It’s an initiative that has perplexed many, including Kelly’s Local School Council teacher representative Carolyn Brown, who was quoted in the Chicago Sun Times stating, “I don’t see what the justification would be for bringing in more charter schools.”
Now let’s recap… You have possibly thousands of students who may not be enrolled in an academic institution, then you have an influx of students signing up for Catholic school, and now the CPS feels the need to create additional charter schools.
Is the CPS leading a counterintuitive organization strategy?
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