Chicago’s 50 Closed Schools: A new approach in Englewood
Four years ago, Chicago tried an alternative to mass closings of underenrolled schools. Is this a path forward as the city’s enrollment continues to drop?
Four years ago, Chicago tried an alternative to mass closings of underenrolled schools. Is this a path forward as the city’s enrollment continues to drop?
Mayor Brandon Johnson says he opposes closing schools and our investigation shows they didn’t help students or communities. We explore the alternatives.
We find out what happened to schools that absorbed students from the 50 schools that Chicago closed in 2013 as part of an on-going investigation by WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Sun-Times and WBEZ found that school officials failed to protect these welcoming schools and the $155 million invested in them over time.
Chicago closed 50 schools in 2013, saying this would help students. But our analysis shows little changed academically for the affected kids.
The mayor promised the 46 buildings left would get a second life. The Sun-Times and WBEZ visited every building and community to see what happened.
The city said the students would be better off, their new schools transformed and the closed buildings would be reborn as community assets.
Chicago Public Schools board members say the new policy focuses on improving teaching and learning and creating an optimal educational experience.
Hope Institute Learning Academy, which services students with special needs alongside general ed students, recently abruptly announced its closure.
The Illinois State Board of Education admits it overspent and now can’t renew federal grants for some long-standing after-school programing.