School turn-arounds

Ten failing schools in Chicago's lowest-income neighborhoods jump-started a turn-around in two years. On Friday, the ACH-Learning Gap committee will hear how they did it. You can hear about it, too - read on for details:

In 2006, the Chief Education Officer of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) asked Strategic Learning Initiatives(SLI) to start a demonstration project to apply its proven strategy for accelerating student and adult learning to a group of ten elementary schools in the lowest-income neighborhoods. Nine of the ten schools were on the CPS list to replace their staff; 96 percent of the students came from low-income families; in five schools 95 percent were non English language learners. Over the prior ten years, some of these schools had new principals, new teachers, new curriculum and professional development. What these schools didn't have was progress. After two years of the CPS-SLI partnership, the 10 demonstration schools did jump start their turnaround. They improved five times faster on average than their rate of improvement before they joined the Strategic Learning Network. 

John Simmons, head of Strategic Learning Initiatives, will speak at noon Friday at University Lutheran Church of Hope. His appearance is sponsored by the ACH-Learning Gap group, led by Don Fraser, which sponsors a brown bag lunch every month. If you'd like to attend, just email Don Fraser. 

Bring your own lunch - coffee is provided. It's a great place to learn about learning and about schools, and to meet other Twin Cities folks who are passionately committed to our students and schools.

Mary Turck

Mary Turck (editor@tcdailyplanet.net) is the editor of the TC Daily Planet.