Transcript Chicagp Public Schools Community Planning Process

Chicago Public Schools
Community Planning Process
Mid-South Communities
Presentation for the MPC
Roundtable
February 12, 2004
Topics covered today
 How CPS is supporting the Plan for
Transformation
 The Mid-South Planning Process
Why Now?
 The CHA Plan for Transformation will result in
dramatic shifts in the numbers and locations of
families with school aged children.
 All children living in Mid-South should have
access to high quality neighborhood schools with
a range of educational programs
 Performance of existing schools is uneven
Our Challenge…
…to create a plan which is:
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Bold
Innovative
Incorporates current CPS plans and activities
Reflects the desires of the current and future
residents of the Mid-South communities
Opportunities
 Create portfolios of high-quality and varied
neighborhood schools
 Extend learning opportunities across the day,
calendar and generations;
 Build human capacity of principals, teachers,
parents, as well as the staff of community
organizations;
 Link resources, including public and private
housing, schools, community-based
organizations, foundation and corporate support
The Goal of the Planning Process
 Improve the schools to enhance the lives of all
Mid-South community residents.
 All families will be able to choose among highquality neighborhood schools for their children.
 To insure that every opportunity – both in
education and in life – is accessible to all of our
children through the schoolhouse doors in MidSouth communities.
 Create a process which can be replicated in other
communities
Mid-South Communities
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31st - 47th Street, Lake to Dan Ryan
3.3 square miles, 2,109 acres
3 Wards - 2nd, 3rd, 4th
Communities:
 North Kenwood
 Oakland
 Grand Boulevard
 Douglas
Mid-South Communities
25 Schools
 21 Elementary Schools
 4 High Schools
 Five of the 9 CHA planned mixed-income communities
are within the project area
 2,645 units of public housing planned
 7,999 total units planned
Mid-South’s goals
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Build instructional capacity
High quality teaching and leadership
Expand choice within neighborhoods
Strengthen existing high school programs
Enhance accountability
Planning in Partnership with
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The residents of Mid-South communities
The Chicago Public Schools
The Chicago Housing Authority
The Annenberg Institute for School Reform
Members of the six working groups
Bank One
The MacArthur Foundation
Chicago Community Trust
Structure of the Planning Process
Executive Committee
Six Working Groups
Community Forums
Implementation Committee
Support Staff at CPS and AISR
The Working Groups
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High-Performing Neighborhood Schools
Strengthening Early Childhood Learning
Building Human Capacity
Linking Housing, Schools and Communities
Extending Learning Opportunities
Supporting Innovation
Examples of possible Big Ideas
 Big Idea: Create a coordinated system of
learning opportunities from infancy through year 8
of a child’s life that would work to guarantee that
by age 8, all children would have the basic
academic and social skills to thrive in school
 An Implementation Strategy: Develop an
integrated early childhood intake center located in
Mid-South.
 A mom with a 6 month old, 2 year old and a 5 year old,
would go to the center to coordinate all daycare needs.
Possible big ideas cont.
 Big Idea: Every child should have the ability
to pursue learning opportunities outside of
school which allows them to pursue areas
of interest.
 An Implementation Strategy: Music &
dance classes, recreational programs, and
many other after-school activities are
offered within walking distance to every
school in Mid-South.
Linking Housing Schools &
Community Working Group
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Developers
CHA senior staff
Resident leadership
Lenders
Community organizations
Universities
Elected Officials
Foundations
It’s the most challenging
 The group focuses mostly on schools
because its hard to make connections
 Examples of success on the same scale do
not exist
 Lack of research
 Historically, community development and
education communities do not meet and
talk the same language
 It’s complicated
Themes emerging from Linking
Housing, Schools & Community
 Partnerships with significant institutions: Partners
need to be responsible for success
 Community organizing: Residents need to be
organized to demand and support quality schools
 Signature Programs: Schools need signature
programs with proven records of success (NKO, Field
Museum, High Tech High)
 Community centers: Schools should be hubs of
community activity through extended hours, colocated facilities (e.g., library and social services
located inside the school) etc.
Timeline: The Mid-South
Planning Process
 Phase 1 – Developing Design Principles –
December 18, 2003 to March 18, 2004
 Phase 2 – Drafting a Plan – March 19,
2004 to May 24, 2004
 Phase 3 – Creating an implementation
strategy May 25, 2004 – January 2005
The completed plan…
 The Plan will not:
 Include new school buildings
 Identify schools scheduled for closing
 The Plan will:
 Build on good things already underway in
Mid-South
 Align with the CPS Education Plan
 Identify new academic programming and
ways to support learning in and out of
school
The Completed Plan will also
include recommendations on…
 How to use schools to their maximum capacity
 Ways central office can change policies and
procedures to support a new system
 Before and after school programs
 Early childhood programs
 High performing neighborhood schools
 Schools that should be clustered, including a mix
of specialties
 School models
 Sizes of schools
Plan implementation will include...
 A process which involves parents,
teachers, community partners, universities,
and funders
 Regular community updates
 The opening of some Mid-South schools in
the Fall 2005 for the residents of Mid-South
 A 5-year phased strategy