It’s unfortunate that that Chicago Tribune has again chosen sides with politically connected charter schools because of a fastidious commitment to privatization, even when this position is clearly a bad deal for the children of Chicago.
The Tribune’s push to pressure 36th Ward Alderman Nicholas Sposato to grant zoning for a UNO charter school flies in the face of good educational policy. Recent Illinois State Board of Education report cards show that in UNO’s charter network, eight out of their nine schools failed to meet annual yearly progress and three of their schools scored below district averages in multiple state exams.
If the Tribune’s real concern is overcrowding, it should promote a state cap on class size and an expansion of the best schools in Sposato’s area. Just down the street from the proposed charter school is Mary Lyons, an elementary school that scores better in every single category than the average of all UNO charter schools. Another interesting comparison is between a neighborhood school on Chicago’s West Side, Cather Elementary, and UNO. Cather has one of the highest poverty rates in the system, and yet their students beat out all of UNO’s average scores.
Charters are supposed to provide area schools with new practices that could boost achievement and improve student outcomes. This move appears to lower the quality of schools in Sposato’s neighborhood. Who would have thought that by focusing on empowering an existing school community to use proven methods could work better than any charter program, turnaround intervention, or school closing?
It’s time that the Tribune started paying attention to these important facts before they slam a courageous alderman for doing the right thing for his community, which also happens to be the right thing for Chicago.
— Jackson Potter, Chicago Teachers Union
