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Chicago Board of Education Approves 5-Year Plan to Strengthen Neighborhood Public Schools

The strategic plan aims to boost resources for local schools, address inequities, and improve student outcomes without altering existing school choice policies.

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From left to right, Tiffany Harvey walks their dog Mila, alongside her daughters Isabel Harvey, 21, and Amalia Harvey, 10, as they walk Amalia to Haugan Elementary School, a neighborhood school, in Chicago, Ill. on Dec. 18, 2023. Amalia is a fourth grader at Haugan Elementary School in Chicago, Ill.
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Overview

  • The plan focuses on reducing chronic absenteeism, improving state reading and math scores, and decreasing teacher vacancies.
  • It seeks to increase the percentage of students attending their local neighborhood schools, countering a decade-long decline in enrollment.
  • Despite criticism of the current school choice system, no changes were made to selective enrollment, magnet, or charter school policies.
  • The plan emphasizes improving educational outcomes for Black students, students with disabilities, and early grade students.
  • Chicago's first elected school board, to be sworn in January 2025, will play a significant role in implementing the plan.