Comments on: If you read this before Friday at 2pm: Re future North Side high schools

By: Mayfair Dad

Mayfair Dad — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:35:52 +0000

Y- you make your case very well. Precipitous drop-off is accurate. As the parent of a 7th grader enrolled in a gifted program, I am “living the drama” right now. For our family, its SE or suburbs. There are no other options. He’s a bright kid and I watch his grades like a hawk via Parent Portal, so I think it will work out. We will shoot for the top and hope for the best but likely land at Lane Tech, which is actually close-by and a good school.

As for Albany Park Multi Culti, the attendance boundaries include Hibbard, only. For now. The co-sharing schools routine is smoke and mirrors, but if (when) Edison RGC takes over the entire building and that opens up more gifted seats, maybe not a bad thing if your kid qualifies.

The point I was making is local TIF districts pay for these spectacular institutions of learning but local kids do not benefit. And I disagree somewhat with Chicago Parent – we need a great high school for all of the bright kids currently in top-performing Region 1 neighborhood elementary schools. Maybe with a 5th stanine or above requirement and/or special focus like Von Steuben (to weed out the gang-bangers).

By: Y

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:23:41 +0000

I’m not certain there are enough students for additional SE high school programs. It looks like the scores of admitted students are getting higher at almost all schools and are nearly impossibly high at the top three (NSCP, Payton, and Young). However, Lane and Jones seem to be more accessible, relatively speaking. Does it make sense to have more SE programs when students scoring in the 80th percentiles are getting into SE programs? These are good students but will likely make up the lower ranks of their graduating classes from a SE school. I think they will have a more difficult time getting recognized when applying for college. Would these students be better served at a neighborhood high school with solid academics? They would likely do well, be at the top of their class and have a chance of standing out when applying for colleges if their high school had a decent reputation.

Here’s the CPS published data on this year’s SE enrolled students:
http://cpsmagnet.org/ourpages/auto/2009/8/10/50500884/Selective%20Enrollment%20High%20Schools%20Data%202009-2010.pdf?rn=9712462

By: cpsobsessed

cpsobsessed — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:37:32 +0000

All very good points.

Y, I think you hit the nail on the head about the “precipitous” drop off beyond the few top schools. That is the thing that freaks people out about not getting their kid into an SE high school.

By: chicago parent

chicago parent — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:08:41 +0000

Even though a school can draw students from all over the city, location is a critical part of any student’s or parent’s decision in determining which school to attend. The fact that schools on the north side or downtown in the Selective Enrollment group have significantly higher admissions scores than schools elsewhere indicates that these schools are much more selective and their location indicates that there is a need for another school having the same type of caliber academically as a Selective Enrollment school. The north side of Chicago is significantly underserved via high schools relative to other parts of the city — just a fact folks supported by the data. I think that the north side needs another SE school, not a neighborhood school. A top caliber school located on the north side. Neighborhood schools do not have a clear enough mandate to pursue academic excellence and therefore will never attract the best on a consistent basis.

By: Y

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:34:32 +0000

The major issue for the entire city is the lack of good, solid second-tier high school options, which creates a lot of anxiety among parents who have had positive elementary school experiences. There are great selective enrollment high schools.with some on the south side not performing as well. After you go beyond the SE schools, most of the remaining high schools aren’t viewed as an option for parents. Lincoln Park and Von Steuben are viewed fairly positively, maybe even selected programs at Taft or Mather. Then, the drop-off is precipitous. There are not many parents who would choose their neighborhood high schools as an option – Lake View, Senn, Amundsen, Sullivan, Roosevelt, Schurz, etc.

Mayfiar Dad – Albany Park Multicultural Academy sill exists. The Edison RGC is just co-located in their building.

By: north side

north side — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:21:47 +0000

Having just gone through the 8th grade open houses, it is interesting that so many people from Beverly are thinking of traveling north to high school.

By: ?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:42:02 +0000

I’m still trying to figure out what the group is and does.

By: Mayfair Dad

Mayfair Dad — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:24:12 +0000

The Northwest side, specifically the 39th Ward, desperately needs a new regional High School.

Northside College Prep was originally promised to us as a regional High School, paid for with local TIF district funds – and then opened as a citywise SE high school attended by a small fraction of neighborhood kids.

Albany Park Multicultural Academy, a 900-student state-of-the-art junior high school built with local TIF district funds – redesignated as the citywide SE Edison Gifted Center attended by a small fraction of neighborhood kids.

I suppose we should be thankful our kids have the priviledge of taking the expressway 45 minutes to Taft HS instead of attending Roosevelt Prison Prep.

Whatever happened to plans to open an International High School on the site of Kmart on Elston Avenue? Is that the North Side High School Initiative? I though MacArthur Foundation + Bill Gates were going to pursue this.

By: Coonley Mom

Coonley Mom — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:59:57 +0000

I am on the right site, and I applaud any group trying to improve and support the CPS schools. Just as I would support a South side group, West side group or you name it side group when they try and improve schools. A group should not be torn down because they are trying to improve their local schools. We all should support each other. I find it very sad that people would choose to find negativity in a group of parents that are working hard to stay in this city and improve the public schools that our children may go to some day. Even if you choose not to support a group, does that mean you have to knock that group? It is my hope that we can find support with each other, no matter what side of town we live in.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:19:26 +0000

“I actually don’t know anything about this intiative specifically, but clearly it’s something we can all agree on.”

I can’t say that I do. Why would I want to support a group with the goal of helping only one portion of the city? It is not only the North side that suffers from a lack of high-performing public HS options. The group is compartmentalizing the city. Why do they ask for support as if we are all North-side focused?

It saddens me. Not so much that the group exists (hey, go for it), but that it is assumed we will all jump on board. Am I on the wrong site?