Chicago Public Schools Community Planning Process

1. Chicago Public SchoolsCommunity Planning Process Mid-South Communities Presentation for the MPC Roundtable February 12, 2004

2. Topics covered today • How CPS is supporting the Plan for Transformation • The Mid-South Planning Process

3. 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

4. Our Challenge… …to create a plan which is: • Bold • Innovative • Incorporates current CPS plans and activities • Reflects the desires of the current and future residents of the Mid-South communities

5. 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

6. 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 high-quality 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 Mid-South communities. • Create a process which can be replicated in other communities

7. Mid-South Communities • 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

8. 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

9. Mid-South’s goals • Build instructional capacity • High quality teaching and leadership • Expand choice within neighborhoods • Strengthen existing high school programs • Enhance accountability

10. Planning in Partnership with • 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

11. Structure of the Planning Process Executive Committee Six Working Groups Community Forums Implementation Committee Support Staff at CPS and AISR

12. The Working Groups • High-Performing Neighborhood Schools • Strengthening Early Childhood Learning • Building Human Capacity • Linking Housing, Schools and Communities • Extending Learning Opportunities • Supporting Innovation

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. Linking Housing Schools & Community Working Group • Developers • CHA senior staff • Resident leadership • Lenders • Community organizations • Universities • Elected Officials • Foundations

16. 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

17. 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, co-located facilities (e.g., library and social services located inside the school) etc.

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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