Focus on North Lawndale schools

Sundays Chicago Tribune was laced with a number of stimulating and thought-provoking pieces. One article deals with 'Some Children Left Behind,' a clear swipe at the 2001 No Child Left Behind legislation that many see as a failed law. The other article appearing in the Trib is entitled 'Education Upheavel in N. Lawndale."

I will make some comments on this article as we work extensively in the neighborhood. We continue to interface with the students and faculty in this community and we will continue to assist them in the coming years.

When school starts in the coming fall nearly 70% of the public schools in North Lawndale will be in private hands. Before going any further it ought to be noted, as reported by the Tribune, that "test scroes and other data show the privately run schools aren't doing much better and in some cases are performing worse than the schools they took over or the district-run schools that remain in the community."

So, for starters, let's dispose of the notion or allegation that privately-run CPS schools outperform the traditional neighborhood schools. It is long overdue to talk about the real reasons and solutions to the crisis in North Lawndale.

Former Chicago Bulls standout Mickey Johnson, who moved back to North Lawndale after his playing days, expressed what many see as far more significant shortcomings than neighborhood school performance. Said Johnson, gentrification [in pockets of the city] coupled with a lack of economic and political power has left the community open to private groups who want to take over neighborhood schools."

I will have more to say on this subject in tomorrow's blog but, for now, maybe we should all be heeding Johnson's advice.

Dick