All But Two New Schools Approved

Check below for the list of new schools that were approved -- and the two that were "deferred" -- at yesterday's board meeting. 

Five New Career Prep Schools Approved by Board of Education

Seventeen new schools slated to open fall 2007, 2008

      The Chicago Board of Education approved 10 schools to open in the fall of 2007 and seven schools to open in the fall of 2008 at today’s meeting.

      Five of these schools have a career prep focus and were among 19 new school proposals recommended to the Board by Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan more than a week ago.

      “Our children shouldn’t have to leave their neighborhoods if they want to attend good schools,” said Chicago Board of Education President Rufus Williams on Thursday. “But we’re excited about these new schools because of the diverse education options they offer our children beyond high school.”

      The 10 high schools approved by the Board are:

• Austin Polytechnical   Academy, a performance school serving grades 9-12, will offer a   blended curriculum of career prep and college prep with an emphasis   on manufacturing, management and production. Ninth and 10^th-graders   will focus on school-based learning skills, while 11^th and   12^th-graders will gain experience in technology-based companies.   The school will open fall of 2007 at Austin High School, 231 N. Pine.

• North Lawndale   College Prep, a successful West Side charter high school,    will open a second campus with a college prep curriculum. The high school   will offer extensive support and college programs throughout the year,   and college counselors will follow each class for five years, including   the first year of college. This campus will open in the fall of 2007   at Collins High School, 1313 S. Sacramento.

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• Collins Academy   High School will be a performance high school with a college prep   curriculum offered by the Academy of Urban School Leadership. The school   will eventually become a site for teacher training, where student teachers   will receive intensive mentoring and exposure to best-practice models   for teaching in urban communities. The school will open fall of 2007   at Collins High School, 1313 S. Sacramento. AUSL currently operates   four elementary schools and one high school in Chicago.

• Marine Military   Math and Science Academy will be a performance school and serve   grades 9-12. The curriculum will be a combination of career and college   prep with a math and science focus to prepare students for careers requiring   a math or science background. It will be the first public Marine Junior   Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) high school in the nation. The   school will open fall of 2007 at 145 S. Campbell.

• Henry Ford Power   House Charter High School will serve grades 9-12 and feature a college   prep curriculum, where students will engage in hands-on learning programs   utilizing a wide range of local resources. Students will also have the   opportunity to participate in structured, supervised internships with   a variety of corporations throughout Chicago. Located at 931 S. Homan,   the old Sears Powerhouse, the school will open fall of 2008 with 9^th   graders in the first year.

• ASPIRA   Rosa Parks Communication and Technology High School   will be an additional charter campus and serve grades 9-12, preparing   students for technology-based jobs. The school will offer a 4-year college   prep math and science curriculum within the areas of computer science,   media arts, and communications. The school also will emphasize the social,   cultural and political climate of the surrounding community. ASPIRA   currently operates three campuses: a traditional high school, an alternative   dropout recovery high school, and a middle school. The Rosa Parks campus   will open fall of 2008 at 1856 N. LeClaire.

• ASPIRA Trade   Tech High School will be an additional charter campus serving grades   9-12 with a focus on specialized areas of the construction trades. It   will also offer a 4-year math and science curriculum, and also emphasize   the social, cultural, and political climate of the community. The Trade   Tech campus is proposed for fall of 2008 at 4101 W. Ann Lurie Pl.

• Noble Street   Charter School-Maroon Campus will serve grades 9-12 and have a college   prep curriculum with a strong emphasis on civic responsibility and respect   for the community and the environment. The Maroon campus will open fall   of 2007 at 3645 W. Chicago Ave., and is Noble Street’s fourth high   school.

• Noble Street   Charter School-Brown Campus will serve grades 9-12 and also have   the same educational philosophy as Noble Street Maroon Campus (above).   The Brown campus will open fall of 2007 at 1460 W. Superior Ave., and   is Noble Street’s fifth high school.

• UNO-Archer Heights   Campus High School will be United Neighborhoods Organization’s   (UNO) first school serving students in grades 9-12. UNO will combine   its model of direct instruction within a disciplined environment with   high academic expectations for its students. The Archer Heights campus   will open fall 2008 at 4248 W. 47^th Street.

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The seven elementary schools approved by the Board are:

• Polaris Charter   Academy will be a K-8 charter school. Established by three CPS Golden   Apple winners and a New Leaders for New Schools principal fellow, it   will offer an Expeditionary Learning curriculum integrating classroom,   field work and service learning projects. The school will feature an   extended school day and year, and allow for flexible scheduling to support   more teacher planning time and independent student learning projects.   Polaris will open fall of 2007 at Morse Elementary, 620 N. Sawyer.

• Frazier International   Baccalaureate Magnet School will be a K-8 performance school. Established   by the CPS Office of Academic Enhancement, which runs the district’s   International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) magnet   schools, it will be a non-selective enrollment school and prepare students   for high school IB programs. It will also emphasize global citizenship   by promoting intercultural understanding and respect. The school will   open fall of 2007 at Frazier Elementary, 4027 W. Grenshaw. It will be   open to students from across the city through the magnet lottery process   but will also include a set-aside for neighborhood students.

• Frazier Preparatory   Academy, established by Frazier Academy Design Team, Inc., a local   nonprofit board utilizing the management services of Mosaica Education,   Inc., will be a contract school serving grades K-8. The school   will prepare students for lifelong learning through the Paragon curriculum   in a multicultural learning environment and offer foreign language studies   and technology-based programs. The school has also developed strong   community partnerships with local North Lawndale organizations in order   to provide additional social supports to best meet the needs of all   prospective students. It will open fall 2007 at Frazier Elementary,   4027 W. Grenshaw.

• Chicago International Charter   School-Avondale Campus will be a charter school serving grades K-8.   Operated by the Chicago Charter School Foundation, its mission is to   provide a high quality education for elementary school students using   the Saxon Math curriculum. Operators have partnered with Victory Schools,   an education management organization based in New York that specializes   in reading development. The school will open in the fall 2007 at 3834   N. Spaulding. Chicago International Charter Schools currently operates   10 campuses across the city of Chicago.

• UNO Charter School   Network-Archer Heights Campus North will be one of two elementary   school campuses at 4248 W. 47^th   St. The school will offer effective direct instruction methods within   a disciplined environment. The Archer Heights campus will open fall   of 2008. UNO currently runs four charter campuses in Chicago and seeks   to relieve overcrowding while generating community involvement.

• UNO Charter School   Network-Archer Heights Campus South   will be one of two elementary school campuses at 4248 W 47^th   St. As with the North campus, the South campus also will offer effective   direct instruction methods within a disciplined environment. The Archer   Heights campus will open fall of 2008. 

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• UNO Charter School Network-Brighton   Park Campus will be a charter school serving grades K-8 and provide   a disciplined environment with high academic expectations and intensive   English instruction similar to other existing UNO Charter School   Network campuses. The curriculum will involve instruction to help students   master fundamental literacy and develop math skills to enter Chicago’s best high schools. The Brighton   Park campus will open fall of 2008   at 2916 W. 47^th St.

      Two schools, Prologue Early College and West Town Academy, were deferred by the Board for a December vote.

      This past summer, CPS received 51 new school proposals submitted by teachers, community leaders, and local and national educators through the Renaissance 2010 Request for Proposals process. After an extensive review process involving parents, educators, elected officials, community leaders and CPS staff, Duncan chose 19 proposals to submit to the Board for approval.

      Renaissance 2010 aims to create 100 new schools by 2010 to replace low-performing schools, provide new educational options to underserved communities and relieve school overcrowding in communities experiencing rapid growth. 

      

Under Renaissance 2010, 15 new schools opened this fall; 22 new schools opened in the fall of 2005, and under the original pilot program that preceded the June 2004 start of Renaissance 2010, five additional schools opened at Dodge, Williams and Terrell in 2003 and 2004, for a total of 40 schools.

Comments

I think all 17 new schools should be named in honor of Milton Friedman, the man who U of C folks thought would live forever.

[Laura Rubow]

Earlier in the week, on Ch 5,7 or 11 evening news, there was a report about 2-3 teachers starting a "Polaris" school in Chicago fall 2007 for K & 1st grade, following the 7 year school program in Milwaukee, WI. of education curriculum of classwork to coincide with everyday life, an example on the news broadcast was that a teacher taught how a boat moves thru water and by using math skills, to measure distance. How can I register my grandson for this Chicago school? Please reply. Thank you. LR

[john]

IB MYP

Could somebody help me out here. Is the Frazier International Baccalaureate Magnet School a current member of the IB MYP. Having gone through several visitations by the IB evaluation committee myself I can’t see how any proposed school could even have been granted limited status.
Are they trying to transfer the program from another school? The IB website doesn’t even mention
The school.

You can find applications to Polaris Charter Academy here:
www.pcachicago.org

[sharon merritt]

I RECIEVED A POST ABOUT FRAZIER ACADEMY BUT IT DID NOT A CONTACT NUMBER OR WHERE TO REGISTER.

Just got a letter today that my son was selected in the lottery for Frazier. Application was due a few weeks ago. But it seems that, as a non-selective enrollment school, and being in the area it's in, it's going to be a rocky road for the first few years. What's the difference between the Frazier IB and Frazier Prep?

[Alexander]

great question -- i'm going to turn it into its own post so it gets the attention it deserves. look for a new post on the front page, and responses there.

I just heard about Frazier Prep on the radio, I was able to complete the pre-enrollment and I received the enrollment package. It appears that some have known about these schools earlier in the year, Is it too late for me to try to get my child into this school?

[Jasmine Cooper]

I want to get into any of your schools to finish my highschool education