Chicago Reporter (https://www.chicagoreporter.com/author/linda-lutton/)
A chart and map created by WBEZ and Catalyst Chicago shows where schools have been closed or turned around in the past decade, what’s become of the old buildings and how well the new schools in those buildings are performing.
A decade ago this spring, then-CEO Arne Duncan introduced the first Renaissance schools and coined the phrase “turnarounds” to describe a process of firing a school’s staff and hiring new people to, hopefully, improve the school. Last week, CEO Jean-Claude Brizard continued the tradition, saying that he wants to turnaround 10 schools, close two, phase-out two and officially shutter a few other schools whose phase-outs started years ago. If the proposals are approved by the Board of Education, Chicago will shutter its 100th school since 2002.
Like its non-profit cousins, Edison has had start-up problems at Longwood, and its initial test scores, compared with those at demographically similar schools and at nearby schools, are less than glowing. Yet, its some 1,300 seats –about 1,050 for elementary students and 250 for high school students —are in high demand.