Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision to close 50 public schools in 2013 ignited a firestorm among parents, educators and community groups. Now, five years later, most of the schools are still empty. This series explores the aftermath of the mass closures on the South and West sides of Chicago.
Chicago Reporter (https://www.chicagoreporter.com/series/empty-schools-empty-promises/)
As Chicago Public Schools prepares to shut down more schools, it faces continued resistance from people like Irene Robinson, whose community was fractured by 2013’s mass closures. Read more >>
Kalyn Belsha | National Teachers Academy parents argue that Chicago’s plan is discriminatory towards the top-ranked South Loop school’s mostly low-income and African-American students.
Kalyn Belsha | Although Chicago Public Schools promised a better education for thousands displaced by 2013’s closures, those students saw long-term negative effects, a sweeping report shows.
Kalyn Belsha | The recent sales of four vacant schools to private school operators could stir more competition for the public school system as school choice initiatives gain support in the state and nation.
Kalyn Belsha | Poor students continue to bear the brunt of Chicago’s newly approved plans to shut down more public schools.
Kalyn Belsha | Many families fleeing the poorest pockets of the city are ending up in cash-strapped school systems in the suburbs and northwest Indiana.