North Lawndale Schools:

Gaining Ground, or on Shaky Ground?

Town Hall Meeting 1
June 16, 2010
Acknowledgements
The Lawndale Alliance wishes to acknowledge the following for making this town hall
meeting a success
University of Illinois at Chicago, Institute for Policy and Community Engagement
North Lawndale Community News
CAN-TV
Willie Mae Bowling
Revin Fellows
Cynthia Flowers
Family Focus Lawndale
Dorothy Goldsmith
Millie Goldsmith
Deidre Green
Joseph Hoereth
Valerie F. Leonard
Isaac Lewis
Leslie Lindsey
Zina Simmons
Mary Scott
Ella Goodman
Dorothy Williams
North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
What Well Cover
Panel 1:
Dorothy Williams- Trends in Elementary Reading and Math Scores
Mary Scott-Trends in High School Graduation and Drop Out Rates
Valerie F. Leonard- Overview of School Finance and Facilities

Panel 2:
Dorothy Goldsmith-Restorative Justice
Leslie Lindsey Lessons Learned from Teaching in Inner City Schools
Cynthia Flowers-Women Working to End School Violence (Deborah Movement)
Family Focus-Parents Leading the Way to School Improvement

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Panel 1
Elementary Math and Reading Scores
Presenter: Dorothy Williams

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

 School Performance Assessment Tools

National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP)

Part of No Child Left Behind legislation
Measures student progress against national standards
Math and Reading assessment every two years
4th and 8th grade students

Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS)

Administered every 5 years
4th graders around the world
45 participating countries
US ranked 18th of 45 (60th percentile)
US performance fell 2 points 2001 - 2006

Acceptable Yearly Performance (AYP)

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

 AYP
Acceptable Yearly Progress
70% of students meet or exceed STATE standards
Reading and Math
80% of Illinois elementary students met or exceeded standards
on State exams

READING
66.2% of students City-wide met or exceeded standards
55.5% of North Lawndale students met or exceeded
standards

MATH
72.0% of students City-wide met or exceeded standards
60.2% of North Lawndale students met or exceeded
standards

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

 North Lawndale Elementary ISAT Reading Scores
2009 School Performance vs. Community and City Averages
90

80 76.3 75.4
71.7
70 69.1 68.1
City Average: 66.2
63.1 62.3 62
60 58.8
North Lawndale Average: 55.5
53 52.5 52 51 50.8 50.5
50 50 49.1 48.5
46 44.6 43.6
41.9
40
35.3

30

20

10

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

 North Lawndale Elementary ISAT Math Scores
2009 School Performance vs. Community and City Averages
100
92.6
90 86.6
80.6
80
74.3 74.1 City Average: 72.0
70.9
70 67.4 67.3
66.1 65.3
64 North Lawndale Average: 61.4
60 57 56.1 55.3 55.3
54 53 52.3 50.9 50.8
50
44.2

40 37.3 36.4

30

20

10

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

 Notable Gains
North Lawndale Elementary Schools 2008 - 2009

North Lawndale
1.3 points in reading
4.5 points in math

Frazier International Baccalaureate Magnet School

25-point gain in math
18-point gain in reading
Legacy
13.9-point gain in math
15.8-point gain in reading
Other double-digit gains
Lathrop, math (11.3)
Frazier Prep, math (10.8)
Gregory, reading (10.3)
Penn, math (10.2)

City-wide
1.3 points in reading
3.4 points in math
North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
 Elementary Math Scores: North Lawndale vs. City Average
Percent of Students meeting or exceeding ISAT math targets
75.0%
72.0%

65.0% 64.75%
61.4%

55.0%
51.1%

45.0%
47.84% North Lawndale

Citywide
36.98%
35.0%

29.9%
25.0%
20.7%

15.0%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Elementary Reading Scores: North Lawndale vs. City Average
Percent of students meeting or exceeding ISAT reading targets
75.0%

64.91%
65.0%

54.2%
55.0%

45.0% North Lawndale

40.33%
Citywide

35.0%

25.7%
25.0%

15.0%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

North Lawndale Elementary Schools
Federal Improvement Status

Don't need
restructuring
35%
Restructuring
Implementation
57%

School Choice
4%

Restructuring
Planning
4%

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

 North Lawndale Elementary Schools
Federal Improvement Status

No Restructuring Restructuring Restructuring School Choice

Planning Implementation
8 Schools (35%) 1 School (4%) 13 Schools (57%) 1 School (4%)
Hughes Webster Bethune Catalyst /Howland
Frazier Prep Chalmers
Frazier IB Crown
Kipp Dvorak
Learn Gregory
Legacy Henson
Pope Herzl
Plamondon Johnson
Lathrop
Lawndale
Mason
Paderewski
Penn

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Panel 1
Graduation and Dropout Rates
Presenter: Mary Scott

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

The State of Affairs in 2004
North Lawndale had a high school graduation
rate of 38.8%
North Lawndale ranked 69th of Chicagos 77
community areas in terms of the number of
students graduating from high school.
The city average at the time was 56.6%.
The national graduation rate was 70%

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

 4-Year Graduation Rates:
North Lawndale vs. City and Nearby Communities
60.0%
56.6%
55.0% 56.4%
South Lawndale

Lower West Side

50.0%
48.5% Humboldt Park
46.9%
45.0% Near West Side
43.4%
43.2% East Garfield

40.0% North Lawndale

38.8%
Citywide
35.0%

30.0%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

In 2004, North Lawndale had a lower graduation rate than all of the
neighboring communities.
Source: Chicago Public Schools North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
 1-Year DropOut Rates:
North Lawndale vs. City and Nearby Communities
25.0%
23.1%
23.0%
22.1%
21.3% South Lawndale
21.0%
19.7% 19.4% Lower West Side
19.0%
Humboldt Park
17.0%
Near West Side
15.7% 15.6%
15.0% East Garfield
13.2%
13.0% 13.1% North Lawndale
12.5%
12.4% Citywide
11.0%
9.9%
9.0%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

In 2004, North Lawndale had a higher high school dropout rate than all
other neighboring communities
Source: Chicago Public Schools North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
One Year Dropout Rates 1999-2009
In 2009, as a group, schools North Lawndale Students are most likely to
attend have a lower one-year dropout rate than the city average.
One Year Dropout Rates For All Grade 9-12 Students
(Numbers represent percentages)

School Name 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Farragut 18.80 19.00 17.60 15.70 16.50 14.90 12.30 7.30 18.90 19.60 18.50
Marshall 27.80 12.00 13.30 12.50 14.20 14.90 9.70 17.00 8.60 10.30 15.30 Greater
Crane 18.60 18.00 19.00 15.30 23.40 21.20 19.50 14.30 7.10 19.50 13.50 than
Manley 23.70 24.00 14.90 25.00 16.10 15.70 7.30 1.60 2.00 11.00 10.10 City
North Lawndale College Prep - 7.70 Avg.
Multicultural School of the Arts 1.00 6.60 7.30 6.80
School of Social Justice 5.80 2.20 6.40 6.50
Infinity High School 1.10 - 3.70 5.50
North Lawndale College Prep 1.10 4.40 5.30 9.40 3.00 8.20 4.00 7.10 3.30 3.10 5.30 Less
Collins Academy 1.40 5.10 than
World Language Academy 1.00 0.60 4.80 4.00 City
Power House 3.70
Westinghouse (Closed 2007) 10.30 7.10 10.00 10.10 10.10 9.30 6.50 9.70 16.00
Avg.

Average for Community Sample 18.00 15.48 14.02 15.58 14.64 14.98 10.56 6.90 6.09 8.99 9.91
City Average 17.26 15.263 15.05 13.33 14.29 10.91 10.57 8.97 9.47 11.09 10.26

Note: These numbers represent the number of students dropping out after one year, and do not take into account the
cumulative effects of the number of students in a given class dropping out over the course of four years. The cumulative
percentages are significantly higher over the course of 4 years.

Source: Chicago Public Schools North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
Economic Impact of Dropping out
The economic impact of dropping out of high school is staggering.
Robert Wise, President of the Alliance for Education, shared the
following facts during a recent meeting in Chicago.

About 17,000 Chicago public school students did not graduate with their
class in 2007. The lost lifetime earnings in Chicago for this class of
dropouts total more than $4.5 billion.

Each class of dropouts from the Chicago Public School district would
save the city more than $280 million in reduced health care costs over
the course of their lifetimes if they graduate.

If 1,000 additional Chicago students were to graduate, it is estimated

they would earn approximately $20 million in increased income a year
(based on median annual income by level of education).
Source: Wise, R. Transforming Lives and Communities: Building Public and Private Will to Overcome
the Dropout Crisis. (2008) Alliance for Excellent Education
North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
Getting Behind the Numbers
Voices of Youth in Chicago Education
(VOYCE), a collaborative of youth from around
the city used youth researchers to survey youth
on the reasons why they drop out.

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

What VOYCE Found
Finding #1: Students in Chicago Public Schools believe that they
are the ones to blame for the failures of the school system.

Finding #2: Dropping out is not something that students plan or

anticipate. It is something that happens slowly over time.

Finding #3: Teachers, parents, and students agree that relevance

in curriculum is critical to students engagement in school.
Students often dont find the curriculum to be relevant

Finding #4: The curriculum needs to explicitly make the

connection that school is a stepping stone to college and future
careers.
One way to do this is by taking students to visit college campuses
Source: Student- Led Solutions to the Nations Dropout Crisis, A Report by Voices of Youth in Chicagos Education, November, 2008

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

 Finding #5: Teaching techniques must accommodate many different styles
of learning because different methods work for different students.

Finding #6: Students state that family and friends influence them the
most, even more than teachers and counselors.
58% of students said that the best thing about their school was the students.
Highlights the importance of peer-to-peer influence in motivating students to stay
in school.
It is important to increase the influence that teachers and counselors have on
students

Finding #7: More security does not necessarily lead to a greater feeling of
safety.
64% of students think that it is easy to sneak things that are prohibited into
school.
However, 47% DO NOT think that having better metal detectors in the school
would make it safer.

Finding #8: For a learning environment to be safe, students must not only
feel physically safe, but feel safe to express themselves.
North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
Panel 1
School Finances and Facilities
Presenter: Valerie F. Leonard

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

FY 2010 Budget Summary
FY 2010 Proposed Budget for All Funds (In Millions)
Fund Type FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 09-FY 10 FY 09-FY 10
Expense Adopted Proposed $Change % Change
Special Fund $3,280.9 $3,550.3 $3,666.0 $ 115.7 3.3%

Special Revenue 1,113.7 1,304.6 1,661.9 357.3 27.4%

Operating Total $4,394.7 $4,854.9 $5,327.9 $ 473.0 9.7%

Debt Service 260.4 288.1 499.7 211.6 73.4%

Capital Projects 463.1 1,014.4 1,035.4 21.0 2.1%

Total $5,118.2 $6,157.4 $6,863.0 $ 705.6 11.5%

Appropriation

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

City of Chicago
Local School Funding Mix 2002-2009
The total funding mix remains relatively flat
The one-time payment of $383 million in federal Stimulus funding
essentially restored federal funding to 2002 levels.
Local General
Other Local Other State Federal
Property State
Year Fiscal Year
Taxes Funding Aid Funding Funding
(%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
2002 2000 - 01 42.1 4.1 19.6 17.1 17
2003 2001 - 02 43.5 3.1 22 16.3 15.1
2004 2002 - 03 44.1 2.6 21.1 16.2 16
2005 2003 - 04 42.5 3.2 21.4 15.4 17.5
2006 2004 - 05 43.9 2.5 22.4 13.1 18
2007 2005 - 06 44.1 3.9 22.7 12.7 16.7
2008 2006 - 07 42.3 7.7 22.3 12.6 15.1
2009 2007 - 08 42.1 4.5 22.9 13.7 16.8

Source: Illinois Board of Education (ISBE) Interactive Report Card

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
City of Chicago
Local School Expenditures 2002-2009
Approximately one half of CPSs budget has been spent on
Instruction
Instruction General Support Other
Administratio Service Expenditure
Year Fiscal Year (%)
n s s
(%) (%) (%)
20022000 - 01 49.3 1 41.2 8.5
20032001 - 02 50.7 1.6 38.5 9.2
20042002 - 03 50.3 1.7 39.3 8.8
20052003 - 04 51.8 1.2 36.7 10.2
20062004 - 05 49.6 1.1 39.7 9.6
20072005 - 06 52 1.2 38.6 8.2
20082006 - 07 50.5 1.2 37 11.3
20092007 - 08 50.5 1.2 38.4 9.9

Source: Illinois Board of Education (ISBE) Interactive Report Card

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
FY 2011 Budget Status
Budget scheduled to be approved in August,2011
CPS has been holding regular and special board
meetings to address a potential $700 million deficit
Potential methods of closing the budget gaps include
Borrowing up to $800 million
Laying off 2,700 teachers
Increasing individual class sizes to 35 pupils
Chicago Teachers Union is opposed to the layoffs
Newly elected CTU President believes the budget
process should be more transparent.

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

The Relationship Between
Chicago Public Schools and TIFs
Over $58.5 million in TIF funds have been used to secure general
obligation bonds issued by CPS between 2002 and 2004. (1)
According to a study carried out by Robert Ginsburg and Don
Wiener on behalf of SEIU's Illinois Council, Chicago's TIF system
absorbed $552 million in property tax revenue in 2008.
Considering that over half of every property tax dollar goes
toward schools, it's fair to assume that roughly $300 million of
the revenue generated in TIF districts each year would otherwise
end up in CPS's coffers.
Instead, that money is stashed away for the Daley administration
to use as it saw fit. (2)
(1) CPS FY2010 Budget
2)Adam Doster, A Teacher's Fight To Open Up Chicago's TIF Budget, Progress Illinois, May 19,2010
North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
Worth Noting
The City of Chicagos budget allowed for costs
covering up to 30 charter schools.
The State Legislature recently lifted the cap on
the number of charter schools allowed in the
State.
It is expected that the number of charter schools
will increase over time.

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

 The Chicago Public Schools 2010 budget allowed for
over $310 million in payments to charter
schools, yet
the CPS financials do not provide individual financial
summaries for Charter Schools
The CPS capital assessments do not include capital
plans for charter schools
CPS has a history of increasing capital expenditures in
certain failing traditional schools, closing them and
effectively re-opening them as charters
This action effectively transfers assets from traditional
schools to charter schools with almost no accountability
to the public.

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Local School Finances
Financial profiles are presented in the FY 2010
budget for all schools, except contract and charter
schools.
Samples are found in the handouts
Capital Assessments for each school may be found
on a searchable database.
A sample is in the handouts
The School Assessment database can be accessed
through the following CPS link:
http://www.csc.cps.k12.il.us/servlet/CIP?ASMT=Y
North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
Panel 2
Restorative Justice
Presenter: Dorothy Goldsmith

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

North Lawndale Juvenile
Justice Collaborative
North Lawndale Juvenile Justice Collaborative was established in 2002 as a
community led organization.

Mission: to educate, advocate and organize with the community to keep youth
out of the Juvenile Justice System by building and offering community based
prevention and intervention alternatives that are grounded in the philosophy of
Balanced And Restorative Justice

The intergenerational Justice Group sought out principals in our neighborhood

schools trying to understand and change the fate of our youth in Elementary and
High School.

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

What We Found
Between 1999 and 2003, over 10,000 youth were
arrested and referred to Juvenile Court from the
North Lawndale Community.
There were 720 North Lawndale cases pending
in Juvenile court, the largest number of cases
from any community in Chicago. The Chicago
Tribune exposed the Cook County Juvenile
Temporary Detention Center as a warehouse
for kids.
North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010
Juvenile Arrests Source: Chicago Police Department, Juvenile Justice Volume 4 Issue 1
Juvenile Arrest Trends 2003-2008

Number of Juvenile In 2008, 10 of the 25 Police

Arrests by District, 2008 districts accounted for 64% of
the juvenile arrests.
Rank District

1 District 8
2 District 11 (North Lawndale)

3 District 3
4 District 6
5 District 15
6 District 4
7 District 5
8 District 7
9 District 25
10 District 9

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Juvenile Arrests by Offense Type
Source: Chicago Police Department, Juvenile Justice Volume 4 Issue 1
Juvenile Arrest Trends 2003-2008

The top two offenses were drug

abuse violation and simple
battery.
The offenses with the largest
increases between 2003 and
2008 were
Robbery
Miscellaneous non-index
offenses,
Vandalism and warrant arrests
The offenses with the greatest
decreases include
Drug abuse violations
Simple battery
Motor vehicle theft

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

What We Need
Alternatives to detention and the Juvenile Court
are needed in communities like North Lawndale
We need community based projects focused on
diverting court cases have great potential to
decrease youth involvement in the Juvenile
Justice System.

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Principles of Restorative Justice
Crimes Hurt Everyone
Victims
Offenders
Community

Foundation of Restorative Justice

Genuine, Active Accountability

Important Voices
Survivors
Offenders
Community

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Balanced and Restorative
Justice Strategies
1. Conflict Resolution
2. Community Panels for Youth
3. Peace Making Circles
4. Expungement Help Desks- Free LAFMC
5. Community Safety- Walking School Bus
6. Building Block Clubs *Block Club University

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Truancy and the Crime Cycle
Chronic
Absence/
Truancy Academic
Prison
Failure

Crime Retention

Dropout Bullying

Violent
Gang
Behavior/
Involvemen
Delinquenc
t
y

Substance
ISS/OSS
Abuse

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Why Communities & Schools Should
Be Concerned
A High School Diploma Is the Base for Economic
Development
Workforce with entry-level skills & Servicing in
Government and Civil Service
jobs, Military, Reserves, Coast Guards and Peace Corp.
A High School Diploma is the Baseline for higher
education and advanced skills
Cost of Doing Education Right Is Less Than Not Doing
It Right
Family Courts and Prisons
Welfare and Social Services
Drug Use and Rehabilitation
Health Issues and Teen Pregnancy

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

*School-Community-Family
Collaboration
Balanced & Restorative Justice

Safe Learning Environments

Inside Classroom & Out side of School

Early Interventions Early Interventions

Family Engagement
Early Childhood Education
Early Literacy Development

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

NORTH/SOUTH LAWNDALE JUVENILE
JUSTICE COLLABORATIVE
Balanced & Restorative Justice
Conflict Resolution
Community Panels for Youth
Peace making Circles
COMMITMENT TO CORE Strategies
Civic & Civil Education
Mentoring/Tutoring
Service Learning
Alternative Schooling Support
After-School Opportunities

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Panel 2
Lessons Learned from
Teaching in Inner City Schools
Presenter: Leslie Lindsey

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Panel 2
Women Working to End School
Violence (Deborah Movement)
Presenter: Cynthia Flowers

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Panel 2
Parents Leading the Way to
School Improvement
Presenter: Revin Fellows

North Lawndale Schools: Gaining Ground or on Shaky Ground/June 16, 2010

Follow Up:
This presentation and handouts will be posted to
The Lawndale Alliance blog, at
http://lawndalealliance.blogspot.com
The North Lawndale Community News at
Facebook.com
The North Lawndale Community News website at
http://nlcn.org
Policy on the Ground blog, at
http://policyontheground.net
Scribd.com
Questions may be directed to Valerie F. Leonard at
773-521-3137 or valeriefleonard@msn.com