Investment to Transform 50 Chicago High Schools – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

CHICAGO -- Mayor Richard M. Daley today announced an investment of $21 million for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to implement a groundbreaking high school transformation plan. The investment by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will fund major improvements in high school curriculum and instruction so that all students in Chicago have access to a high quality education that will prepare them for success in college and work.

“To keep our young people motivated throughout high school, we have to offer courses that capture their interest and provide them with the knowledge they need to graduate and to go on to college or some other form of post-secondary education. And we have to make sure our teachers are well prepared and able to inspire their students with a love of learning,” Daley said at a news conference at Crane Technical Preparatory Commons School, 2245 W. Jackson Blvd. “We’re very eager to be one of the first big cities to meet this challenge, and we’re pleased to have such a strong partner in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.”

The broad, new high school transformation plan was first unveiled last September by CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan. It will improve classroom instruction, provide parents and students more school options and opportunities, and make school performance more accountable to parents by giving them new tools, such as a “scorecard” to track school performance in a range of areas, including graduation, school climate, teacher information, and student achievement.

“In Chicago we have worked hard to develop what we think is one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive approaches to high school reform in the nation,” Duncan said. “It’ s aimed at raising expectations and preparing every child for success after high school. We’re especially grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for recognizing the merits of our approach and choosing to support those efforts.”

Chicago will strengthen its school improvement plan with a new, rigorous college preparatory curriculum in English, math, and science; more instructional support for teachers; and recruitment of and professional support for high-quality principals. The new transformation initiative builds on Chicago’s recent work to improve its high schools. Through Mayor Daley’s Renaissance 2010 plan and the foundation-supported Chicago High School Redesign Initiative, CPS has already launched 22 new small high schools that stress rigorous coursework, more personalized support, and accountability, with plans to open 30 more new schools in the next four years.

Like many other large urban districts, Chicago’s large, traditional high schools struggle to provide the challenging, relevant coursework and personalized instruction necessary for all young people to graduate prepared for success beyond high school. Currently, just 47 percent of Chicago ’s high school graduates go on to college, while 46 percent of ninth graders drop out before graduation. Once in college, many students need remedial classes that cover content that should have been mastered in high school.

“Chicago’s commitment to enacting meaningful high school improvement has the potential to transform the quality of education students receive and to put them on the right track toward success in college and work,” said Tom Vander Ark, executive director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “With the kind of academic rigor, challenging and relevant coursework, and more supportive teachers that ensure student success, Chicago can increase its graduation and college readiness rates and serve as a model for school districts throughout the nation.”

CPS will first implement its new curricula in 14 schools, starting with the ninth grade. The reform efforts will then expand to other grades and to 36 additional high schools over the next three years. With the help of its strategic planning partner, the Boston Consulting Group, CPS will address five of the most significant challenges in its high schools—strengthening the curricula, increasing the rigor and relevance of courses, adding depth to course content, improving professional development, and providing better school-based support. A recent national study, The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts, revealed that many students drop out of school because they are bored with their classes. This plan aims to provide a more challenging and engaging learning experience to better prepare students for college and help the district meet its goal of increasing the graduation rate to 70 percent by 2010. The initial 14 schools are:

• Bowen Environmental Studies Team (BEST)
• Carver Military Academy
• Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville
• Clark Academic Prep High School
• Crane High School
• Dunbar Vocational High School
• Dyett High School
• Fenger Academy High School
• John Hope College Preparatory High School
• Kenwood Academy 
• Wendell Phillips High School
• School of the Arts, South Shore Campus
• Mose Vines Preparatory Academy at Orr Campus
• George Washington High School

To build support for its efforts to address the challenge of high school reform, Chicago has become a leader in a national campaign—STAND UP—to mobilize Americans to demand excellent high schools for all students. Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Charter School Foundation, Chicago High School Redesign Initiative, Civitas Schools, Perspectives Charter School, and the University of Chicago Center for Urban School Improvement are teaming up with more than 50 education organizations, school districts, and schools across the country as part of the STAND UP coalition.

Chicago Public Schools is the nation’s third-largest school system. It includes more than 600 schools and serves about 425,900 students.