Be informed for Woodlawn's future

Summary of Proposed Changes to Woodlawn Public Schools

1 ) Fiske Elementary welcomes Sexton students by relocating to the Sexton building at 6020 S. Langley Move Fiske students, administration, and staff to Sexton and officially close Sexton. CPS promises the following resources and programming: Higher performing school A new IB program A Pre-K program A comprehensive school safety program

2) Wadsworth Elementary welcomes Dumas students by relocating to the Dumas building at 6650 S. Ellis Ave. Move Wadsworth students, administration, and staff to Dumas and officially close Dumas. CPS promises the following resources and programming: Higher performing school A new STEM program A Pre-K program A comprehensive school safety program

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Get Involved, Let Your Voice Be Heard
1 ) Call your state representative and state senator and tell them you want the School Closings moratorium bills (HB 3283 and SB1 571 ) and the Elected Representative School Board bill (HB 2793) to be voted on by the state legislature. To find your elected officials, go to www.elections.il.gov. 2) Join a weekly delegation to Springfield to talk with state legislators about the Moratorium and Elected Representative School board bills. Buses depart at 6 am on Wednesdays. To participate in this action, contact Norinne Gutenkast with CTU at (31 2) 329-91 00. 3) Organize group visit to your state representative's local office on Fridays and ask them to support the School Closings Moratorium and Elected Representative School Board bills. 4) Attend public hearings and other community or school based meetings about this issue.

Calendar of Actions and Important Meetings

April 20 Federal Forum on School Closures sponsored by Congressmen Bobby Rush and Danny Davis (Quinn Chapel -- 2401 S. Wabash Ave) 9 am 1 pm April 22 -- Sexton/Fiske Public Hearing (1 25 S. Clark St.) 8 1 0 pm April 24 Join High School Students Fighting School Closures Picket and Rally at Benjamin Bannaker (a school on the closing list), 6656 S. Normal Blvd. - 1 :30 pm April 25 Dumas/Wadsworth Public Hearing (1 25 S. Clark St.) 5:30 7:30 pm May 22 School Board Vote on School Closures/Relocations (1 25 S. Clark St.) 1 0:30 am

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What Research Says: The Impact of School Closures on Students and Communities
1 ) School closures may not result in improved learning outcomes for Woodlawn

children.

Previous school closures throughout Chicago did not necessarily benefit children academically. Students are often relocated to schools that perform no differently than the ones they are forced to leave. (1 )

3) Students with special needs are most disrupted by school closures due to their
Students with special needs require smaller class sizes by law and specific academic supports that must be in place for new schools. Any plans to close schools should take into account the additional resources required to ensure the best educational outcomes for children with special needs.

Individualized Educational Plans that outline specific provisions and programming for their learning. (2)

4) School closings, phase-outs, and turnarounds have a differential impact on the racial diversity of the Chicago teaching force. (3)
The percentage of African American teachers in CPS has declined tremendously since school closings, turnarounds, and phase out policies began in 2001 . Data reveal between 2001 -2011 the percentage of African American teachers dropped from 40% to 30% .

5) Schools in low income communities are better served by a robust, comprehensive model of neighborhood schools. (4)

So-called underutilized schools should be provided with additional financial supports to offer a full array of community based services that children and families in under-resourced communities need. Neighborhood schools in low income schools should provide wrap-around services for youth and their families that assist them with their economic, physical, social, and emotional health and well-being.

1 - de la Torre, M and Gwynne, J. (2009). When schools close: Effects on displaced students in Chicago public schools: Consortium on Chicago School Research. 2 - Radinsky, J. and Waitoller, F. (201 3). CPS Proposed School Actions: Impacts on Students: CReATE. 3 - Lipman, P. and Gutierrez, R. Sabotage of Neighborhood Schools: The impact of Chicago Public Schools Reforms. 4 - Lipman, P. and Person, A. (2007). Students as collateral damage?: A preliminary study of Renaissance 201 0 school closings in the Midsouth.

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School Utilization and Smaller Class Sizes
The Chicago Public Schools has used the School Utilization indicator to determine the list of school closures this year. This measure is based on an average class size of 30 students per elementary school class. (1 ) This baseline figure does not take into account the enrollment of students with special needs which, by state law, are supposed to have lower class sizes than students without special needs. Research shows there are great benefits to maintaining smaller class sizes.

Research on Class Size

Education research studies (2) on smaller class sizes for elementary students have found the following: 1 ) Elementary students with smaller classes (1 3-1 7 students per class) performed better than students in larger classes 2) African American youth and children from urban, low-income communities benefit more from smaller class sizes in elementary school.

These data are from the 201112 statewide report card and may not reflect the current realities in schools throughout the district.

1 - Commission on School Utilization - Final Report (available at http://www.schoolutilization.com/) 2 - National Research Council (2002), Scientific Research in Education 3 - 201 2 Illinois School Report Card

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