The public schools that serve Chicago,
should teach to read and write.
But scores from tests are reliably low –
How can that be right?!
Money is not in short supply,
the dollars – they are there.
But how are all those dollars applied?
Do unions get their share?
Mostly – students are Latino and Black,
and family income is low.
They’re stuck right there – it’s a voice they lack!
Where else can these kids go?
The scores are better on Charter School tests –
real learning does take place.
Charter School graduates are some of the best –
with education clearly embraced.
More Charter Schools – that would be great –
but the Powers that Be don’t agree.
They accept low achievement simply as fate
for the poor from the Powers that Be.
Powers that Be oppose high performance;
now THAT is Social Injustice!
Any reason they offer for their opposition,
always based on a sketchy synopsis.
So what is the answer for those the oppressed?
How can they be set free?
List out the people who cause this distress
and vote out the Powers that Be.
(The Random Poet:120222)
www.therandompoet.com)
<<<<selected sources: Chicago.suntimes.com-Lauded charter school faces public school takeover-10/25/22; Illinoispolicy.org-Chicago teachers union fights to weaken Chicago charter schools-8/1/22; Nytimes.com-can we stop fighting about charter schools-2/2/21; Illinois report card at wirepoints; blockclubchicago.org-Chicago is clamping down on charter growth-1/13/20; Don Tracy – Inequity in Chicago Public Schools – realclearpolitics.com – 7/3/2023 >>>>
also: following is one of many statistical recaps that illustrates the state of the Chicago Public School system.
5 emptiest Chicago schools at 11% capacity or less The five least-utilized Chicago Public Schools were between 4% and 11% of capacity and at most 7.6% of students met proficiency in reading and 4.4% in math.
| School | Capacity | Space use | Reading proficient | Math proficient | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Douglass HS | 888 | 34 |
4%
|
0.0% | 0.0% |
| Manley HS | 1,296 | 70 |
5%
|
3.3% | 0.0% |
| Austin CCA HS | 1,776 | 167 |
9%
|
2.5% | 2.5% |
| Hirsch HS | 960 | 100 |
10%
|
4.5% | 0.0% |
| Mason ES | 2,100 | 187 |
11%
|
7.6% | 4.4% |