Visionary Goal
Every school across the city and community will provide a quality, engaging, and rigorous learning experience. Every student can rely on their neighborhood school as a strong option for their education journey and will be supported in their transition between schools (e.g., preschool to elementary or elementary to high school).
Why It Matters
Every student in the City should be able to complete their pathway from preschool to high school graduation, knowing they are receiving a high-quality educational experience. When families consider which schools are the best fit for their students, they should be able to weigh many strong options, including their zoned neighborhood school, charter, magnet, selective enrollment, and other high-quality options. Given the history of structural inequities and disinvestments in our city, too many Chicago families have limited access to fully resourced, quality neighborhood schools. We must ensure that every community can provide strong preschool to high school graduation pathways through neighborhood schools, with an intentional focus on disinvested communities. We must provide schools with the resources and support they need to create the conditions for students to be successful in their neighborhoods, regardless of their unique learning needs.
Strategies
- Prioritize investments in neighborhood schools with a focus on the schools and communities most harmed by structural racism and disinvestment. Ensure decisions about schools are aligned with our strategic plan, are not made in isolation, prioritize educational equity, and enrich students’ daily learning experiences.
- Authentically engage LSCs, PACs, CACs, and school-wide stakeholders to design and plan programmatic improvements in order to ensure neighborhood schools are able to serve the needs of their students.
Five-Year Goals
- Increase the percentage of students attending schools within their neighborhood or community area as measured by enrollment on the 20th day.
- Reduce the average travel distance between a student's home and school.
- Increase community collaboration as we build a system that guarantees equitable access to high-quality educational programming in every community.