Segregation and inequality in Chicago Public Schools, transformed and intensified under corporate education reform

Abstract

During the period of 1981 to 2015, the total population of Black students in CPS plummeted from close to 240,000, 60% of all CPS students, to 156,000 or 39% of CPS. This paper documents how despite their decreasing numbers and percentage in the system, the vast majority of Black students remained isolated in predominantly low-income Black schools that also became the target of destabilizing corporate reforms and experimentation. This study examines the historic and contemporary dual segregation of Black teachers and Black students in Chicago Public Schools, and Segregation and inequality in Chicago Public Schools 2 how mass school closures, privatization, and corporate school reform have both transformed and deepened segregation and resource-inequity across Chicago's schools. Keywords: segregation; school closings; corporate reform; Chicago Public Schools; school choice, charter schools; teacher segregation Segregación y desigualdad en las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago, transformadas e intensificadas bajo la reforma de la educación corporativa Resumen: Durante el período de 1981 a 2015, la población total de estudiantes negros en CPS se desplomó de cerca de 240,000, 60% de todos los estudiantes de CPS, a 156,000 o 39% de CPS. Este documento documenta cómo, a pesar de su número y porcentaje decrecientes en el sistema, la gran mayoría de los estudiantes negros permanecieron aislados en las escuelas predominantemente de bajos ingresos de los negros que también se convirtieron en el objetivo de desestabilizar las reformas corporativas y la experimentación. Este estudio examina la segregación histórica y contemporánea de profesores negros y estudiantes negros en las Escuelas Públicas de Chicago y cómo los cierres masivos de escuelas, la privatización y la reforma de las escuelas corporativas han transformado y profundizado la segregación y la desigualdad de recursos en las escuelas de Chicago. Palabras-clave: segregación; cierre de escuelas; reforma corporativa; Escuelas Públicas de Chicago; opción escolar, escuelas charter; segregación de maestros Segregação e desigualdad nas Escuelas Públicas de Chicago, transformadas e intensificadas sob a reforma da educação corporativa Resumo: Durante o período de 1981 a 2015, a população total de estudantes negros em CPS despencou de cerca de 240.000, 60% de todos os alunos da CPS, para 156.000 ou 39% da CPS. Este documento documenta como, apesar de seus números decrescentes e porcentagem no sistema, a grande maioria dos estudantes negros permaneceu isolada em escolas pretas predominantemente de baixa renda que também se tornaram o alvo de desestabilizar reformas corporativas e experimentação. Este estudo examina a segregação dual histórica e contemporânea de professores negros e estudantes negros nas Escolas Públicas de Chicago, e como o fechamento das escolas em massa, a privatização e a reforma escolar corporativa transformaram e agravaram a segregação e a desigualdade de recursos nas escolas de Chicago.

The Role of Neighborhood Context and School Climate in School‐Level Academic Achievement

“…It is well‐established in the literature, and supported by findings in this study, that the lowest performing schools typically serve the highest need for children, many of whom face a multitude of environmental challenges that threaten their well‐being and hinder their ability to perform well academically. The academic failure of schools serving high‐need children in Chicago is often met with state mandated sanctions including school closure, mass teacher/administrator lay‐offs, vouchers for students to attend higher performing schools, and intervention teams to restructure learning environments (Jankov & Caref, ; Rothstein, ). These sanctions often do not address the underlying contextual factors contributing to academic failure: under‐privileged children and the teachers/administrators serving them need additional support and resources (Jankov & Caref, ).…”

“…The academic failure of schools serving high‐need children in Chicago is often met with state mandated sanctions including school closure, mass teacher/administrator lay‐offs, vouchers for students to attend higher performing schools, and intervention teams to restructure learning environments (Jankov & Caref, ; Rothstein, ). These sanctions often do not address the underlying contextual factors contributing to academic failure: under‐privileged children and the teachers/administrators serving them need additional support and resources (Jankov & Caref, ). Furthermore, such measures are often destabilizing to already vulnerable communities.…”

“…In order for children from low‐income families to receive the resources necessary to succeed, change is required at the policy level. Unfortunately, interventions to date have done little to bring balance to a school system that has long struggled with inequality (Jankov & Caref, ).…”

Education privatization in the United States: Increasing saturation and segregation

“…Almost 3 out of 4 students of color in Washington D.C attend intensely segregated schools, while almost 9 out of 10 do in Detroit and every single student of color in Camden attends a school intensely segregated by race/ethnicity. These findings echo patterns uncovered by Jankov and Caref (2017) in Chicago and Jacobs (2013) in Washington D.C. Camden is an example of how education segregation relates to housing trends within districts and regions as over 90% of its population is African American or Latinx (US Census, 2018). However, not all schools within these districts had the same trend.…”

“…Access at state and district levels often focuses on stratification effects which tend to be more prominent at the district level, although several state-wide studies also find that racial stratification increases as charters enter the market (Ausbrooks, Barrett, & Daniel, 2005;Tedin & Weiher, 2004). At the district level, although a 2009 Chicago study noted decreased segregation for charter attendance (Zimmer et al, 2009), updated research in Chicago shows that as privatization increased, African Americans were increasingly segregated into low-income and uni-racial schools through both charter entry and public-school closure (Jankov & Caref, 2017). This trend was also observed in Washington D.C. by Jacobs (2011Jacobs ( , 2013 when proximity variables were measured against other possible determinants finding that parental preference for neighborhood schools significantly correlates with racial segregation.…”