sheepshead
11-18-2008, 02:23 PM
The Chicago Public Schools' first high school designed for gay, lesbian and transgender teens is among 20 new schools recommended to the school board today by CPS Chief Arne Duncan.
The proposed schools range from technology-focused high schools to the School for Social Justice Pride Campus, which officials said would cater to but not focus exclusively on gay youth.
Backers said they envision a small high school offering a college-preparatory curriculum in which students would take four years each of English and math, three years each of foreign languages and science, as well as fine arts and physical education. It would be a performance school, meaning it would have the same staffing and oversight requirements as other district schools.
The announcement of the schools, which are expected to open in the fall of 2009 and 2010, took place at the Chicago International Charter School's Ralph Ellison Campus, 1817 W. 80th St. Public hearings on the proposed schools are expected before the Board of Education votes on them Oct. 22.
"If you look at national studies, you see gay and lesbian students with high dropout rates...Studies show they are disproportionately homeless," Duncan said. "I think there is a niche there we need to fill."
Supporters have said the Pride Campus would help students find a safe school environment because studies have shown that gay youth are at a greater risk of dropping out of school and abusing drugs and alcohol, and are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide. A 2003 district survey shows that gay and lesbian youths are three times more likely to miss school because they don't feel safe.
Opponents have called the move a misuse of public funds. At a recent public hearing on the proposal, some gay rights advocates have said the move would segregate these students and said the district should work more on fostering acceptance by mainstream students, teachers and other school officials.
The plan comes from the people who run the Little Village Lawndale High School for Social Justice. They say the new campus would be open to all students, but would seek to foster a violence-free atmosphere for students who are often targeted for their sexual identities.
Duncan has said that he envisions a school where about half of its students would be gay while the other have would be straight students with an interest in the social justice focus school officials want to foster.
New York has a similar high school, named for pioneering San Francisco politician Harvey Milk. Opened in 2003, the school has a student body of less than 100 that is largely African-American and Latino. In Chicago, officials expect a school of up to 600 students, and those familiar with the project expect a high population of minorities.
Officials said the school could open in 2010 at an undetermined site.
The schools announced today are part of the district's Renaissance 2010 initiative, which calls for 100 new schools to be created by 2010. The district also wants to put six schools in its turn-around program.
-- Carlos Sadovi, Chicago Tribune
The proposed schools range from technology-focused high schools to the School for Social Justice Pride Campus, which officials said would cater to but not focus exclusively on gay youth.
Backers said they envision a small high school offering a college-preparatory curriculum in which students would take four years each of English and math, three years each of foreign languages and science, as well as fine arts and physical education. It would be a performance school, meaning it would have the same staffing and oversight requirements as other district schools.
The announcement of the schools, which are expected to open in the fall of 2009 and 2010, took place at the Chicago International Charter School's Ralph Ellison Campus, 1817 W. 80th St. Public hearings on the proposed schools are expected before the Board of Education votes on them Oct. 22.
"If you look at national studies, you see gay and lesbian students with high dropout rates...Studies show they are disproportionately homeless," Duncan said. "I think there is a niche there we need to fill."
Supporters have said the Pride Campus would help students find a safe school environment because studies have shown that gay youth are at a greater risk of dropping out of school and abusing drugs and alcohol, and are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide. A 2003 district survey shows that gay and lesbian youths are three times more likely to miss school because they don't feel safe.
Opponents have called the move a misuse of public funds. At a recent public hearing on the proposal, some gay rights advocates have said the move would segregate these students and said the district should work more on fostering acceptance by mainstream students, teachers and other school officials.
The plan comes from the people who run the Little Village Lawndale High School for Social Justice. They say the new campus would be open to all students, but would seek to foster a violence-free atmosphere for students who are often targeted for their sexual identities.
Duncan has said that he envisions a school where about half of its students would be gay while the other have would be straight students with an interest in the social justice focus school officials want to foster.
New York has a similar high school, named for pioneering San Francisco politician Harvey Milk. Opened in 2003, the school has a student body of less than 100 that is largely African-American and Latino. In Chicago, officials expect a school of up to 600 students, and those familiar with the project expect a high population of minorities.
Officials said the school could open in 2010 at an undetermined site.
The schools announced today are part of the district's Renaissance 2010 initiative, which calls for 100 new schools to be created by 2010. The district also wants to put six schools in its turn-around program.
-- Carlos Sadovi, Chicago Tribune