What is a "good" Chicago school? (Greenwood: how much, houses)

[A2DAC1985]

I'm not looking for a specific school, or schools. I don't have kids, so this doesn't really concern me at the time. But I hear on this forum so many times about "good" schools, and how Chicago schools aren't, on the whole, "good". You have to go to the suburbs to find "good" schools.

I started a thread that was put on the Education forum and got some replies there. Here's the original thread. Here is an excerpt from it that I would like the posters of the Chicago forum to address:

What are the characteristics of "good schools" or a "good school"?

Is it the school system? Is it the personnel? Is it how much money is spent per pupil? Is it classroom size? Is it standardized testing scores? Is it the quality and caliber of the pupils in the school? Is it the parents' involvement in that school? Is it the racial makeup of the school? Is it the socio-economic makeup of the school? Is it the extra curricular activities? Is it the building itself? Is it the physical location of the school? Is it the percent of students that go on to college? Is it the percent of students that graduate/advance?

Are "good schools" an actual objective thing, or is it subjective? Are "good schools" a euphemism for something else?

Or another way you could look at it, if you want, is: What makes a school "bad"?

[Dr. Blish]

Schools in more affluent neighborhoods will always triumph those that are in lower income areas. The far northwest side and far southwest (Mt Greenwood) are areas that come to mind with better schools.

[COMKitty]

Originally Posted by Dr. Blish

Schools in more affluent neighborhoods will always triumph those that are in lower income areas. The far northwest side and far southwest (Mt Greenwood) are areas that come to mind with better schools.

Not always true. St. Ignatius, one of Chicago's elite schools, has been located in what used to be a rough section of town since before the Chicago fire.

[FAReastcoast]

Originally Posted by COMKitty

Not always true. St. Ignatius, one of Chicago's elite schools, has been located in what used to be a rough section of town since before the Chicago fire.

St. Ignatius is a private school, so not really relevant, at least the way I took the posters comment.

Public Schools in wealthy neighborhoods will almost always perform better; there is a much higher % of deadbeat parents in poor neighborhoods, who don't place importance on their child's education.

[COMKitty]

Originally Posted by FAReastcoast

St. Ignatius is a private school, so not really relevant, at least the way I took the posters comment.

Public Schools in wealthy neighborhoods will almost always perform better; there is a much higher % of deadbeat parents in poor neighborhoods, who don't place importance on their child's education.

Nobody said good public schools. If someone asked me where to find a good public school, without knowing the answer, I would tell them anywhere besides where they went.

[citylove101]

I'll give you the same answer here that I gave when you posted in the Education forum: When most people say a good school, they mean one where most of the kids are white and most of their parents are affluent. That's probably as true in Chicago as anywhere else. (Although some people did point out, correctly IMO, that in some parts of the country a "good school" is one where most of the kids are Asian, though also with affluent parents.) Point is that race and socio-economic differences are key to what most people consider a "good school."

Of course the real definition of a good school is one where your kid can be happy, safe, and fulfill his/her academic potential.That may or may not be tied to a school's class or racial makeup. But finding a "good" school really depends mostly on finding the right school match for each particular kid's strengths and weaknesses--which is often far easier said than done.

[beaniemac]

one of the BEST schools in the city is lindblom, which happens to be in englewood.

same can be said for gwendolyn brooks which is located in roseland.

[compactspace]

Schools where most of the kids have books in their houses and where academic success is demanded by their parents.

That's about the minimum, I think.

[A2DAC1985]

Originally Posted by citylove101

...When most people say a good school, they mean one where most of the kids are white and most of their parents are affluent. That's probably as true in Chicago as anywhere else. (Although some people did point out, correctly IMO, that in some parts of the country a "good school" is one where most of the kids are Asian, though also with affluent parents.) Point is that race and socio-economic differences are key to what most people consider a "good school."

Of course the real definition of a good school is one where your kid can be happy, safe, and fulfill his/her academic potential.That may or may not be tied to a school's class or racial makeup...

I think this is true. This is my own personal opinion, but I think that when people say "good school(s)" they're using a sort of dog whistle phrase.

And to bring this into two other threads I've made: Racism in Chicago: Give examples. and Where does Chicago end? I think it becomes much clearer to see the racism in "Chicago".

Many people see the suburbs of Chicago as "Chicago", when in fact they are completely separate entities from the city of Chicago. But conflating the suburbs as a real, legal, and legitimate part of Chicago, it gives more weight to the fact that Chicago is racist.

If we have people say they want "good schools" and choose not to live in Chicago with public schools that are heavily non-white populated, but choose to live in suburbs with schools that are heavily white populated… that's some good ol' fashioned racism.

When people say Chicago is racist, I have some trouble believing it based on what I've personally seen and experienced. But if people say Chicago is racist, and Chicago to them includes the suburbs, then I find that proposition to be much more believable and verifiable.

[treemoni]

Schools that are socioeconomically and racially diverse, with the percentage of children of color being greater than whites. Racism is learned behavior and children need to learn how to interact with people different from themselves at a young age. White children should be exposed to diversity early, and they should be the "minority" in those schools. With good resources and teachers, the rest will take care of itself.