Killing Gifted Education (Chicago, Park Ridge, Albany: low income, neighborhood, top schools)

[ChicagoChic_99]

Why is the Board of Ed. moving one of the top schools (Edison Regional Gifted Center) in the state to ALBANY?! I'm sorry, but that neighborhood scares the **** out of me. A nine-year old got molested in that area! If and when they move this school, Chicago and Illinois' Test scores will drop rappidly. not trying to be elite here, but i cannot hide the truth. People from the school have fought for funding, got a million dollars back for gifted funding, and they're just going to share the school with an albany schoolAnd, families have relocated just to go to that school, and now they'll have to move again? You can't tell me that isn't rediculous. I don't think that there will be many parents letting there children go to the school after it moves because of the environment. Metal detectors are needed to make sure children who go to schools there don't bring weapons... i know lots of schools do that too, but the metal detectors are needed because the school knows that someone WILL (not maybe, but will) bring a weapon to the school. if anyone else agrees that this is inexcusable (Edison hasn't done ANYTHING, it's because of the selective enrollment) please post.

[ahava]

Originally Posted by ChicagoChic_99

If and when they move this school, Chicago and Illinois' Test scores will drop rappidly.

Not likely. There are 655 schools in CPS and over 4,000 in Illinois. Scores dropping at one school is not going to make a difference in the overall averages of either.

[Avengerfire]

They need to boost the scores in the other area so they can say scores are improving so they can get more money. Thats the only reason.

[Drover]

My Troll-O-Meter is about a millimeter from pegging...

[chicagomomonline]

Please excuse the bump for this thread. I don't think this person is a troll...only someone who is saying the *real* reason that Edison Regional Gifted Center parents are so intent on staying right where they are, despite the publicly stated reasons why they are against it.

I live one block from Edison, and my kids go to a private school in Park Ridge, but we will be taking them out next year due to financial issues. We simply can no longer afford the cost of a private school. I'm fine with my kids going to Ebinger, which is about nine blocks away, but Edison would certainly be more convenient. Either way, I'm ok with it.

The Edison kids and staff are moving to a state-of-the-art facility in Albany Park, and the publicly stated reasons for their opposition to the move is: 1) not enough green space for them to have their recess in, 2) not enough parking space for highly-involved parents (as if there are loads of spaces in by Edison!) and, 3) not enough separation between the gifted students and the current, older, large student population at Albany Park.

The *real* reason is stated by the OP, although no one will admit it.

BTW, only 10% of Edison's student body actually live in the neighborhood.

[Johnny Northside]

Originally Posted by chicagomomonline

I'm fine with my kids going to Ebinger, which is about nine blocks away, but Edison would certainly be more convenient. Either way, I'm ok with it.

The Edison kids and staff are moving to a state-of-the-art facility in Albany Park, and the publicly stated reasons for their opposition to the move is: 1) not enough green space for them to have their recess in, 2) not enough parking space for highly-involved parents (as if there are loads of spaces in by Edison!) and, 3) not enough separation between the gifted students and the current, older, large student population at Albany Park.

The stated reason I have heard is none of the above, rather the overcrowding at Oriole Park and Ebinger. I understand Edison will be converted back into a neighborhood school (probably with boundaries of the Kennedy and NW Highway) to take students away from those overcrowded schools. In a way, CPS' success in all those schools in that area in the past 10-20 years has created the problem. The reason Edison was converted to a gifted school was because the enrollment was so low in that area. Now that the schools are good, parents are taking advantage of them instead of sending their kids to Catholic schools, etc. Overcrowding without busing was inevitable.

[Manigault]

Sometimes I have a real problem with the inherent elitism of 'gifted' schools. However, I recognize that they have pretty much salvaged the public school system in the city of Chicago from being depleted of the middle-income students. But, those non-gifted schools in low income areas need help! Sometimes it seems like early on we are tracking segments of the school populace to lower achievement.

And no, I don't know the answer.