The same week Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced it will close a record-breaking number of schools at the end of the school year, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released a report revealing increased instances of homelessness and poverty amongst Illinois’ students.
Nearly
half of Illinois’ approximately 2 million students qualify as low
income, increasing from 37.9 percent to 49 percent since 2008, according
to the ISBE.
“Research tells us that children in areas of
concentrated poverty often experience higher levels of stress and can
exhibit more severe behavioral and emotional problems than children
overall,” the report reads. "These difficulties often impact a child’s likelihood of success in
school, leading to lower achievement scores and higher dropout rates."
Read more »
By the end of June 2014, more than two acres of vacant land in
Chicago’s South Side Englewood neighborhood will be transformed into an
affordable housing development with services for veterans and their families.
The Chicago City Council will hold hearings on what are rumored to be
80 to 120 neighborhood school closings, according to Ald. Latasha Thomas (17th),
head of the council's education committee.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a plan yesterday for which the
city will spend $2.5 million a year to help its homeless residents.
AFSCME Council 31 public employees union is upset about the plan because the strategy
will outsource the city’s overnight homeless transport service.
The state budget passed by the Illinois General Assembly cuts many
services for low-income children. For example, cuts in early childhood
education could keep thousands of kids from getting a pre-kindergarten
education.
