School Daze in Chicago

I’m not sure how we can attribute this to racism, but, for some people, everything is attributable to racism. 

The issue is Chicago Public Schools. Apparently, nearly half of the low income students don’t show up for class.  Absenteeism is rampant in Chicago. If you were wondering why that once-great city is falling apart, this is a good place to start.

Hannah Mills reports:

The Board of Education reported 49% of low-income students in Chicago Public Schools were chronically absent during the 2021-2022 school year. Chronic absenteeism is determined by missing 10% or more of school days per year either with or without a valid excuse. That means nearly half of Chicago students from low-income families missed 18 or more days of school.

What does it all mean? At the least it means academic underachievement and no real future prospects for the city's underprivileged-- beyond crime.

Research shows frequent absences from school place children and adolescents at a higher risk of poor outcomes, such as dropping out of school and lower academic achievement. Experts also find lower socioeconomic status is associated with higher levels of absenteeism.

Amid high rates of absenteeism, students from low-income families in CPS are struggling to meet proficiency in core subjects. Just 14% of 3rd through 8th grade students from low-income families met proficiency standards in reading and 9% in math this spring. Compared to students who are not from low-income families, low-income students were 28 percentage points less likely to score as proficient in reading and 27 percentage points less likely in math.

Missing school certainly can’t help.

Of course, the teachers’ unions have contributed to the problem by walking out of school from time to time. If the teachers do not care to teach why should children care to learn:

The militant bargaining tactics used too often by Chicago Teachers Union leaders to get their demands met have not been in the best interests of CPS students and families. They have left district students missing even more days of classroom instruction. CTU has walked out on students five times since 2012, with students missing at least 24 days of school as a result. It’s probably hard for students to take school seriously when CTU walks out at a moment’s notice.