"Trends in Chicago's Schools Across Three Eras of Reform" finds that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has experienced tremendous growth in graduation rates over the past 20 years, but learning gains have been modest. The report tracks elementary and high school test scores and graduation rates in Chicago since 1988, when U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett proclaimed the city's public schools to be the worst in the nation. One key finding of the report is that graduation rates in Chicago have improved dramatically, and high school test scores have risen; more students are graduating without a decline in average academic performance. Math scores have improved incrementally in the elementary/middle grades, while elementary/middle grade reading scores have remained fairly flat for two decades. Racial gaps in achievement have steadily increased, with white and Asian students making more progress than Latino students, and African American students falling behind all other groups. Despite progress, however, the vast majority of CPS students have academic achievement levels that are far below where they need to be to graduate ready for college.
About the Author: STUART LUPPESCU is UChicago CCSR's Chief Psychometrician, specializing in educational measurement. He received BA and MA degrees in Linguistics from Cornell, an MA in English as a Second Language from the University of Hawaii, and a PhD in Educational Measurement from the University of Chicago. ELAINE ALLENSWORTH, PHD is the Executive Director of UChicago CCSR. She conducts research on factors affecting school improvement and students' educational attainment, including high school graduation, college readiness, curriculum and instruction, and school organization and leadership. PAUL MOORE s a research analyst at CCSR and is in the process of completing an MA in the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago. His research interests include quantitative modeling and methodology. Paul earned a BS in Mathematics and Education from Vanderbilt University. MARISA DE LA TORRE is an Associate Director at UChicago CCSR. Before joining UChicago CCSR, she worked for the CPS Office of Research, Evaluation, and Accountability. She received a master's degree in Economics from Northwestern University. JAMES MURPHY is a former research analyst at UChicago CCSR. He received his BA in Sociology from the University of Chicago. SANJA JAGESIC is a Research Assistant at UChicago CCSR. She holds an MA in Sociology from the University of Chicago and a BA in Sociology and German from Wellesley College. She is currently working toward her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research (UChicago CCSR) builds the capacity for school reform by conducting research that identifies what matters for student success and school improvement. Created in 1990, UChicago CCSR conducts research of high technical quality that can inform and assess policy and practice in the Chicago Public Schools. UChicago CCSR studies also have informed broader national movements in public education. UChicago CCSR encourages the use of research in policy action and improvement of practice but does not argue for particular policies or programs. Rather, UChicago CCSR helps to build capacity for school reform by identifying what matters for student success and school improvement, creating critical indicators to chart progress, and conducting theory-driven evaluation to identify how programs and policies are working.