Chicago Schools Failing

The Chicago Public Schools spends hundreds of millions of dollars trying to educate children in the city, yet the schools continue to fail. How sad.

OF 100 CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL FRESHMEN, SIX WILL GET A COLLEGE DEGREE

By Jodi S. Cohen and Darnell Little, Tribune staff reporters. Tribune staff reporter Tracy Dell'Angela contributed to this report
Published April 21, 2006

Of every 100 freshmen entering a Chicago public high school, only about six will earn a bachelor's degree by the time they're in their mid-20s, according to a first-of-its-kind study released Thursday by the Consortium on Chicago School Research.

The prospects are even worse for African-American and Latino male freshmen, who only have about a 3 percent chance of obtaining a bachelor's degree by the time they're 25.

The study, which tracked Chicago high school students who graduated in 1998 and 1999, also found that making it to college doesn't ensure success: Of the city public school students who went to a four-year college, only about 35 percent earned a bachelor's degree within six years, compared with 64 percent nationally.

Researchers say they're not exactly sure why Chicago schools alumni graduate from college in such low numbers, but that poor preparation during high school and too few resources at the college level contribute to the problem.

Now a university degree isn't the ultimate measure of success, but when only 6 of 100 are completing such a degree, then something is really really wrong with the system.