When it comes to increasing state funding for Chicago Public Schools, I propose a clear solution:
Get more kids back into classrooms and on the road to graduation.
During the 2009-10 school year, 6,310 high school students in Chicago dropped out of school. Dropped out, in our system, often means expelled or pushed out. It means, in far too many cases, that our educators, administrators, and parents have failed to instill responsibility in and, at the same time, offer opportunity to struggling students.
A successful re-enrollment program must shape responsible and hopeful young people.
More than 25 years ago, I helped found an alternative school on Chicago's Northwest Side with the goal of re-enrolling, supporting, and graduating high school dropouts. We named it El Cuarto Año.