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Friday, March 22, 2013

Jersey Jazzman: School Closings: The New Apartheid

Jersey Jazzman: School Closings: The New Apartheid:


School Closings: The New Apartheid

Once again, it's time to play "Spot the Pattern!" Can you find the pattern that emerges from these reformy stories from around the country? [all emphases mine]

Chicago:
In what would be the largest public school closing in US history, Chicago officials are proposing to shutter 61 schools, 9 percent of the 681 schools citywide. 
[...]
A factor deeply embedded in the debate over the closings is race: The majority of students in CPS are either black or Hispanic, and the Sun-Times reports that most of the schools targeted for closure are located on the far South and West sides of the city, which have been plagued by street violence. City homicides surpassed 500 last year, a four-year high; most were shooting deaths located in areas known for