OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
RAHM EMANUEL
MAYOR
April 30, 2014
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith, together with Alderman Thomas, a congratulatory resolution concerning Chicago Public School graduation rates.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
Mayor
Very truly yours,
H resolution
adopted by The Gity Gouncil
of the Qity of Ghicago, Illinois
ALDERMAN LATASHA R. THOMAS
presented by MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL on APRIL 30, 2014
BY6CIS ' Chicago Public School high school students are on-track to achieve an 82 percent graduation rate, an increase of 25 percent from 2007, including 9 percent since Mayor Emanuel took office in 2011; and
WHEREAS, As noted by Dr. Timothy Knowles, the director of the University of Chicago's Urban Education Institute, this upward trend began with smart research and good data. In reports released in 2005 and 2007, researchers at the Institute's Consortium on Chicago School Research made the groundbreaking discovery that likelihood of graduation is largely determined in the ninth grade. In fact, ninth graders who are on track to graduate are four times more likely to graduate than students who are off track; and
WHEREAS, This research thereby identified a single, manageable intervention point: ninth grade course performance; and
WHEREAS, Based on this discovery, the City developed tools that allow monitoring of student performance in real time, starting on the first day of school. Teachers and principals pay scrupulous attention to their freshman and intervene quickly - as soon as a student has unexcused absences, neglects to turn in homework, or fails a test, school staff immediately get to work to lead the student back on track; and
WHEREAS, The City's early intervention takes myriad forms, including tutoring, counseling, and even early morning wake-up calls. In 20 neighborhood schools, teachers consulted with the Univer...
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