North Chicago High school receives $6M to boost student achievement

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Updated: July 30, 2011 2:07AM

North Chicago High School faces an enormous challenge. How can it help students who live in poverty learn and achieve; give them hope that they can make it in the world?

That problem just got $6 million easier thanks to a recently awarded three-year, federal School Improvement Grant. The District 187 high school where, according to the 2010 state Report Card, 85 percent of students come from low-income families, is one of 13 low-performing schools in six Illinois districts selected for the grant. The windfall was awarded after an application and review process that required participation from state and national experts, teachers, parents and community members.

Christopher Koch, state superintendent of education, said the money, $74.9 million in all, will enable districts to “invest significant resources toward raising student achievement” and set the schools “on a trajectory of long-term change.”

New North Chicago schools Superintendent Milt Thompson, who has hired a corral of new administrators, said he’s ready to work with state-assigned partner not-for-profit AUSL, Academy for Urban School Leadership, which has been successful in transforming inner city Chicago schools.

“When just 11 percent of your kids are proficient in reading and 15 percent are proficient at math, you can’t play around,” Thompson said. “We’re going to have to look at our instructional program, do something about teacher collaboration and professional learning communities. This won’t be window dressing. It’s more like renovation. We’re committed to change.”

The district will have to reapply for the grant money each year — the money can only be used for intervention — and will have to show progress to receive it.

Other plans include ACT pre-testing beginning in seventh grade, more AP and honors classes and access to college coursework. “We have to look at our curriculum to see where it’s not aligning for college readiness,” Thompson said.

The district is also studying the possibility of opening a charter school. It’s looking at the former Hospital Corps School building at Naval Station Great Lakes as a possible site.

The Illinois State Board of Education signed an intergovernmental agreement with the district last November, which calls for oversight through 2016 to bring improvement in key areas including instruction, staffing and facilities. Board operation will also be scrutinized.

Former school board President Gloria Harper and former transportation Director Alice Sherrod were indicted earlier this month for allegedly taking nearly $1 million in kickbacks from district-contracted busing companies.

“The district has had a lot of turnover over the last decade,” said ISBE spokesman Mary Fergus. “That’s one of the issues. We’re trying to get some stable administrative folks in the door.”

Thompson, the 14th superintendent of North Chicago Schools — not including interims — in 20 years, said the district must break free from a history of low expectations, evident in the lack of community anger over an average ACT score of 15.

“The school improvement grant will help us break that cycle of low expectations, low performance and feeling like the poor stepchild,” Thompson said. “Because excuses don’t help, even if poverty is a huge factor. We have to think our way past that.”