Chicago will open 100 new neighborhood public schools, mostly in existing school buildings, in the next six years under a comprehensive plan outlined by Mayor Richard M. Daley today in a major speech to foundations, business and community leaders and educators. 

The program, known as Renaissance 2010, seeks to replace underenrolled and underperforming schools with new schools, two thirds of which will be run by outside partners under charter or contract agreements.  Business leaders and foundations have committed to raising $50 million to help fund the effort. Over half of the money is already in hand. 

In remarks to a meeting hosted by the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, Daley said, "The fundamental goal of Renaissance 2010 is to turn around Chicago's most troubled elementary and high schools by creating 100 new schools in neighborhoods across the city over the next six years.  As we create these new schools, we will also provide new educational options to underserved communities and relieve school overcrowding in communities experiencing rapid growth." 

The Mayor added, "Chicago has never advanced by ignoring the truth and the truth is that after nine years of steady gains, some schools continue to make progress each year, while others don't.  We must face the reality that, for schools that have consistently underperformed, it's time to start over.  My commitment is to every child in every school and the last thing we want is a two tiered system in Chicago with some schools consistently underachieving." 

The Mayor was joined at the announcement by representatives of the Gates Foundation, the Commercial Club, the Chicago Community Trust, elected officials, community leaders and school officials.

Renaissance 2010 pulls under one banner a number of ongoing efforts to create new schools, including charter schools, small schools, new schools to relieve overcrowding, and new magnet schools. 

  It expands on the "Renaissance" turnaround model developed two years ago when Williams and Dodge elementary schools closed for a year and reopened last fall with new leadership, new staff, and new outside partners.  Both schools saw dramatic gains in test scores this year. 

Chicago has opened approximately 60 new schools since 1997, including 19 charters, several contract schools and about 30 new or replacement schools.  Under Renaissance 2010, the Chicago Public Schools will accelerate the pace of new school openings to as many as 20 per year.  The first 40 - located throughout the city -- are already being planned or under construction.  Of the 19 charters, 17 are still open and most have waiting lists. 

In addition, a comprehensive planning process in connection with the Chicago Housing Authority's 10-year plan to transform public housing neighborhoods on the South and West sides into mixed income communities will generate dozens of new schools.  Through its capital program and other efforts, the Chicago Public Schools will also continue to build new schools in rapidly growing neighborhoods.  The South Side plan will be released next week. 

The biggest source of new schools, however, will be at the high school level, where the school system has been converting large underperforming high schools into smaller schools for several years.  Bowen, Orr and South Shore high schools have already been converted into 12 smaller schools, the last of which will open this fall.  Flower, DuSable, Austin and Calumet high schools are in the process of converting.  Daley called for up to 20 additional high school conversions in the next six years, to create between 40 and 60 new small high schools. 

The Mayor wants each of the six high school areas in Chicago to offer a menu of school options, including military academies; vocational education high schools; selective enrollment and international baccalaureate high schools; schools specializing in world languages, math and science and fine and performing arts; and "early college" schools that offer motivated students the chance to earn college credits. 

"A student should not have to travel half way across Chicago to find a high school that serves his needs and interests," Daley said. 

Under Renaissance 2010, about half of the 100 new schools will be high schools and half will be elementary.  Most will be limited to 500 students.  Most will also be neighborhood schools created to serve their surrounding communities. 

The plan also calls for five-year performance contracts for all new schools, two-thirds of which will be charter or contract schools. This means they will operate independently.  The other third will be run by the Chicago Public Schools. 

"This model will generate competition and allow for innovation.  It will bring in outside partners who want to get into the business of education.  It offers the opportunity to break the mold.  It gives parents more options and will shake up the system," he said. 

Daley highlighted recent test score gains that demonstrate the system's steady progress.  Today 43% of elementary school students are meeting national norms in reading and almost 48% of elementary students are meeting national norms in math.  Those figures were 26% and 31% respectively before the Mayor took control in 1995. 

The percentage of Chicago Public Schools students in the bottom quarter of the nation has also been cut in half in the last decade from 48% to 24% and the percentage in the top quarter has doubled.  Meanwhile, Chicago eighth graders are outperforming the nation in reading and math for the second time in three years. Five out of six grades improved in reading this year and three out of six improved in math. 

"When you take the long view and look at the results over time, it's fair to say that our student's progress is unmatched in any other large urban school district in the nation," Daley said. 

The Mayor added, "Chicago has never advanced by ignoring the truth and the truth is that after nine years of steady gains, some schools continue to make progress each year, while others don't.  We must face the reality that, for schools that have consistently underperformed, it's time to start over." 

"It's real progress that our eighth graders are outperforming the nation, but I'm not satisfied, because my commitment is to every child in every school in Chicago.  We want all of our children to reach their full potential, regardless of where in our city they live or what their parent's background is," he said. 

Daley issued a call to business leaders, universities, church and community groups and the Chicago Teachers' Union to "step up and get involved, start a charter school or sponsor a contract school.  Do what we did as a city nine years ago when we took control of the schools: put yourself, your reputation and your resources on the line for our children." 

Daley emphasized that the process of closing and reopening schools, "Will not be painless.  Closing down schools - whether for low enrollment or low performance - is never easy.  But we have a sacred obligation to our children to give them the best education possible and neither politics, nor a budget crisis, nor fear of the unknown can ever relieve us of this obligation." 

Daley closed by saluting teachers and principals, "On the front lines who do the hard work - day-after-day - to educate our kids.  If you have not stood in front of a classroom, you can't fully appreciate the challenges a teacher faces." 

He added, "But today, we enter a new stage - one in which all of us have a larger role to play - not just as supporters, financial contributors or volunteers - but as active participants.  Whether it's your money, your energy or your ideas, it's time to put it all on the line for our kids."