ISSUE BRIEF

FALL 2015

Achieving the Dream Charter High Schools Improve Academic and Life Outcomes for Students

a 17 of the Top 20 Non-Selective Chicago High Schools for College Enrollment Are Charter Schools.1 STREET % COLLEGE ENROLLMENT NOBLE–GARY COMER NOBLE–GARY COLLEGE PREP NOBLE– NOBLE–NOBLE COLLEGE PREP NOBLE– NOBLE–UIC COLLEGE PREP NOBLE– COLLEGE PREP URBAN PREP ACADEMY FOR YOUNG MEN–ENGLEWOOD NOBLE– MASON HS LAWNDALE NORTH COLLEGE PREP–CHRISTIANA URBAN PREP–EAST GARFIELD PARK CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL– CHARTER RALPH ELLISON NOBLE–ROWE- & SCI. ACADEMY CLARK MATH NOBLE– CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL– CHARTER NORTHTOWN YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP HS HS CHICAGO ACADEMY HS UCSN–MAJOR HECTOR GARCIA MD CAMPUS P. CHICAGO VIRTUAL SCHOOL CHARTER

87% 87% 84% 82% 81% 80% 78% 78% 77% 75%

Transforming Public Education Since the first charter high school opened its doors in 1997, Chicago’s charter public high schools have been transforming the public education system to improve academic achievement and outcomes, especially for African-American and Latino students who have historically faced barriers to academic success. This issue brief examines how charter public high schools have moved the needle on student academic growth, high school graduation, and college enrollment.

Relative to their demographic peers, Chicago’s charter school students are rising Charter Schools Lead CPS above expectations on multiple measures. in High School Graduation 2 This is especially true at the high school and College Enrollment level, where students generally enter 9th grade significantly behind academically. But something is working in Chicago’s charter high schools that is helping to change the odds and improve opportunities for success

for these students. For over a decade, % % 63 76 % % % 70 50 Chicago’s charter high schools have led CPS 51 68% in achieving the critical milestones of high school graduation and college enrollment. Charter schools’ success on these measures Graduation Rates College has led to an overall increase in district 2004 2014 Enrollment achievement among students with the highest needs. Charter District, Non-Selective

b NOBLE–GARY COMER NOBLE–GARY COLLEGE PREP NOBLE–MUCHIN COLLEGE PREP NOBLE–NOBLE STREET COLLEGE PREP NOBLE–RAUNER COLLEGE PREP NOBLE–UIC COLLEGE PREP NOBLE–CHICAGO BULLS COLLEGE PREP URBAN PREP ACADEMY FOR YOUNG MEN–ENGLEWOOD NOBLE–GOLDER COLLEGE PREP MASON HS LAWNDALE NORTH COLLEGE PREP–CHRISTIANA URBAN PREP–EAST GARFIELD PARK CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL– CHARTER RALPH ELLISON NOBLE–ROWE- & SCI. ACADEMY CLARK MATH NOBLE–PRITZKER COLLEGE PREP CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL– CHARTER NORTHTOWN YOUNG WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP HS KENWOOD ACADEMY HS CHICAGO ACADEMY HS UCSN–MAJOR HECTOR GARCIA MD CAMPUS P. CHICAGO VIRTUAL SCHOOL CHARTER

75% 74% 74% 74% 73% 73% 72% 72% 72% 70%

Chicago’s Charter High Schools by the Numbers • Number of Schools: 48 • Number of Students Served: 21,798 • 1 in 5 high school students in attends a charter high school.

Student Demographics3 Charter District

FREE/REDUCED 91% 91% LUNCH

ENGLISH LEARNERS 6% 10%

SPECIAL EDUCATION 15% 16%

AFRICAN-AMERICAN 56% 37%

HISPANIC 39% 50%

What Is a Charter School? Charter schools are independent and mission-driven public schools. Charter schools are tuition-free and open to all children. There are no entrance requirements or admission tests required to attend a charter school.

1 How do charter schools move the bar for students so dramatically?

Because charter schools are independent, autonomous public schools, they are granted flexibility in exchange for academic accountability. This freedom allows schools to focus on programmatic priorities and tailor resources around their goals. For college prep high schools, all decisions flow from this end goal, including those related to curriculum, school culture, resources, leadership, personnel, and other critical factors that contribute to a school’s performance.

Keeping Students From Freshmen Year Through Graduation Chicago’s charter public high schools are among the most successful schools at graduating the students that enroll in them on the first day of high school. This rate – the percent of original freshmen who earn a diploma from the first school they enrolled in – is referred to as the “freshman retention rate.” The highest-quality high schools take responsibility for the success of all the students who enter their doors on the first day of freshmen year. These schools invest in resources and supports to prepare their students academically and emotionally for graduation day and beyond. The average freshman retention rate for charter schools is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the average for non-selective district schools. These data reveal another critical trend: the preponderance of families who start high school in CPS but leave the school district altogether during the high school years – a group referred to as “verified transfers.”

Percent of Students Graduating High School Within Five Years of Their Start4

100 3%

15%

23%

80

27% 16%

60

9%

40

57% 48%

20

0 Charter District, Non-Selective

Transferred out of the district Graduated from another CPS high school Did not graduate Graduated from original high school

2 Improving Academic Growth Under law, charter public schools serve all students regardless of socio-economic status, ethnicity, race, academic performance, or neighborhood. As in many public schools in Chicago, most charter school students enter high school several grades behind their national peers academically. To ensure students are on track to graduate and are prepared for the rigors of college and career, many charter schools focus relentlessly on student academic Charter schools focus growth. By setting aggressive academic growth targets, many Chicago charter schools have proven relentlessly on student they can bring students to grade level no matter academic growth. where the students enter high school academically. Data show that, on average, students at all non-selective CPS schools begin high school at similar academic starting points.5 However, charter school students’ academic growth is nearly double that of students attending other schools.6

Academic Growth by Starting Point Among Freshmen7 7

6

5

4

3

2

3.0 2.4 3.2 2.5 4.7 2.7 6.3 3.1 Points of growth from Explore to ACT Explore from Points of growth 1

0 Starting Score: Starting Score: Starting Score: Starting Score: 12-12.9 13-13.9 14-14.9 15-15.9

Charter District, Non-Selective

SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS

Noble Network of Charter Schools’ Advisories All Noble students participate in an advisory program for the entirety of their high school careers. Advisory offers scholars a supportive group setting where they build a strong bond with fellow classmates and are led by a faculty advisor who stays with that group throughout their high school experience. Advisories “My advisor always strived to make consist of 20 to 25 scholars and one staff each one of us better. She helped member who supports students with academic shape the person I am today. progress, community service, enrichment But most importantly, advisory requirements, the college admissions process, was a place where I felt safe and and character development. comfortable to be myself.” —Priscilla Centeno, Noble and Connecticut College alumna

3 Opening Doors to College and Opportunity The ACT exam is widely recognized as a key to open doors to college. Colleges view this score as an early predictor of students’ abilities to handle the rigor of a post-secondary education, and a score of 21 is a benchmark for college readiness. Since every CPS student takes the ACT, it serves as a common indicator of college readiness among Chicago high schools. In 2008, four of the top 10 non-selective schools in Chicago Public Schools on ACT achievement were charter schools. But the system-wide performance was bleak: no non-selective public school had an average ACT score close to the national benchmark for college readiness. In 2014, all 12 of the highest performing open-enrollment public high schools on ACT achievement were charter Charter public schools public schools. Most importantly, several of these schools are now meeting or surpassing the national increase college- benchmark for college readiness. Over time, charter readiness for more public schools have pushed the bar higher in the city for college-readiness. students across the school district.

Chicago Public Schools’ ACT Achievement8 24 ACT COLLEGE READINESS BENCHMARK (21)

18 TOP 12

6 4 2008 12 0 2014

Taft

Hubbard Lake View Noble–UIC Morgan Park Perspectives– College Prep Noble–PritzkerNoble–Muchin Noble–GolderNoble–Rauner College Prep Noble–Johnson CICS–Northtown CICS–Northtown Chicago Academy Rodney D. Joslin ChicagoScience Math Academy and ChicagoScience Math Academy and Kenwood Academy Computer Science Noble–Gary Comer Noble–Noble Street Noble–Chicago Bulls Noble–Noble Street ASPIRA–Mirta Ramirez

Charter District, Non-Selective

SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS

Chicago International Charter Schools’ Restorative Justice Practices Restorative Justice is an alternative form of discipline that emphasizes repairing the harm done in relationships, addressing the needs of student participants, and safely reintegrating students back into the school environment. Restorative Justice also recognizes the importance of building students’ overall capacity, building healthy intergenerational relationships, and providing youth with opportunities to be placed in leadership roles within the school-wide community.

“If you’re not dealing with social and emotional issues at your school, your academics will suffer. To address this and improve our achievements, we have taken the restorative approach to discipline. Students act as facilitators and help other students understand conflicts and repair relationships. They take great pride in their roles.” –Kenyatta Stansberry, CICS Longwood Campus Director

4 The pursuit for equity is far from over.

Chicago’s progress in raising academic achievement over the past two decades is impressive for any large urban school district, but it is especially remarkable for low-income and minority students who have benefited from improved access to quality public schools. Despite this growth, much remains to be done. Large and persistent achievement gaps exist in Chicago Public Schools between white students and their African-American and Latino peers.

These disparities in achievement manifest later on in racial gaps in outcomes, including high school graduation and college enrollment. These gaps for historically-underserved students must be addressed if our school system is to provide equal opportunity for all children to succeed in college, career, and life.

WHITE LATINO AFRICAN-AMERICAN

9 City-Wide Average Composite ACT Score ACT COLLEGE READINESS BENCHMARK (21)

22.7 18 16.8

City-Wide Average Five-Year Graduation Rate

79% 75% 62%

City-Wide Average College Enrollment Among High School Graduates

73% 54% 55%

5 Charter schools are making progress on closing the growth gaps.

In addition to these achievement gaps, there is also a “growth gap” that is discussed less often, but is perhaps even more troubling. The growth gap measures how much a student grows academically from 9th grade through 11th grade, regardless of their academic starting point. In order to close the achievement gap, students who are behind must grow faster than their peers.

In Chicago, charter public high schools are leading the way in closing the most persistent growth gaps for African-American and Latino students. INCS analyzed performance data for Chicago’s public high schools with student populations that are 80% African-American (below chart) and those that are 80% Latino (chart on next page). The findings are striking.

Academic Growth of African-American Students in CPS High Schools10 Charter schools represent the top 13 of 15 non-selective high schools in CPS for academic growth among African-American students from 9th to 11th grades.

National Percentile Growth on High Schools Exams 0 20 40 60 80 100 Noble–Butler Noble–Baker Perspectives–IIT Math & Science Academy Urban Prep–Bronzeville Campus Noble–Hansberry Perspectives High School of Technology Noble–Johnson CICS–Longwood Perspectives Leadership Academy Noble–DRW Urban Prep–Englewood Campus Noble–Gary Comer Urban Prep–West Campus Kenwood Academy VOISE Academy Betty Shabazz–DuSable Leadership Robeson Uplift Community Manley Career Academy Harlan Community Academy Hirsch Metropolitan Young Women's Leadership Crane Technical Preparatory Raby – Woodlawn CICS–Ralph Ellison Chicago Talent Development North Lawndale–Christiana Corliss Phillips Academy Hyde Park Academy Amandla African-American CICS–Larry Hawkins Hope College Preparatory students show more Douglass Academy Harper academic growth Chicago Vocational Career Academy in Chicago’s charter North Lawndale–Collins Orr Academy high schools. Morgan Park Julian Legal Prep Charter Academy TEAM Englewood Community Academy Bronzeville Scholastic Academy Fenger Academy Marshall Metropolitan Dunbar Career Academy Collins Academy Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy

Charter District, Non-Selective

6 Academic Growth of Latino Students in CPS High Schools11 Charter schools represent eight of the top 15 non-selective high schools in CPS for academic growth among Latino students from 9th to 11th grades.

National Percentile Growth on High Schools Exams 0 20 40 60 80 100

Noble–Noble Street Noble–Pritzker UCSN Charter–Rogers Park Back of the Yards IB Noble–Rauner G. Washington World Language Academy ASPIRA–Mirta Ramirez Computer Science Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy Infinity Math Science and Technology North-Grand UCSN–Major Hector P. Garcia MD Noble–Golder Multicultural Academy of Scholarship Spry Community Links Solorio Academy Greater Lawndale HS For Social Justice Hubbard ASPIRA–Early College Latino students Kelvyn Park show more UCSN–Soccer High School academic growth Schurz in Chicago’s charter Hancock Kelly high schools. Juarez Community Academy

Charter District, Non-Selective

SPOTLIGHT ON SUCCESS

Perspectives Charter Schools’ A Disciplined Life™ Education Model Since its beginning in 1997, Perspectives Charter Schools’ founders have understood the importance of providing students with life skills to help them succeed. The 26 principles of A Disciplined Life form the foundation of Perspectives’ culture and prepare students “The A Disciplined Life education for success in college, the workplace, and in model holds us all accountable for life by providing a framework to develop their our actions. We are challenged to social and emotional skills. A Disciplined Life make the appropriate choice not has become a nationally-recognized model for only for ourselves, but also for those social-emotional learning in public schools. we encounter.” –Jeanine Hutchins, mother of current Perspectives student and two Perspectives alumni JASON BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY FOR PERSPECTIVES CHARTER SCHOOLS

7 8 Keep Progress Moving Forward for Chicago’s Students.

A small set of high-performing schools can’t close the growth and achievement gaps alone. INCS calls on Chicago Public Schools, our community, and elected leadership to:

Invest in What Works: Support charter public schools and other academic models with intentional practices and proven results at improving achievement. This is a necessary investment until every student has equal access to a high-performing school. It is important to evaluate policies that are working for students in charters and non-charters alike. INCS is committed to accelerating proven practices through the exchange of ideas across school types through our annual conference, research, and convenings.

Don’t Stall Progress: Continue policies that have led to steady improvements in the school system over the past two decades. This includes expanding high-quality charter schools to improve access to quality schools for all children; freshmen tracking that ensures students are on the right path toward high school graduation; accountability and performance measurements that hold teachers and schools accountable; and student-based budgeting that places school dollars in the hands of principals and parents to build and choose the best schools. These policies are necessary to put students first in public education. While not always easy or politically popular, these policies address fundamental issues that stand in the way of an excellent school for every child.

Support Equity and Fairness for All Students: All public school students, whether they choose to attend a charter school or a district-run school, deserve access to the same resources for their education. However, this is not the case in Illinois, where the law allows school districts to fund charter school students at 75 percent of what district-run students receive. Additionally, Chicago Public Schools must end its unfair policies that prioritize school type over students when it comes to facilities access. Charter school students and families are members of the community and have the same rights as all others.

Increase Accountability and Transparency: The public education system must increase transparency and accountability on school performance data, especially concerning groups of students who historically have not been well-served by the traditional system. The public has a right to know whether schools are succeeding and which interventions are driving quality academic outcomes for all students.

Footnotes on data graphs 1. College enrollment data from 2012-2013 (most recent year publicly available). This is the percent of 2013 high school graduates who enrolled in college by fall 2013. Source: Chicago Public Schools: http://cps.edu/SchoolData/Pages/SchoolData.aspx. In all graphs, “non-selective” excludes any school that has selective admissions practices using tests scores for at least 50% of its seats. Since charter schools do not screen on prior academic achievement, the most appropriate comparison group is schools that also do not screen on achievement. 2. Graduation rates are the percent of students who graduate within 5 years of their freshmen year. This rate uses an adjusted 9th grade cohort that excludes students who transferred out of CPS. College enrollment is from 2012-2013, the most recent year available. These averages exclude both alternative charter and alternative district schools. Source: Chicago Public Schools 3. Demographics are from 2014-2015 (most recent year available). District average does not include selective schools. Charter and district averages do not include alternative or special education schools. Source: Chicago Public Schools 4. Data on freshmen retention rates published by WBEZ (http://www.wbez.org/series/front-center/behind-cps-graduation-ratessystem- musical-chairs-111786) and obtained via FOIA. “Graduated from another CPS high school” includes alternative schools. “ Did not graduate” includes unverified transfers and students who are still actively enrolled but did not graduate within 5 years. 5. Source is Chicago Public Schools, Explore 9 Average Scores. The 2012 average 9th grade Explore score for charter schools was 14.1, and for non-selective, district-run schools, it was 13.7. These are the relevant cohort’s starting points for the 11th grade ACT test takers in the most recent data from 2014. 6 Using 9th grade Explore scores from 2012 and 11th grade ACT scores from 2014, the average gains for charter students in that cohort were 4.34 points, whereas students in district-run, non-selective schools had an average point gain of 2.66. 7. Average points of growth from 2012 Composite EXPLORE assessment taken by 9th graders to the 2014 Composite ACT assessment taken by 12th graders. Growth is calculated at the school level and does not control for transfers in or out. These averages exclude both alternative charter and alternative district schools. Source: Chicago Public Schools 8. Composite ACT scores include all students. Source: Chicago Public Schools 9. City-wide data includes all schools. ACT scores and graduation rates are from SY 2013-2014. College enrollment rates are from SY 2012-2013 (most recent year available). Source: Chicago Public Schools 10. EPAS National Growth Percentile compares the average growth of student test-takers at a school on the EPAS suite of exams (Explore, Plan, and ACT) with the average growth of students nationally with similar starting points. The schools included in this graph have student populations that are 80% or more African-American, and the percentiles reported represent the growth of African-American students only. Charter schools make up 47% of schools in this group. This data comes from the School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP). Source: Chicago Public Schools 11. EPAS National Growth Percentile compares the average growth of student test-takers at a school on the EPAS suite of exams (Explore, Plan, and ACT) with the average growth of students nationally with similar starting points. The schools included in this graph have student populations that are 80% or more Latino, and the percentiles reported represent the growth of Hispanic students only. Charter schools make up 38% of schools in this group. This data comes from the School Quality Rating Policy (SQRP). Source: Chicago Public Schools 9 Up Next for INCS: State of the Movement Report As a leader in accessible and transparent data, INCS will release a comprehensive report with analysis on the quality of charter public schools in Illinois. This will be the first report of its kind to consider multiple metrics in determining school quality. The goal of this report is to develop a more robust and accurate picture of charter school performance, hold all schools accountable in improving academic achievement for students, and change the conversation on how best to define school quality and effectiveness in our public education system.

About the Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) INCS is dedicated to the improvement of public education by establishing high-quality charter public schools that transform lives and communities. As the voice of Illinois charter schools, INCS advocates for legislation on behalf of the charter sector, provides support to strengthen charter schools, and influences education policy for

the benefit of all public school students. Learn more at COVER PHOTO: DAVID TERRY/PERSPECTIVES CHARTER SCHOOLS www.incschools.org.

INCS would like to thank The Joyce Foundation for its continued support of our data and policy efforts.

150 N. Michigan Ave., Ste. 430 Chicago, IL 60601 (312) 629-2063 www.incschools.org