#1 Finding: Building Community with Parents is a CPS Core Tenet, Yet Transparency is Limited

Public Schools were created to equip the next generation so they can contribute to the workforce, engage in our communities, and rise above the conditions into which they were born. Bringing it back to the basics and thinking about the purposes of public education can help keep the focus on student success and help us all prioritize decisions that promote the long-term good of both kids and community.

Bringing it back to the basics also means understanding the funding sources. Public Schools in Illinois receive the bulk of their funding through local taxes. According to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), nearly two-thirds of school costs are covered by local property taxes. The State of Illinois contributes 24% while the federal government contributes approximately 8%.

Since public schools are funded with public funds, it’s sensible that the public has a right to know what is being taught, who is teaching them, and how the children perform. Both the parents and the general public (taxpayers) also should have the right to be informed about the qualifications and performance of educators.

While Chicago Public Schools and many other schools districts across Illinois may promote parent involvement as core tenet, from our assessment, there is a disconnect. It seems that the “system” actually filters information to parents and the community in which it services. Through our work, we uncovered that most of the accessible information has been specified by statute (Illinois law). Should there be an area that is not included and not being openly communicated, a parent or community member is left with having to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the school district or other government entity within the education system. In addition to the school district, some information is available only from the Illinois State Board of Education or a Regional Board of Education.

Starting with classroom fundamentals, in our work we learned that a list of teaching materials used for any class is not required to be shared with a broader audience. The school generally will make the materials available for inspection, but the person inquiring has to physically examine the materials in the district offices. The outlines prepared by teachers and the notes they use for classroom instruction are unavailable. As a result, evaluating and comparing what is being taught from one school or school district to another is not possible.

By contrast and by law, our research led us to key information that is available to all: the report card for each school and school district that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) maintains this data on its website. Upon our review, we concluded that these report cards clearly show that the educational system in Illinois is failing.

In closing, all of the above is in line with what our research team experienced with our inquiries into the Chicago Public Schools. Even though CPS lists “Building Community with Parents” as a tenet on its website, through a series of FOIA requests regarding inputs and outputs of their Parent Surveys, as an example, our broad research demonstrates that there is NOT transparency with parents and the broader community.