Tuesday, October 16, 2012

BERWYN CARES CHALLENGES DISTRICT 201 IMPROVEMENT CLAIMS



October 16, 2012 (Berwyn, Illinois) Three weeks ahead of the public release of 2012 Prairie State Achievement Examination results, the J. Sterling Morton District 201 Board of Education has released a pre-emptive statement claiming that an internal five year analysis of PSAE results shows “increased student performance in nearly all measured areas”, claiming further that “during the last five years”, reading scores have sizably increased at Cicero-based Morton East High school.

The education advocacy organization, Berwyn CARES has joined local residents in challenging whether these claims are typical of the smoke and mirror tactics from the 201 Board of Education who has lost the confidence of the community in overseeing 8000 students and a budget that exceeds $90 million dollars.

In the past year, District 201 Board Members have been publicly implicated in the Chicago Sun Times for disreputable behavior ranging from racially charged Internet posts to participating in criminal activities.

District 201 has historically had some of the lowest performing schools in the State of Illinois. Over the past decade, the vast majority of students at both Morton West and Morton East have failed to meet academic standards and the entire district has been under State Watch for more than eight years.

“A Board that repeatedly uses the word success to describe a situation where more than 70% of students are failing has lost touch with the needs of this community”, said Bob Pauly, President of Berwyn CARES.

Although Board Vice President Joe Keating, who has served two terms on the 201 Board is quoted on the District Web site as saying “The message here is clear,” local residents remain unconvinced.

“Given the current Board’s history, making claims about improvement before the public can review the scores leaves more questions than answers,” said Bob Pauly, President of Berwyn CARES. “When the scores are made public, then there can be legitimate analysis.”

Berwyn C.A.R.E.S. (Citizens Aligned to Renew Education for Students) is a community-based organization created to improve the local education system by encouraging more family and community involvement. Since 2006, C.A.R.E.S. has established itself as the leading resource for up-to-date, reputable information on Berwyn's District 98, 100, & 201 schools. More information is available online at www.berwyncares.org.