Alternative Schools Hope to Win Support From Economic Stimulus Plan

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by Dwayne T. Ervin

Coming together to discuss issues in education, faculty, students and alumni said they would like to see part of President-elect Barack Obamas economic stimulus plan go towards supporting jobs for young people, violence prevention in schools and support for alternative education programs for students.

At a recent panel discussion hosted by the Chicago Urban League, representatives from state and local educational institutions came together with ideas on how to fix some of the problems in Chicago schools and talked about increasing funding for students at risk.

President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League Cheryle Jackson addressed the issue of youth violence and suggested more intervention from the government will be needed in order to correct the problem. Jesse Ruiz, Chairman of Illinois Board of Education and Illinois State Council on Re-Enrolling Students Who Dropped Out of School, talked about job creation. If students can not see the goal, they are not going to learn, he said. Others chimed in on the importance of job training. Twenty out of 100 youth are not working. One million jobs went to teens during the Clinton administration. If Congress is going to give funds, it should go to people under 25 and they should be trained for jobs, said Joseph McLaughlin, research associate at the Center for Labor Market Studies.

In 2005, there were 101,835 students in Illinois who dropped outof school, said Jack Wuest, executive director of Alternative Schools Network, costing the state $470 million. Taking a systematic approach towards supporting the Truants Alternative Options Education Program could help decrease the drop out rate, he added.

Reiterating Jacksons point about school violence, Myra Sampson, principal of Community Christian Alternative (CCA) Academy in the North Lawndale community said two students were murdered at her school and she hopes any additional funding will go towards violence prevention. CCA Academy provides high school dropouts with a lastchance opportunity to get a diploma and a chance to be placed into a college or technical training program.

CPS students also made a plea for job opportunities and support for alternative education programs. It is not easy in the streets, said Fredrick Williams, a student from the Academy of Scholastic Achievement (ASA) High School, an alternative school on the West Side that helps dropouts re-enter school. I was at a magnet school where I was not getting the one-on-one help, he said. I transferred to ASA my junior year. The teachers treated me like an adultwhen you take away the jobs, what do you expect the youth to do, he asked.

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