¶ … Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is also referred to as the City of Chicago School District Number 299, for the purposes of funding provisions. In particular, this is the 4th biggest school district in the United States (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is a massive system that consists of primary schools, secondary schools and disability schools restricted to the boundaries of Chicago City. Moreover, this enormous system is the second biggest employer in Chicago. Majority of the schools within the Chicago district, irrespective of what school level it is, have attendance borders confining student admission to within a certain area. A school may possibly choose to enroll students beyond its attendance borders, if there is space in its classrooms or if it has a magnet cluster program (Chicago Public Schools, 2016). In the past school year, Chicago Public Schools' report indicated that its administration included a total of 660 schools. 176 of them were high schools, while the rest, 484 schools, were elementary. From the total number of schools, a whooping 517 were district-run, 11 contract schools, 130 charter schools and the remaining 2 SAFE schools (Chicago Public Schools, 2016).
Governance and Type
ES
HS
Total
District-run
95
Traditional
87
Options
4
4
Specialty
4
4
8
Early Childhood Center
3
3
Charter
60
70
Traditional
60
47
Options
23
23
Contract
2
9
11
Traditional
2
2
4
Options
7
7
SAFE
2
2
Options
2
2
Grand Total
Figure 1: Information about schools in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
Chicago Public Schools serves a total of 396,683 students, according to the figures during the 2014-2015-year enrollment. Out of this figure, 16.7% of the total students are English Language Learners (ELLs). The following table and charts gives a description of the student demographics in CPS.
Student Racial Makeup
African-American
39.3%
Asian
3.56%
Asian/Pacific Islander (retired)
0.01%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0.2%
Hispanic
45.6%
Multi-Racial
1.1%
Native American/Alaskan
0.3%
White
9.4%
Not available
0.6%
Figure 2: Student Racial Makeup in Chicago Public Schools
As indicated in the diagram above, majority of the students who make up the CPS are largely African-American and Hispanic. However, the different array in numbers also indicates that there is diversity in its enrollment with students from several different racial backgrounds.
Description of the Chicago Public Schools Program Model
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) uses three main bilingual education models. For starters, there is Transitional Bilingual Educational Program, which is employed where there are 20 or more English Language Learners (ELLs) who have a similar language background and in the similar school. English as a Second Language (ESL) is an imperative element of the day-to-day program of instruction, right from the initial day of enrollment. Nonetheless, the first language of the student is employed as the medium of communication and teaching to link educational success in the core curriculum of Chicago Public Schools. In the course of the first and second years of participation, the student is anticipated to meet the State and Chicago Academic Standards, which encompass ESL at grade level. At the start of the second year, a number of subjects in the core curriculum are introduced in English by making use of sheltered English approaches. The time period that is employed for instruction in the native language and English language in this particular model is dependent on the length of the student in the Transitional Bilingual Education Program.
Secondly, there is the Transitional Program of Instruction. This particular model is employed in schools where there are nineteen or less English Language Learners of a similar language. These students receive structured English teaching from a teacher who has been granted English as a Second Language (ESL) authorization from the State of Illinois. These classes that are undertaken on a day-to-day basis are part of a pull-out program. Students emanating from dissimilar language groups are also permitted to take part together in the same ESL class, in accordance to their age as well as their level of English language. At whatever time possible, the first language of the students is used for explanation and interpretation in the classroom when helpers or volunteers who speak the languages of the students are available (Chicago Public Schools, 2016).
The third model is the Dual Language Immersion Model. This is a noncompulsory or voluntary education...
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