A VERY PUBLIC EDUCATION: Chicago schools get $500K for services: Success won’t be judged by student outcomes, says mayor.

“The Sustainable Community Schools initiative has offered after-school programs, parent outreach, restorative justice support, and other services in tandem with community nonprofits at 20 schools since 2018,” she writes.

So far, there’s no evidence the extra services improved student learning, according to pandemic-era evaluations. “Academic outcomes were largely in line with those at schools with similar demographics not receiving the extra support,” Koumpilova writes, and the participating schools lost more enrollment than the district average.

At a press conference announcing the program’s expansion, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said he “wouldn’t measure success based on student outcomes, such as test scores and graduation rates, but rather on the extra staff and programs the schools offer students,” reports Koumpilova.

$500k for the well-connected is the outcome.