Following the release of the latest data on Chicago’s public schools, Kids First Chicago (K1C)—formerly New Schools for Chicago—announced its full support of Chicago Public Schools for its transparency, leadership and commitment to ensuring every family and child has access to a high-quality school. Over the last 10 months, K1C helped the district design the Annual Regional Analysis (ARA), a new report comprised of publicly available data in a more connected and easily digestible format that includes maps, graphs and key performance metrics. This easy-to-access collection of data is meant to serve as a universal fact-base so that community leaders, policymakers, parents, and educators will have access to the same information CPS utilizes and be better equipped in their own efforts to support Chicago families.

The ARA, which covers school quality, enrollment and choice patterns, and program availability, was designed in a format that will help community leaders and Chicagoans see areas of strength and those that need improvement, and to spur discussion with the district about real solutions that can be implemented in a timely fashion. The ARA looks at the city comprehensively, as well as breaking the data into sixteen geographic regions developed through the research of the Metropolitan Planning Council, LISC, the Chicago Community Trust, and the City. While the majority of the information in the report is already publicly available, the ARA compiles those data making it easier to understand, make logical connections, and discuss solutions. Already, several potential opportunities have emerged from community meetings and are being developed, including: 

● Efforts to improve awareness of available high-quality seats in every neighborhood
● Helping parents transition from pre-school to Kindergarten
● Bringing new programming to schools and regions that currently do not offer it

To view the ARA, visit https://cps.edu/SchoolData or https://kidsfirstchicago.org/ara.