December 31, 2010
Hey Y'all!!!
Happy New Year’s and thank you for following me! My blog will detail my experiences as an Urban Education Initiative Fellow at the Young Women's Leadership Charter School (YWLCS) in Chicago, Illinois. I start on Monday, but I arrived a few days ago so that I can get use to the area. I do not have regular access to the internet, but I will document my experiences and add them as soon as I can.
Today, I was able to ride the bus route from my housing to the school’s campus. It took a bit of time to get there in a car, so I could only imagine my bus experience. I’m expected to be at the school at 8am, and I’ll most likely have to get on the bus by 6 or 6:30 in the morning. Yep, that’s pretty early in the morning. But I only have to do it for a couple of weeks, and I’m really looking forward to it.
One thing I’ve been thinking about since my ride on the bus route, is what families and students have to go through on a daily basis to get to the school. Since YWLCS is a charter school, students are selected based on a lottery and they live in different areas of Chicago. It’s a pretty big city, and although students can use the buses, trains, and other modes of transportation, I don’t think it’s an easy feat to go to a school that is miles away and across town. This is one of the many things I’m wondering about and will definitely ask people at YWLCS this week. What are some things you think I should ask people during my first week?
Until next time, please feel free to comment on the blog and visit the YWLCS and Chicago Transit website to know more about the area. Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you have a lovely day.
Sincerely,
Lisa Daniels
Young Women's Leadership Charter School of Chicago Website
http://ywlcs.org/
Chicago's Regional Transportation Authority
http://www.rtachicago.com/
Hi Lisa : )
ReplyDeleteThe students are selected via lottery...but how does the state (?) create the pool. Is there an income cap or other criteria needed or is it really just random selection?
Hi Chelsea
ReplyDeleteGreat question and thanks for asking. From my understanding, states do not create the pool. They govern how charter schools accept students and how they receive federal funding. For example, it is against the law for a charter school to provide a favorable outcome for a student or group of people.
The system is essentially based on, well, luck. The pool is created by parents when they enter the students into the lottery, and the students are randomly selected to attend the school.
If you would like more information,please see the following links:
http://www.nea.org/home/16332.htm
http://www.charterschoolresearch.com/