Parents, teachers and community members have strongly argued against Chicago Public Schools’ Renaissance 2010 initiative. Their arguments are varied and motivated to do what’s best for the children.

The recently released performance report by CPS, however, indicates Renaissance 2010 schools not only have positive increasing progress but also exceed results of district schools.

The Renaissance 2010 plan for CPS was launched by Mayor Richard M. Daley in 2004. The plan’s stated goal is to create 100 high-quality new schools by 2010 that provide stellar, diverse education options that are held to strict accountability.

Renaissance 2010 offers three types of schools; charter, contract and performance. Each are characteristically unique and operate under different guidelines. Charter schools are the most abundant.

Charter elementary and high schools have exhibited progress in either meeting or exceeding state standards on tests and increased attendance and graduation rates, according to the annual charter school performance report.

Charter schools are independently operated and are not subject to the same state laws, district initiatives and board policies as traditional schools.

Teachers are employees of the operating nonprofit governing board and cannot be unionized by the Chicago Teacher’s Union, but the individual school can decide to unionize its teachers, according to the Renaissance 2010 website.

“[Students] deserve to have a good school in their neighborhood, within a short commute,” said Malon Edwards, spokesperson for CPS.

The Chicago Teacher’s Union’s biggest concern with Renaissance 2010 is the school closings, said Rosemaria Genova, press secretary for the union.

In January, 22 CPS schools were scheduled to close because of underutilization or poor facilities, Edwards said. Six of those schools, however, were taken off the list in February due to parents and community members arguing in support of the district schools and their performance levels.

The six schools were slated to close because the Chicago Board of Education received incorrect information, said Julie Woestehoff, executive director of Parents United for Responsible Education, a nonprofit organization.

“It seems irresponsible to have a program that’s founded on disruption in student mobility,” Woestehoff said.

The closings disrupt student mobility by forcing them to find another school and can have a negative impact on their progress, Woestehoff said.

The union supports Rep. Cynthia Soto’s bill (HB 363), which will put a one-year moratorium on school closings, turnarounds, phaseouts and consolidations, Genova said.

“Let’s take a look at what the board is doing, let’s see what probability measures are in place and let’s see the stats that these closures are really improving education,” she said.

The statistics from the charter school performance report show that, academically, charter schools exhibit strong positive results that exceed those of district schools. From 2004 to 2008, charter school students meeting or exceeding state standards on the Illinois State Achievement Test (ISAT) increased by 17 percent, from 53.9 to 70.5 percent, according to the report.|

Roughly 87 percent of charter schools had 60 percent or more of their students meeting or exceeding state standards on the 2008 ISAT; while only 65 percent of district schools had 60 percent or more of their students meeting or exceeding state standards, according to the report.

The 2008 ISAT data also shows an increase in performance among racial subgroups in charter schools. African-American students had the largest percentage increase of students meeting or exceeding state standards, according to the report.

Charter schools also excelled at attendance rates, out performing the district schools. Charter elementary school attendance rates remain consistent at about 95 percent while district attendance rates remain consistent at about 93 percent, according to the report.

Charter high schools’ attendance rate is at 89 percent compared to the district’s 78.5 percent rate. Charter high schools experienced a 4 percentage point increase in attendance from 2006 to 2008. District high schools experienced a 7.5 percentage decrease in attendance from 2006 to 2008, according to the report.

Charter high schools also outperform district high schools in graduation rate. In 2007-08, 73 percent of students graduated compared to the district’s 68 percent, according to the report.