Pilsen Education Plan
Seeking to establish Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood as a community where education is a life-long process that leads to success, community leaders and educators from the Pilsen Education Task Force unveiled the Pilsen Education Plan on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, at Benito Juarez Community Academy.
The press conference was attended, and a commitment of support was signed, by Ron Huberman, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, Sister Mary Paul McCaughey, Superintendent of the Archdiocese Schools, Alderman Daniel Solis, State Senator Antonio Muñoz, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Democratic nominee for commissioner of Cook County’s 7th District, nine principals from public & parochial schools, eleven executive directors, and three post secondary institutions. Also in attendance were Jennifer Cheatham, Area 9 CAO; Antonio Acevedo, Office of Language & Cultural Education, and Jesus Esquivel, Office of Arts Education, as well as Local School Council presidents and parents.
The task force is a subcommittee of the Pilsen Planning Committee formed in 2006 which meets monthly to address the education needs of the mostly Mexican neighborhood. Leaders have worked to ensure that all community members have access to reliable education opportunities, with a focus on increasing graduation rates and post-secondary education attendance.
“We believe that students in Pilsen deserve every available educational opportunity,” said Martha Monrroy, Principal of Cooper Dual Language Academy. “This community is a national model for the collaboration between local organizations, including schools, community-based organizations and post-secondary institutions. By fostering these relationships, students here will benefit socially, emotionally, academically and economically.”
The goals of the plan are three-pronged:
- To ensure Pilsen is a community of choice where there are no barriers, and families have a wide variety of education options for their children and themselves, with a focus on attaining higher graduation rates and post-secondary education.
- To create widely-available programs and services at safe, resource-rich and state-of-the-art facilities to support the mental, physical and socio-economic wellness of students, where parents are actively engaged in their children’s education.
- To make Pilsen a national model for education and collaboration between community-based organizations and educational institutions.
The Pilsen Education Plan was publicly unveiled to the community at large at the 4th Annual Pilsen Education Summit held on Saturday, October 23, 2010 at Benito Juarez Community Academy where over 400 parents attended a full day of workshops on topics which included financial aid, pathways to college, immigration, health, and conflict resolution among others.
“By working together, we can provide our students with the chance to create and take advantage of opportunities that will benefit them in the future,” Monrroy said.
To view the complete Pilsen Education Plan download here
