Chicago looks at opening public boarding schools

Chicago officials want to create public boarding schools where homeless children and those from troubled homes could find the safety and stability to learn. Under the plan the district is considering, the first pilot residential program could open as soon as fall 2009. Officials hope to launch as many as six such schools in the following years, including at least one that would operate as a year-round school. The proposal puts Chicago at the forefront of urban school reform, as cities struggle to raise the academic achievement of students hampered by dysfunctional homes and other obstacles outside school.

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