The Chicago Model

The Chicago Model is being used to demonstrate what Detroit schools could be if only they were taken aout of the hands of one group of lunatics and put in the hands of the Chamber of Commerce. Here is one aspect of the new Chicago:

According to the Chicago Tribune (2/11/99), six Chicago public high schools will soon feature military academies. Chicago already leads the nation in Junior ROTC participation, with 7,000 students in 41 schools. Now school boss Vallas wants to put special programs into Farragut and Tilden (Army), Juarez and Curie (Marines), Taft (Navy), and Phillips (Air Force).

These programs will feature "education-to-career classes, military training, character education and mandatory participation in summer programs." In each school, 120 students will wear military uniforms five days a week.

The Board of Education will help pay for the uniforms, and give each school over $100,000 for the program, plus space for military training. This is in ddition to the "ROTC Academy" planned to open this fall in the former Bronzeville Armory, with funding from the federal government and large corporations.

"The military isn't getting enough recruits," explained a retired military officer and retired teacher. "This way, they'll channel students right in. They've already set up programs, quietly, to get more blacks and Hispanics into West Point and the officer corps. This will go along the same lines."

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