Chicago committee begins work on plan to improve outcomes for Black students

A long-delayed effort to address educational disparities affecting Black students in Chicago is finally moving towards implementation, with a newly formed committee set to hold its first meeting on Thursday evening.

The 15-member Black Student Achievement Committee will oversee the implementation of Chicago Public Schools' (CPS) Black Student Success Plan, a five-year strategy unveiled in February 2025 to improve educational experiences and academic outcomes for Black students, who account for roughly one-third of the district's enrolment. Established following a mandate from Illinois lawmakers nearly three years ago, the committee is expected to play a central role in translating the plan's ambitions into measurable improvements while holding district officials accountable for delivering results.

The plan sets out priorities such as reducing punitive disciplinary measures and increasing the number of Black male teachers. However, questions remain over how the district intends to achieve these objectives and measure progress. Its implementation has also faced political and administrative challenges. The Trump administration made the initiative a target of its campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, launching a federal investigation and seeking to have the plan scrapped. In 2025, the administration withheld federal funding for Chicago's magnet school programmes and demanded that CPS abandon the initiative. The district subsequently challenged the move in court and secured the reinstatement of the grant.

The committee's launch comes at a politically uncertain time. While some supporters believe Republican losses in the recent midterm elections could weaken opposition to DEI initiatives, others fear the federal administration may intensify its scrutiny over the remaining two years of its term. At the same time, Chicago's first fully elected school board is preparing to take office in January, with the district facing mounting financial pressures that could constrain new educational initiatives.

Despite these uncertainties, advocates say the district can no longer afford to delay action. Michilla Blaise, a committee co-chair, said she felt the urgency surrounding the initiative as an enormous responsibility, describing it as a “10-ton weight”. “Advocates were banging their pots and pans and saying we need to get to work,” she said, acknowledging frustration within the community over the lengthy delay in getting the committee operational.

Blaise attributed some of the delay to efforts to ensure the initiative was properly structured. The district also reopened applications earlier this year after residents raised concerns that they had missed the original deadline. Around 500 people eventually applied, according to CPS. Blaise and Jitu Brown, two West Side school board members and close allies of the Chicago Teachers Union, were selected to help recruit committee members and lead the panel. However, last week's school board election has brought a leadership change: Blaise retained her seat, while Brown lost his.

Jessica Biggs, the board president-elect, will appoint a new board member to serve as co-chair. Blaise said she hoped Brown would continue contributing to the committee's work in some capacity. The committee's first meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at district headquarters on West Madison Street, will focus on introducing members and establishing priorities for 2027.

“I’d like for folks to get to know each other,” Blaise said. “The more cohesive we are, the faster we can move through things.”

Members will also receive an update from district officials on progress made so far. Initiatives include a conference on Black student unions at Chicago high schools earlier this autumn and efforts to secure philanthropic support for recruiting more Black teachers.

The committee brings together community advocates, educators and students. Among its new members are former CPS principal Gerald Morrow, a senior at selective-enrolment Whitney Young High School and a junior from Westinghouse High School. For longtime community leader Valerie Leonard, the committee's formation is an important step, but its delayed arrival raises concerns about lost time in addressing persistent inequalities affecting Black students.

She said the panel must focus on monitoring implementation and ensuring that the district's commitments translate into tangible improvements. Beyond reducing disciplinary disparities and improving graduation outcomes, she said Black families want stronger performance in mathematics and reading, alongside wider access to advanced academic programmes.

Leonard stressed that accountability should not become a tool for labelling students or communities as failures, but warned that abandoning measurable assessment would undermine the initiative. “I don’t want to see data weaponized to tell people they are inadequate,” she said. “But when you throw away accountability altogether, that’s problematic. How do you measure whether you are moving the needle?” Dwayne Truss, a West Side community advocate and former school board member, believes the committee is beginning its work in a more favourable national climate, with growing public fatigue over political battles surrounding education. He pointed to calls for policymakers to move beyond cultural and ideological disputes and focus on issues that directly affect communities and families.

His remarks come after CPS Superintendent Macquline King was summoned to Capitol Hill earlier this year to defend the district's Black Student Success Plan and its policies concerning transgender students. Blaise, however, said supporters had remained committed to the initiative even at the height of federal scrutiny. She hopes the committee's work will eventually inspire similar efforts in school districts across the United States.

“This committee is being watched nationally,” she said, “not just by people who are angry about it, but also people who are inspired by it.”