The Mayor's Office and Chicago Public Schools are trying to shut down a high-performing model of national best practice because of political pressure from a small group of wealthy elites driven by a specific vision of urban planning.

National Teachers Academy is one of only 16 CPS elementary schools teaching an 80% African-American population at such a high level of quality (Level 1 rating, Well-Organized Score). Independent researchers have called it a model school and it has won national awards for innovation in its design, which includes restorative justice practices, a social-justice curriculum, community health clinic, and wraparound supports to help all students achieve their potential.

A small group of wealthy property owners with a predominant interest in their property values has aligned their interests with Mayor Emanuel, asking him to implement modern-day redlining to significantly reduce the area's low-income African-American population when the plan is implemented.

This action has huge impacts on school segregation, educational funding inequity, and the value of community voice versus community elites. Ask your elected officials to stand up for low-income black children everywhere by publicly telling CPS to stop disinvesting in majority black and brown communities, starting with NTA. Ask them to call on CPS for an impartial racial equity analysis to evaluate the impact this closure could have on low-income black students and tell the Board of Education to reject the plan to close NTA.