CPS announced this week that three elementary schools and one high school would be closed for poor academic performance. An additional two schools would be phased out, meaning the schools will stop accepting new students. One of these schools (Crane Technical High Scool) will be co-located, meaning that it will share space with a charter high school. Two additional schools will start to share space with a charter. The announcement from CPS comes a day after they listed 10 schools that would be turned around, meaning the school stays open but teachers and principals are replaced.

The Chicago Teachers Union blasted the closings as old, pro-charter school policies couched in new P.R. language. The biggest winner from these school closings and turnarounds, though, may not be a charter network but the Academy of Urban Leadership. The CPS contractor will take over six of the ten turnarounds and also three of the closed schools will re-route their students to AUSL schools.