#SaveAmandla

Save Amandla. this is a great school.,This is one of the better schools in the neighborhood.The Teachers there really care about the students .I have a daughter whose been there since 5th grade, and has been reading at high school and college level .She is now a Jr and cries everyday on the possible of the school closing.

this school is making a difference!

Team save Amandala.I think it would be selfish to close such a good school.one of the best in our neighborhood.our children need something better to become productive young adults.We need people who show our future genaration that as lsomeone care about what happens to them.there fucture they ability to become knowledgeable and they can become somebody productive in the societey that we need to come together.for our children do let them have a chance where they fell comfortable.don't take that away.

I am a amandla student. I believe our school should stay open because it is a symbol of our home and as long as this school is open we will always do what we need to do to be successful and persevere to become the best we can be. As long as i am standing and i have this logo on my shirt i will always do what is best to keep my school open and always a working progress. PERIOD.

Support

Do not continue to destabilize the educational opportunities in Englewood. Amandla is school that gives hope to the children that often are forgotten.

this school has taught so many things about life !

I LOVE THIS SCHOOL.i been here since 5 th grade and they taught me many things.

Please save this wonderful school!

Closing Amandla is a mistake born out of political posturing - to even consider the possibility is to ignore Amandla's lengthy history of providing high-quality education to the students served there.

KEEP THE SCHOOL OPEN FOR OUR YOUTH AND TEENS OF ENGLEWOOD

Englewood needs quality schools!

I completely disagree with the decision to close Amandla Charter School. As a cofounder of Amandla and the founding Dean of Students, I was drawn to the Renaissance 2010 mandate to create new school options for the families in our community. I believe we created one of those quality options for our families. Anyone who has actually followed the entire evolution of Amandla Charter School knows the current depiction of the school as “chronically underperforming” is 100% inaccurate. In my opinion, the SQRP rating system is flawed and hurts schools with smaller enrollments. Scores can be heavily skewed by the data of just a couple of students and does not always accurately portray what is actually happening in the walls of a school (both district and charter). CPS officials have not actually stepped foot in Amandla to confirm what they “believe” the data is showing them and are making life changing decisions based very little information. They are taking away the freedom of choice that was mandated by Ren2010. Not all families view charter school options the same way. Many families seek out Amandla exactly because it is a small neighborhood charter school and want a choice in between the district schools and the large network charter schools that are currently dominating the Chicago educational landscape. I encourage all Amandla stakeholders to hold their heads high. You are not the problem. #SaveAmandla

Amandla provides for its local community in ways the CPS system has not been able to do. I hope the politics don't interfere, and the school can continue its mission!

As I have worked at Amandla for 4 school years, I have seen GROWTH, COMMITMENT, DEDICATION, MATURITY, AND TENACITY TOWARDS LEARNING, by the staff and the students. Amandla is a safe space for the students; they're able to express their needs and look to succeed with the guidance of staff and their peers. I work in the Special Education Department. Students who were not verbalizing needs, now talk more. Students who were ostracized for being "different," now have friends in the general education setting. Grades have improved for students who wouldn't even sit in a classroom for 5 minutes without getting restless. The staff work SO hard to ensure the academic success of each student. They stay after school to help students with college applications; they use their own money to make sure the students have the supplies they need; one teacher, even, coaches and organizes ALL of the sporting activities accessible to the students!! Amandla is a gem waiting to be exposed and shone to the world. The students are beautiful, young people who WANT to learn, who WANT to be safe, who WANT to express themselves in positive, productive ways, and who WANT a stable, consistent place to call HOME to their educational dreams. AMANDLA PREPARES STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE AND BEYOND!!!!!!

Keep Amandla open!

The rating system is flawed. A school like this, whether neighborhood or charter, that has the support of the community should not be closed on the basis of such a flawed system.

Amanda is providing an educational opportunity that will increase the future options of its student body.

Education = Future

We need the education and support that Amandla for our youth, so they can be the leaders of the future.