[shadha]

Reading, writing, recruiting?
Debate rages as city's newest facility is dedicated

Chicago Public Schools, which already has the largest junior military reserve program in the nation, on Monday will commission the country's first public high school run by the U.S. Marines, much to the chagrin of activists who have fought to keep the armed services out of city schools.

The dedication of the Marine Military Academy on the Near West Side comes a few days after Chicago officials announced plans to open an Air Force academy high school in 2009. If that happens, Chicago will become the only public school district in the nation to have academies dedicated to the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

District officials say the military-themed schools give students more choices and provide an opportunity to enroll in schools that provide structure, discipline and a focus on leadership. They say the schools emphasize academics, not recruitment.

We have to think outside the box, and what existed before simply did not work for far too many students," said Chicago Public Schools Chief Arne Duncan. "These schools are popular and have waiting lists, so that tells me parents want more of them."

But critics argue the military academies and other district Junior ROTC programs unfairly target poor and minority teenagers for military service.

"We're already the most militarized school system in the nation, and the [district] officials just keep opening more programs, as if they have no problem being a recruitment tool for the military," said Brian Roa, a member of the National Network Opposing Militarization of Youth and a science teacher at Senn High School on the North Side. Senn shares a building with Rickover Naval Academy. "Chicago Public Schools should be in the business of educating children, not finding ways to indoctrinate them into the military."

Nearly a century old

The Junior ROTC was created in 1916 as a way to develop citizenship in teenagers. It grew incrementally for decades until the 1990s, when it dramatically expanded. Today, about 500,000 students are enrolled in high school military programs nationwide.

Chicago has the nation's largest junior cadet program.

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Fabulous idea and alternative.

In concerns to the military using this as a recruitment...only time can tell. In a few years studies can be conducted to see the recruitment percentage of the students but in the meantime, I fully support this. It's an excellent way for the students to learn discipline, structure, and leadership skills.


shadha-