PEORIA.
> LAST JANUARY --
A STUDY BY GOVERNING MAGAZINE
FOUND PEORIA METROPOLITAN AREA
SCHOOLS ARE THE MOST
SEGREGATED IN THE COUNTRY AND
IN ILLINOIS. SO -- IN THE
MONTHS SINCE THAT STUDY --
THERE'S WORK BEING DONE TO
MAKE CHANGES IN THOSE SCHOOLS.
IT'S A STUDY THAT JANIE
BOHLMANN IS TRACKING FOR US.
<<(16;40;04;13 "Diversity is
not just important, it is
essential." Beth Crider,
regional superintendent,
Peoria County IN JANUARY 2019,
A STUDY FOUND PEORIA AREA
SCHOOLS WERE SOME OF THE MOST
SEGREGATED IN NOT ONLY THE
STATE, BUT ALSO THE COUNTRY.
16;42;36;04 "Those students
are leaving and going
somewhere and what does that
do to the community with who's
left and what they're doing."
Crider NOW, SCHOOL LEADERS ARE
PUTTING A POSITIVE FOCUS ON
THEIR SCHOOLS. 07:06:30;26
"What we try to do though with
thework that we do, especially
from the education standpoint,
is to continue to reimagine
and to do things differently
and to collaborate." Kherat
FROM LANGUAGE PROGRAMS TO
WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE AND
COLLEGE ENROLLMENT CREDITS,
LEADERS SAY PEORIA AREA
SCHOOLS HAVE A LOT TO OFFER
STUDENTS. 16;39;11;01 "There
are so many opporunities that
are very different, rather
than just the standardized
curriculum." Crider BUT KHERAT
SAYS THE SCHOOL SYSTEM ISN'T
THE ONLY FACTOR LEADING TO
INCREASED SEGREGATION.
16;38;29;24 "It's what
opportunities are available
for families that live in this
area. So, that's government,
that's economic development,
that's businesses, that's all
of us. And we all need to be a
part of the conversation."
Crider / 07:17:16;15 "It's not
just Peoria Public Schools,
it's so structural." Kherat
AND AS THE SYSTEM MOVES
FORWARD, IT'S A CHALLENGE
SCHOOLS WILL CONTINUE TO FACE.
07:17:16;25 "Boy, it's going
to take a lot of movers and
shakers.." Kherat /
16;38;05;24 "Something that
took years to develop isn't
going to overnight, in one
calendar year, be fixed."
Crider)
> A PEORIA VETERAN
IS DONATING HIS TIME TO
