How Closing Schools Became A Huge Issue In Chicago Politics

In the time it has taken for a child to grow up in Chicago, city leaders have either closed or re-staffed some 200 public schools — nearly a third of the entire district. A new WBEZ investigation looks at the 70,000 children - 90 percent of them black - affected by the tactic of closing and opening schools as a way to improve education. On this episode of On Background, we get the backstory of how a generation of school closings has changed Chicago politics. Reporting for this episode comes from Adriana Cardona-Maguigad, Sarah Karp, Linda Lutton, Kate McGee, and Becky Vevea. Editing by Kate Grossman and Al Keefe. Production by Justin Bull.