Dr. Ebony Lofton, who presented an update on the district's transformation Goal 4 (the portrait and early childhood alignment), reported Aug. 12 that District 97 continued to expand signature portrait experiences and summer offerings aimed at increasing access and community partnership.
Lofton told the board the district ran eight summer programs that employed 53 staff and served almost 1,000 students, including robotics, algebra access, multilingual summer boost, music camp and extended school-year programs. She emphasized partnerships with Triton College, the Field Museum, the Oak Park Ed Foundation, the Park District and Oak Park Public Library.
Why it matters: the portrait-of-an-eighth-grade-graduate framework is the district's organizing vision for out-of-school learning, early childhood alignment and equity work. Staff said the effort is intended to make learning experiences consistent across in-school and out-of-school settings.
Key points:
- Summer programs: administrators said eight district programs served nearly 1,000 students and employed 53 teachers; programs included summer robotics camp, access to algebra, middle school math review, multilingual summer boost, summer music camp and partnerships for career-explorer activities.
- Clubs, sports and music: the district reported 125 distinct clubs, sports or music programs in the last year. Staff analyzed participation by demographic group and found participation roughly mirrored district demographics for race/ethnicity and gender but lagged for students with individualized education programs (IEPs), English learners and students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
- Equity and access: staff highlighted targeted efforts such as a new elementary volleyball clinic funded by a community endowment and plans for an elementary basketball league to increase access to cut sports; early-childhood registration follow-ups found about 13.6 percent of incoming kindergarten families reported difficulty finding child care, with availability and cost cited as top barriers.
Discussion and follow-up:
Board members asked for participation and attendance detail to inform future resource decisions. Lofton and staff said they will provide participation numbers and program outcomes to support program planning and potential resource reallocation.