What early data shows about the CMSD promises about class sizes, advanced classes and more

Cleveland school leaders promised students across the district would gain opportunities as they shuttered their schools. As they pushed last year to close and merge schools, CMSD pledged to expand access to algebra in 8th grade and to college-level courses, all while keeping class sizes manageable. Closing 18 schools and cutting hundreds of jobs would be painful, CEO Warren Morgan said frequently, but it would help the district give students what they deserved. Now, a few months into the school year, early data offers a first look at how those promises of the plan, called Building Brighter Futures, are playing out. Records obtained by Signal Cleveland show more students are taking algebra in middle school and courses that offer college credit in high school. Average class sizes across the Cleveland Metropolitan School District have stayed steady or declined slightly. The numbers tell only part of the story, though. Students and teachers at some merged high schools describ