It's Notes from America, I'm Kai Ray.

A decade ago, Chicago closed 50 public schools, each of which were said to be under enrolled

and underperforming.

It was the largest mass closing in our nation's history, and the overwhelming majority

of the schools were located in black and brown neighborhoods.

Rahman Yul, who was mayor at the time, promised that students would be moved to better schools

with more resources, and the buildings themselves would be transformed into new community assets.

Our friends at WBEZ and Chicago have partnered with the Chicago Sun Times to take a hard

look at what actually happened.

A team of reporters spent six months visiting the shuttered buildings, talking with dozens

of neighbors, and reviewing thousands of public documents.

What they found is unsettling.

The school closures left an enormous mark on the affected neighborhoods, and on the city

as a whole.

I spoke with WBEZ, Sarah Carp, and Lauren Fitzpatrick of the Sun Times about the reporting, and

about what lessons other cities might learn from Chicago.

Sarah and Lauren, thanks for coming on the show.

Thank you for having us.

Very much.

So, there is a moment in your reporting where you reflect on a community meeting that the

Board of Education held at the beginning of this process in which everyone wanted to

sort of share their peace, and they were all a lot of two minutes to talk, and you talk

...