60 Comments - OneMan - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:04 am: The CTu does not appear to be happy with this guy at all. Not sure how going on instant attack is going to help their relationship with him. - Where is Careen Gordon? - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:16 am: Yeah, Rahm is drawing the battle lines early with this pick. The CBA with the CTU expires after the 2011-12 school year, that could get ugly. A Pritzker on the board…Andrea Zopp? Buh… - sad - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:20 am: The only people to blame are those that voted for rahm. Gullible comes to mind. Why in the world people would vote for someone who doesn’t believe in public education is beyond me. Really. rahm showing up at the bulls game the day after he won with a key player in the charter school movement says it all. The market will save us all, don’t you see? Lol. - Dirt Digger - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:21 am: Looks mostly like a research dump from the Rochester Teacher’s Association. Out-of-context administrative pay hits tend to be popular with labor. All these stories tell me is that Brizard’s pick is based on his experience with a similarly underperforming school system to Chicago. It would have been more of a surprise (and cause for alarm) if CTU actually LIKED whomever Rahm picked. - Capra Corn - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:27 am: You have to wonder if Bradley Tusk wasn’t somehow tied into this whole Brizard pick. It fits with the model he’s been working up with Bloomberg and other “education reform”/Democrat groups in Nawk. http://www.uft.org/news-stories/anti-seniority-tv-ad-s-sponsors-tied-mayor - Burnham Wannabe - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:33 am: But Brizard wasn’t even good in Rochester. Nobody liked him, and he didn’t actually improve the schools. What merits another chance in an even bigger school system? How do these big-city Supers/CEOs get hired? I feel like we’re all being pranked, that Rahm is going to hold a “gotcha” presser. - Jim - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:42 am: Sounds very Huberman-esque with top pay for his inner-circle. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:52 am: Yup, if he knows how to pad the payroll, he’ll fit at CPS. - Bill - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:55 am: This guy is just another joke in a long line of jokes. Unfortunately the taxpayers and the students will bear the brunt of it, as usual. - Hank - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 8:56 am: Like those that came before, he is but a figurehead. The CPS is controlled by the 5th floor. He will be gone within 24 months either because of scandal or frustration - Give the guy a chance - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 9:10 am: Hey, look that was NY this is Chicago and for sure CPS simply ain’t working. Why would anyone want anyone that the union wants? Give the guy a chance. - jeff - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 9:11 am: Rochester has a total population of 200,000 people. There are over 435,000 students in CPS. This hire seems to be a bit of a stretch just due to running an administration the size of CPS will be new to him. I think we have single high schools in Chicago with a larger student population than Rochester has. Again this is a big step, I truly hope he is up for it. The students deserve it. - downstate hack - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 9:18 am: One of the most interesting aspects of this debate is that we are discussing graduation rates under 50%. This is unfortunately true in most urban areas. These numbers are appalling and this is after educational spending per student has risen quite dramatically in the last decade, mostly due to higher teacher and admin salaries. Maybe it is time for radical change. - amalia - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 9:22 am: I don’t know if this is a good pick or a bad one. but the key number in the Supt. employee group is the number of employees who actually report to the Supt. It’s a managerial standard that a person should have 10 or 12 direct reports. yes, lots underneath that, but in trying to manage well, others under must manage. also, people do get promoted and get bigger management positions, so that’s what he’s doing. - Stooges - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 9:40 am: I agree with downstate hack. How can we as a society survive when less than half the kids in the cities can make it through high school? And these leaders think they are doing something when the percentage graduating increases from 43% to 47%? Like every major social problem in this country, we throw money at a problem for years and never see any real improvement. - Leroy - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 9:47 am: I’ll believe someone is ’standing up to the unions’ when I see Wisconsin-like protests in Illinois. Until then, this all is sounding like a put-up job. “Can’t image why our schools are still doing poorly…we did hire someone to stand up the unions, you know…” - zatoichi - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 9:58 am: If Rochester is big enough to find a qualified sup for CPS, there has to be several in Illinois. Must be easier to bring in an out of stater. - CircularFiringSquad - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 10:21 am: Looks like a winner to us…wonder how much taxpayers will shell out for the “move” Didn’t IL pay big bucks to bring some ISBE sports car out to the prairie? - Bring Back Boone's - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 10:23 am: I’ll wait to make a more educated decision once the man actually lands in Chicago. However my initial thoughts are two-fold. First,if CPS doesn’t like him that’s a good sign. Second, I saw Arne Duncan’s statement on the news last night. He had a lot of good things to say about him, and I’m guessing that Arne and the other education guys in DC had a hand in helping Rahm make the decision. I imagine that Brizard came highly recommended. - truthteller - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 10:37 am: CPS needs radical changes will have huge teacher contract impacts. The school day needs to be longer. The school year needs to be longer. Things went the other way under Daley and class sizes increased. You have a bunch of underutilized buildings with bad programs and overcorwded facilities with the few good ones. And nothing will dramtically improve until you get parents to buy in and help. How are you ever going to do that? Without it CPS is doomed in terms of overall achievement. The guy at the top isn’t going to change that. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 10:41 am: I expect Brizard will end up somewhere between “miracle worker” and “union-buster” in the historical continuum of CPS leaders. But unlike some others here, I am willing to give him a chance in Chicago. The mayor is and will be accountable for CPS. Aim your fire accordingly and let’s hope Brizard has a positive impact for the hundreds of thousands of CPS students who desperately need improvement in the system. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 10:44 am: As I warned yesterday, Brizard is a big fan of Atlanta, which received early praise for their big turn around of graduation rates. Turns out, that miracle was due to some Enron-style accounting that just moved a bunch of students into their “Transfers Out” category instead of their “Drop Outs” category…even though they had no record of those students transferring to another school. Well, surprise, surprise…they’re cooking the books in Rochester too. That miraculous increase in graduation rates to 51%? Well, here’s the real numbers. Check out page 15. The actual 4-year graduation rate in Rochester is 46%. 51% is the FIVE YEAR graduation rate. Drill down further into the numbers and you’ll see more troubling facts in Rochester. The four-year graduation rate for white students is 50%. The state average in Illinois is 83%. Like Atlanta, there’s also something very hinky going on with high school enrollment numbers in Rochester. On page 2, you’ll see that they had 2560 8th graders in ‘07. But the next year they had 3719 9th graders. Where did those 1200 new students magically appear from? I will give credit to Brizard for one thing: the miraculous drop in suspension rates. Well, actually it wasn’t miraculous…Brizard made the controversial but smart decision to move most kids from out-of-school suspensions to in-school suspensions, which keeps them off the street and still learning. It also means that they aren’t counted as suspensions for state-statistical purposes and don’t count against average daily attendance. This is just a preliminary analysis…I can’t wait to see Brizard’s first full write-up in Catalyst magazine. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 10:53 am: @dirt digger: Rahm went with a guy with a reputation for “shaking things up.” As we saw with Rod Blagojevich, that meme is often more style than substance, more flash than result. And sometimes, “Reform and Renewal” is just wallpaper thin. Granted its tough to rate school superintendents because most like Brizzard are never in one place long enough for you to see real results of their efforts. I’m less interested in Brizard’s past record and his reputation than I am in his actual strategy for fixing our schools; his plan for implementing that strategy; the measurable benchmarks by which and when he’ll be judged. BUT, if we’re going to talk about his “miracle worker” status in Rochester, we should be alarmed by several things: 1) Dubious statistical results, and even those are far below standards our kids deserve; 2) Inability to gain the trust of and lead not just teachers unions, but also from parents and to some degree his school board. - Ghost - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:11 am: This is the kind of position where the mayor needs somone loyal to him. Experience isimportant, but loyalty is critical. If Rahm thinks this guy will be loyal, then he is the right pick. The experience is side shows he has enough background to be in the job, but thats about it. - lake county democrat - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:11 am: I’m aware of only two school reforms for which there’s solid statistical support: 1) smaller class size for earlier grades and 2) entry teacher credentials (mixed evidence but there’s some studies showing very positive results when the only factor that’s changed is the “book smarts” of the teacher). So watch for those things and not good PR moves like “longer school days” (which are fine but again, where’s the evidence, and what are you giving up for it (salaries? not moving on other reforms?) - SR - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:12 am: ===I’ll believe someone is ’standing up to the unions’ when I see Wisconsin-like protests in Illinois.=== Killing unions, which is what Gov. Walker will have effectively done if the vote to do away with collective bargaining is allowed to stand, is a tad more extreme than “standing up” to unions. Walker doesn’t want reform; he doesn’t believe in unions, period (though he might spare those he received endorsements and donations from). - wordslinger - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:14 am: Rochester to Chicago is a big step up. Still, Emanuel’s the guy, whoever he puts in there is hired to be fired from day one. - SR - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:18 am: On the up side, Brizard reportedly told the Mayor-elect that “it will take a generation to save a generation.” Sounds like someone with a firm grip on reality who wasn’t promising miracles to get the job. He also has over twenty years experience in the classroom. On the down side, he brings a lot of baggage with him that will undoubtedly be used in negotiations to discredit his ideas and attempts at reforms. I foresee a lot of bickering that will make it hard to accomplish much of significance. - Plutocrat03 - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:24 am: The purpose of having a government is to efficiently provide essential services. Currently the CPS schools are failing. This is based on a 5 year graduation rate of 55.8 in ‘10. Granted it is an improvement over the rate in ‘99 which was 47%. But to the taxpayers, the staggering per student cost is not worth it. Doing the same thing or making small changes is not an option. Whether the new boss’s ideas will work out it to be seen, but something drastic must be done. I wish the students well. - been there - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:33 am: WBBM was reporting last night that the teachers union in Rochester gave Brizard a no-confidence vote. Also, WBBM said that at the press conference yesterday, Emanuel wouldn’t let Brizard respond to a question about the no-confidence vote. Doesn’t inspire confidence in either Brizard or Emanuel. - cermak_rd - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:41 am: Sigh. The Chicago Public Schools aren’t failing. The students are failing. They’re mostly failing because they are unmotivated, undisciplined, uninterested, unsupported by their families etc. Switch out the population you currently serve with middle class students and you’d discover that these teachers are miracle workers. Students who are living in segregated poverty don’t make good learners. Some of the teachers may be bad, but most of those self-select out anyway within their first 3 or 4 years. CPS also has some real jewels in its collection like the selective enrollments and some of the charters (some of the charters are abysmal too, but all charters are public schools). Really, though by the time these students get to high school, it’s too late realistically to do much for them (though a top notch vocational program would be great). Resources need to be concentrated at the first 3 grades–low class sizes, and no passing on until the material is mastered. - Burnham Wannabe - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:50 am: @ Cermak - great points. Try to get them all at grade level - or at least motivated and reading - early, and do everything we can to make school a positive, enjoyable place. Right now, it’s the bottom of the list for most kids. And there NEEDS to be more vocational training for kids. Not all CPS students are headed to college, so they need real life training so they can learn to succeed with out being told they’re dumb for not going to college! - Honest Abe - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 11:50 am: Can Chicagoans ever rely upon numbers and statistics provided by Rahm Emanuel? There is a pattern to his misstating the facts if necessary to support his assertions. - Ghost - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 12:00 pm: === The Chicago Public Schools aren’t failing. The students are failing. They’re mostly failing because they are unmotivated, undisciplined, uninterested, unsupported by their families etc. Switch out the population you currently serve with middle class students and you’d discover that these teachers are miracle workers. === Those midle class kids have access to extracuricular activites as well. I am not sure I follow your reasoning…people born into poor families should not be helped by soceity becuase it in everynes best interest to keep them poor an uneducated? or we should punish the kids because they foolishy were born into bad families. After all, who want to live in a country where we miht do things to help kids. perhaps you should read a “Modest Porposal” and go with hat solution. - CircularFiringSquad - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 12:17 pm: Speaking bungling….check out this brainstorm…Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel today named City Hall veteran Forrest Claypool to take over as president of the Chicago Transit Authority…Claypool must have really dumped out on his big health company…At least he get the CTA as the weather gets better and people can walk when the L derails and buses get stuck in the barns. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 12:18 pm: Not to speak for cermak rd, ghost, but I think the point is that we expect the school system to overcome serious poverty issues and that’s not realistic. The problems of povery manifest themselves in our education system. Things like teen pregnacy and urban violence affect graduation rates, yet we hold CPS accountable. That’s tough because while providing a good education is a key factor in getting people out of poverty, poor kids have other issues that complicate the learning process. Expecting CPS to solve these issues alone is folly. The whole village needs to be part of the solution, not just the schools. - Shore - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 12:39 pm: This isn’t my fight so I’ll let those of you who know and care about this issue destroy each other and raise your viewpoints but I will say that video of the teachers union response was awful. There was no message there, the guy was agitated and if that’s their best foot forward they aren’t going to get what they are looking for here. - globalguy - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 12:39 pm: So let me get this right … this pick comes from the guy who popularized “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste”, made his fortune in the unfettered markets, and loves charter schools. I actually think Rahm is hoping Jean-Claude does to CPS exactly what he did with the Rochester schools - run ‘em into the ground! BTW, born and raised in Rochester! - Bill - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 12:47 pm: ==He also has over twenty years experience in the classroom.== No he doesn’t. He has three years experience in the classroom and he has spent the next 20 years trying to keep out of it. - jerry 101 - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 1:08 pm: What seems to be missed in all of this is that CPS has been doing, well, really freaking good when it comes to improving outcomes over the past 10 years. The 4 year graduation rate (if I’m calculating right - I took total graduates for a given school year divided by total freshmen who entered 4 years earlier - for 09-10 graduates, I picked up the 06-07 freshmen) for CPS over the past couple of years is: 09-10: 54.77% 08-09: 52.40% 07-08: 51.60% 06-07: 49.01% Underlying data source is the 2010 CPS CAFR That’s a very clear positive trend line. So, it seems that CPS is doing something right. Maybe CPS should be looked at as a model for turning an urban school district around, instead of blasting it for not doing enough? 55% graduation rate isn’t great, but it’s clearly going the right way. I don’t really see how CPS needs “sweeping change” - CPS really just needs someone to fiddle with the edges and to look at ways to share the best practices from the schools with the greatest improvement with the weaker ones. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 1:14 pm: @47th Ward - First, let’s be clear: graduation rates in Southern Illinois are as bad or worse in some cases as in any urban district in Illinois. While I don’t have the most recent census data, a 2003 report found that there were only two House districts in Illinois where 90% or more of adults (25+) had graduated from high school. In the vast majority, more than 1 in 7 had not completed high school. And in 17, one in six had not earned a high school diploma. We are suffering a systemic crisis in education, not just in Chicago, but across the state. I’m glad we’re talking about a longer school day, and perhaps a longer school year, in Chicago. Here’s some other things we should talk about: 1) All day kindergarten 2) Protecting universal pre-school from budget cuts; 3) Restoring funding for arts, music, athletics, and other “extras” that keep kids engaged in learning; 4) Raising the legal age for dropping out of school from 17 to 18; 5) Leaning on the business community to engage in after-school tutoring and mentoring programs, perhaps providing tax credits; 6) Ending the brain drain of magnet schools; 7) Raising the compensation of Chicago teachers to attract the best talent not just from education, but all fields, perhaps through a property tax credit; 8) Expanding community schools; 9) Raising standards for principals and instituting performance-based pay; 10) Instituting performanced-based pay for all CPS central management. Finally, when can revisit the need for a school board that is elected? Part of the problem with Mayoral control as we’ve seen across the country is that it inevitably leads to the alienation of not just teachers, but also parents and community members throughout the district. That’s a problem because everyone’s constructive engagement is critical to the success of our schools. - ZC - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 1:32 pm: YDD, I really like your list but what’s your response to the problem of “school board capture”: the idea that school boards - or even more particularized school boards that oversee local schools or districts - tend to get dominated by (I’ll just say it) teacher unions? This ideal of active parents and community members sounds good to me, but I question its effectiveness in practice. I’d be more open to it with examples of models out there, today or historical, where it’s worked well. What are the best elected school boards in the US right now? We had a more decentralized model pre-Daley, after all, and that didn’t work particularly well either. - cermak_rd - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 1:34 pm: Ghost, I’m not saying don’t help them. But don’t expect all the children to be above average either. Segregated poverty has educational consequences. And this isn’t a new problem. It’s actually an old one. The difference is back then there were menial jobs available for the dropouts and barely graduateds. If I had my druthers, I’d divide the students out at 15 and if they had below a C+ average, I’d have them in some kind of 1/2 day work program, where they concentrated on a real-world skill for 6 months, then decide whether they liked it and wanted to continue for another 6 months or try another skill, continued through graduation. In that way, students would leave school with either an exposure to different skills or a decent knowledge of one or two skills. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 1:38 pm: @jerry - These are the official drop-out rates from CPS: 1999 50.1 2000 50.5 2001 50.2 2002 50.2 2003 48.4 2004 46.9 2005 44.7 2006 44.0 2007 41.6 2008 42.5 2009 42.5 2010 41.1 As I cautioned with Atlanta and Rochester, however…one must be careful to cross reference these percentages with RAW data about the total number of graduates and drop-outs, especially within sub groups. For example, African American males saw a dramatic decline in drop-out rates - from 63% to 54% during the above period. But how were those statistics achieved? Did we actually improve the number of students retained, advanced, and graduated each year? Did the number of students from neighborhoods of ultra-high drop out rates simply decline? Or did we use some Enron-style bookkeeping as they did in Atlanta and Rochester to make it look as though things were improving when they were not? Finally, let’s remember that graduation/drop-out rates are one important measure of a school district’s performance, but they aren’t the only measure. Perhaps the most important measure is college enrollment rates — given that 85% of jobs in the new economy require some additional training beyond high school. That’s data which is not currently reported on state-mandated school report cards which I’d like to see. P.S. When are we EVER going to get school-specific data in Chicago instead of these useless citywide stats on our school report cards? - cermak_rd - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 1:38 pm: Yellow Dog Democrat, Absolutely on the all day kindergarten and preschool. A lot of folks skip it because they have to work and it’s not worth it for a couple hours. But I disagree on raising the drop out age and ending magnet schools. Keeping students in school who don’t want to be there and are unmotivated is a recipe for creating classroom management chaos. And magnet schools are there to provide for students who are motivated and want to learn. I would just like more of them so they are evenly distributed all over the city. Absolutely on the art, music etc. These are fun activities and also educational. - mokenavince - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 1:44 pm: Cermak,Ghost,and 47th make great points.But lets give this guy a chance, he seems from past history to be a stand-up guy.With the help of a new board, I hope for the kids sake it works. We should also make parents accountable. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 2:00 pm: ===P.S. When are we EVER going to get school-specific data in Chicago instead of these useless citywide stats on our school report cards?=== The state is working on creating a longtitudinal database to track individual students throughout their learning career, from preschool through grad school and into the workforce. It would track students who move from school to school as well, giving a more complete and accurate picture for stakeholders in the system. Most of higher ed is contributing the data, but getting the K-12 systems to participate is challenging for a host of reasons, not the least of it is cost and how the data might be used. But you’re absolutely correct. More data on students and specific schools is a prerequisite for any meaningful policy reform. We’re flying blind right now, and have been forever. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 2:40 pm: @47th Ward - There is no reason that the state’s largest school district can’t provide school-specific data on teacher training, experience, and compensation tomorrow. The state’s second largest school district has been doing it for years. I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason Chicago is the only school district in the state that is exempted from providing that info is that they don’t want us to know that — surprise surprise — that the most experienced, highly trained, and highly compensated teachers are in a handful of schools while the worst performing schools get the dregs. While we’re at it, lets report school-specific data on principals’ training, experience and compensation. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 2:53 pm: @Cermak - The answer is NOT to throw in the towel on “below average” kids. Study after study has shown that when you raise standards and expectations across the board, “below average” kids rise to meet those standards if they’re given the resources. Those higher expectations should be applied across-the-board to not just students but also teachers, administrators, parents, community leaders, elected officials and the private sector. The simple fact is that 50% of kids are “below average,” but our economy cannot survive if 50% of kids never advance beyond a high school diploma. Here’s about where we are now: Out of every 100 U.S. students: - 68 graduate on time; - 40 enroll in post secondary schooling; - 18 earn their 2 or 4 year degree on time. Pathetic. Unsustainable. Unacceptable. - Obamas Puppy - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 2:56 pm: Gotta love the Tribune, as part of their solution for education is vouchers. Why cant they just admit that they do not care about the CPS and say they would prvatize the whole thing. This facade of caring about all the school children when you want to separate some so that you can “remedy” the rest is ridculous. God forbid you put a guy in that position that can work with the unions. Lets make sure there is labor strife in Chicago that will prove you have great leadership skills Rahm. - Bill - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 3:12 pm: OMG! Forrest “Gump” Claypool for president of CTA! What’s next? Rod Blagojevich for ethics officer? - dupage dan - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 3:17 pm: YDD, I agree that students can rise to higher expectations. I have witnessed it in my own life. “Stand and Deliver” is a great movie and was quite motivational to young teachers. However, the teaching profession mirrors the general population. There are some excellent people in all services/businesses/professions. The truly great are a minority in any profession and getting those superior teachers into these schools and keeping them there is a near impossible task. That is why involved parents are so key to a successful education. That, of course, is another topic - can’t disconnect the 2 since addressing the issues are so intertwined. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 3:34 pm: Bill, don’t worry, Claypool won’t be at CTA forever. I hear he’s been promised a top post in the next Obama Administration — the Sasha Obama Administration. Was he the only guy from Chicago who didn’t get a job in Washington? - dupage dan - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 3:34 pm: Forrest Claypool Kevin Spacey Think about it. - SR - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 3:51 pm: ===No he doesn’t. He has three years experience in the classroom and he has spent the next 20 years trying to keep out of it.=== Fair enough, but can you direct me to a source? Everything I’ve read says he was a high school physics teacher and spent 20 years as a teacher/educator/administrator in NYC. They don’t break it down into years spent doing what. ===Study after study has shown that when you raise standards and expectations across the board, “below average” kids rise to meet those standards if they’re given the resources.=== Key words: if they are given the resources. There are too many who already feel like failures, or that they won’t be able to afford college anyway so what’s the point. Good teachers can make a big difference, great teachers can make an even bigger difference, but they can’t do it alone, especially with 30++ kids to a classroom. ===Really, though by the time these students get to high school, it’s too late realistically to do much for them (though a top notch vocational program would be great). Resources need to be concentrated at the first 3 grades–low class sizes, and no passing on until the material is mastered.=== ===@ Cermak - great points. Try to get them all at grade level - or at least motivated and reading - early, and do everything we can to make school a positive, enjoyable place. Right now, it’s the bottom of the list for most kids. And there NEEDS to be more vocational training for kids. Not all CPS students are headed to college, so they need real life training so they can learn to succeed with out being told they’re dumb for not going to college!=== I couldn’t agree more with both of these statements. I would add school safety to the to of the list. If kids have to worry about bullies or gangs, they aren’t going to want to go to school. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 4:15 pm: ===Was he the only guy from Chicago who didn’t get a job in Washington?=== What’s your point Word? From what I know, he could have had his pick of jobs in DC, if that’s what he wanted. I’m pretty sure he didn’t want to move to DC, so why hold that against him? There are lots of ways to disparage Claypool, but the fact that he didn’t go off to work for the Obama administration isn’t one of them. - cermak_rd - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 4:16 pm: Yellow Dog Democrat, I understand the concept of high expectations. I applaud the Kipp schools and our own local Urban Prep. However, I also recognize the limitations of these kinds of programs. They tend to have a high level of drop off as students decide there are actually better things to do with their time. And even our vaunted Urban Prep has an average ACT score of 16.9. Better than other schools, but still not college ready. CPS students have always had access to honors level classes and college prep classes where they could be challenged. Also, a below average in intelligence student who is self-motivated and self-disciplined is probably in a better position than one who is above average intelligence but undisciplined. And the price of college tuition is only worth it if the student has a shot at graduating. Otherwise, it’s just wasted money and wasted time. - Wensicia - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 4:20 pm: Miracle worker or complete disaster? Brizard’s record is nothing to brag about, Zorn has compiled quite a list. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2011/04/webliography-jc-brizard.html#comments - wordslinger - Tuesday, Apr 19, 11 @ 4:39 pm: 47, no offense, brother, I’ve just never bought the reformer hype on Claypool. He was a Big Hitter when he was Daley’s hatchet man and carried that club, but on his own, not so much. - wishbone - Wednesday, Apr 20, 11 @ 12:02 am: Look, it’s not the teachers, it’s not the unions, it’s not about money, and it certainly is not about the CEO. Until you get parents and students who give a damn about education and value it nothing will change. Because it IS about poverty, it IS about race, and it IS about class and no one gives a damn about taking on those issues. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.