Chicago Public Schools Reform: A Failure

In a direct challenge the legitimacy of one of Mayor Richard M. Daley's major claimed accomplishments, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club has put out a hard hitting report. Titled "Still Left Behind," the report freely uses terms like "abysmal" to describe the true state of public education in Chicago.

Here are some stats:

Half of the students drop out by high school, and of those who remain until 11th grade, 70% fail to meet state standards, the report says. In fact, "In the regular (non-magnet) neighborhood high schools, which serve the vast preponderance of students, almost no students are prepared to succeed in college. In short, typical results from a major metropolitan area school system.

The report directly challenges widespread claims by current and former CPS officials that local students have shown substantial progress over the last decade on standardized tests.

For instance, it notes a 2006 letter from then schools CEO Arne Duncan, now U.S. secretary of education, stating that the share of CPS students meeting or exceeding state standards had leapt 15 points in one year.

In fact, it says, the change occurred because of a change in the test, not because of real educational gains. As a result, it points out, while a test cited by local officials showed that 71% of 8th graders met or exceeded state standards in 2007, a national test taken here the same year showed just 13% were up to par.

So cooking the books happens in the public schools too. Why am I mot surprised?

The report does note that the changes in the test were ordered by the state, not by CPS officials and Mayor Richard M. Daley had no immediate response to the report, but Ron Gidwitz, former chairman of the State Board of Education, said he believes its results are on point.

"It's hard to refute their conclusions when you look at the evidence," including how CPS students do on college-enrollment tests, Mr. Gidwitz said. "We haven't made nearly as much progress as people thought."

A spokeswoman for the Chicago Teachers Union said she hopes the report spurs more cooperation between school management and teachers. "We know what's needed," she said. The problem with that is the teachers union has made a killing maintaining the status quo.

In an effort to save face, Mr. Duncan's office did fire back.

While the data in cited in the report may be accurate, "We disagree with their conclusions," a spokesman for the secretary said. "There's been tremendous progress in Chicago schools" in recent years.

Here's the bottom line: It's common knowledge that public schools, like Chicago's, are failing students all over the country. The root of the problem isn't that there's not enough money. Tons of money has been pumped into the system. It's not that there aren't enough people who care, there are more than enough people who do. The problem is the curriculum. The kids aren't learning, they're being indoctrinated into socialism and dumbed down. (HT Crain's Chicago Business):

Chicagobusiness.com: Chicago Public-School Reform Flops, Biz-Backed Report Says
Chicagobusiness.com: Still Left Behind: Student Learning In Chicago's Public Schools