Rahm Emanuel made a campaign promise last week that if elected mayor, he would install a new math and English language curriculum in Chicago’s public schools by the end of his first term.
…
Mr. Emanuel made clear that he meant no disrespect to Mayor Richard M. Daley, who assumed control of the city’s public schools 15 years ago and has said changes in public education are his proudest accomplishment. Gery Chico, the mayoral candidate who was city school board president, recently angered Mr. Daley by saying that the efforts to improve schools have stalled. Mr. Emanuel instead echoed Mr. Daley’s mantra about the schools. “There is no doubt we’ve made great strides,” Mr. Emanuel said, “but you don’t rest on your laurels.”
Kudos to the Chicago News Coop for getting this story. I think it’s hilarious. Rahm just simply refuses to say anything bad about da Mare. At first it was just a little odd; now it’s straight-on entertainment.
The city’s broke and broken. We’re out of money and have no plan to get out of debt or bring much needed jobs back. But I digress.
Did anyone ask Rahm what this “new curriculum” is called? Who sells it? How are we going to pay for it? How are we going to train our existing teachers to use it? And, how are we going to make sure the teachers are not just slipping back to teaching the “old way?”
Further, much like Chico’s plan (my comments here) how are we going to measure the success or failure of the new curriculum?
In Chicago we don’t worry about measuring success. We just move the chairs around, talk about how much we “care”, have our picture taken with smiling kids from the West or South side, and continue on as if there is no problem.
It’s embarrassing that the electorate stands for it. People get the representative democracy they deserve; we deserve better that this.