The Chicago-ization of American Education

Here’s another of Obama's brilliant ideas: why not appoint the failed superintendent of one of America’s most notorious cesspools of education and ineptitude to the post of national Secretary of Education? Apparently, mind numbing tolerance of total inadequacy transcends the Chicago public school system and now has found its way into Barack Obama’s plan for nation-wide education. That at least seems to be the case based on the President-elect’s choice of Arne Duncan to be the next standard bearer of American learning. Mr. Duncan has served—or, better put, abandoned—the children of Chicago as the Chicago Public Schools superintendent from 2001-2008 and is now packing his bags and heading on up to the East side—Washington, to be specific. And although his departure from Chicago leaves the potential for better leadership there, it spells trouble for the rest of the nation. For the past five years the Chicago district has failed to meet the federal standards established by the No Child Left Behind Act implemented in 2003 to hold states accountable to annual progress goals. Mr. Duncan’s district—number 299—failed to make “Adequate Yearly Progress” in key areas, especially among student subgroups. The following excerpt from the CNSNews article articulated the state of decay in which Mr. Duncan’s school system now finds itself: “The Chicago school district is currently on ‘Academic Watch’ status, based on its failure to make adequate progress for four consecutive years--and in year two of academic watch for failure to make required improvements.” Mr. Duncan’s ineptitude, however, doesn’t end in the classroom. His anti-Midas touch apparently infected the entire system. (by William Warren )