Chicago Public Schools have a large deficit. Mayor Rahm Emanuel is responding to the deficit by encouraging the growth of charter schools to carry the burden of educating the city’s children.
One reason for the growing deficit is declining enrollment, caused in large part by the CPS promotion of charter schools. The more students leave the CPS system to enroll in charters, the less state aid CPS gets. As more charter schools open, the financial crisis gets worse. Thus, Mayor Emanuel’s policy makes the deficit worse by stimulating the exodus of students from the school system and reducing its revenues.
One of the mayor’s favorite charter chains is UNO, which is based in the Latino community. UNO just leased a historic Roman Catholic school, St. Scholastica Academy and is set to increase its enrollment. It is sad to see Catholic schools close in urban areas, especially one with such a long history of serving its community.
Both the city and state are pumping money into charter schools, both for operating costs and capital costs. This money is diverted from public schools to privately managed charters. UNO received a state grant of $98 million to expand, and the city adds to its capital costs. In effect, both the city and state are paying charters to drain students and revenues out of the public school system.
Mayor Emanuel is one of those new conservative Democratic mayors who attack the teachers’ union and work to privatize public education in his city. He is following the trail blazed by Arne Duncan in Chicago. If it was a successful policy, Chicago should be one of the nation’s top performing school systems. It is not. How many years will it take before the politicians begin to understand the futility of privatization and the harm they are doing to one of society’s important public institutions?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
They will recognize it when it is too late(assuming they don’t now. However, I think they do recognize what they are doing and don’t give a darn.) and then hold lots and lots of hearings to determine who is responsible.Tell the public we think this is what happen, but we can’t be sure. Meanwhile, Pearson and its ilk, will have made billions, the system will be destroyed and the same people will be given billions to try and build it back up.
FIRE DUNCAN! HireRavitch!
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Rahm Emanuel’s privitization of public education strategy is analogous to his “death panel” strategy relative to healthcare. Education must be taken out of the hands of government and politicians and put back squarely into the hands of the public who are honestly and ethically informed, not through statistical sleight of hand,
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Others have mentioned that Rahm’s own children attend the University of Chicago Lab Schools. If true, it irks me to no end that they benefit from a school:
Whose motto is “learning by doing”
Whose total school population is less than 1800 students, nursery school through 12th (and it is still called nursery school, which has an entirely different connotation than preschool or pre-K)
Where John Dewey himself formulated and applied his progressive educational theories
Where Vivian Gussin Paley, a MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, spent many years researching and writing about the importance of young children’s imaginative play (she is a great hero of mine because she documents children’s first language, play, with respect and thoroughness). Most people’s children, mine included, don’t have the benefit of time at school to learn together through play. They have been robbed by adults who don’t understand or care about child development.
The school for Rahm’s kids develops character, values diversity, and provides depth in learning (see website). Other people’s children are left with worksheet after worksheet and empty bubbles to fill in on a test.
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Emmanuel’s own education focused heavily on the liberal arts and humanities. What the hell happened?
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Power and money!!
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Sucked in by the need for financial backers to further his own power trip? I am afraid once they get a feel for the spoils of being a politician, they sell their souls. Broad, Gates et al have the deepest of pockets.
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“Mayor Emanuel is one of those new conservative Democratic mayors who attack the teachers’ union and work to privatize public education in his city.”
Wait a minute! Someone tell me what makes Emmanuel a Democrat?
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He says he is.
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This applies to Frank Jackson of Cleveland as well.
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