A Test! How Much Do You Know about Mayoral Control in Chicago?

June 10, 2018 //

Julie Vassilatos, parent activist and blogger in Chicago, has prepared a brilliant and funny multiple-choice test about mayoral control in Chicago.

Take the test and see how much you know. You will learn a lot.

Categories Accountability, Chicago, Education Reform, Parents

32 Comments Post your own or leave a trackback: Trackback URL

carolmalaysia says:

June 10, 2018 at 9:12 am

A friend of mine, who is a Trump lover, sent me this article. Diane, I would like your comment on this. It seems a bit far-fetched to me. I didn’t see where to post this so hope it is okay to but it here. It puts a very bad light on Chicago public schools. Is this really happening? I think school employees have a lot more to do than sexually abuse kids.
……………………
Hundreds of Chicago Public Schools students have been sexually abused by CPS employees over the past ten years, according to a Chicago Tribune report published Friday. –

CHICAGO (WLS) — Hundreds of Chicago Public Schools students have been sexually abused by CPS employees over the past ten years, according to a Chicago Tribune report published Friday.

In an article titled, “Betrayed,” Tribune reporters detailed more than 500 reports of sexual abuse and rape at CPS schools over the last decade. The report drew from police, public and confidential records.

CPS CEO Janice Jackson sent a letter to all parents of CPS students, detailing steps that are being taken to protect students.

“I’m a parent, I’m a woman this is unacceptable to me,” Jackson said…

http://abc7chicago.com/3549912/

LikeLike

Reply
- dienne77 says:
  
  June 10, 2018 at 9:27 am
  
  That article was linked in the article that Diane links to. Yes, it reflects very badly on CPS, along with everything else in that article. This is a good illustration of why I don’t see cause for optimism just because we might oust a lot of Republicans in the next election and get a lot of Democrats instead. Chicago is nearly all Democrat. Look how well that’s worked out.
  
  Incidentally, it’s not the numbers that are truly troubling. “Hundreds” of incidents over ten years translates to around 20 or so per year, which is not a huge number in a system that serves hundreds of thousands of students. What’s troubling is that CPS has no standard procedural means of dealing with these incidents, even after all the sex abuse scandals in so many other arenas. You’d think after the Catholic priest scandal, every other organization on the planet would get those ducks in a row, but not CPS.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
- carolmalaysia says:
  
  June 10, 2018 at 10:31 am
  
  Opps. I am so disappointed. This should have been stopped years ago. The Catholic church got called out for its abuses and it is past time that something is done. Mayoral control obviously isn’t working very well.
  ……………….
  
  Which of the following did a mayoral-controlled CPS purposely conceal from the public?
  A decade’s worth of sexual abuse for which CPS had no protocol to deal with
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
LeftCoastTeacher says:

June 10, 2018 at 11:07 am

Is Rahm still Totalitarian Oppressor of Chicago? When is Chicago finally going to get a real Democrat?

LikeLike

Reply
- dienne77 says:
  
  June 10, 2018 at 12:42 pm
  
  Rahm is a real Democrat. He has the full support of the Party apparatus.
  
  What Chicago (and everywhere else) needs is leaders who don’t bow to any party line but instead does what’s best for the people. Unfortunately, any candidates who try to do that are immediately shut out by the Party.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 12:52 pm
    
    We cannot paint the entire Democratic Party with the same political thinking that Rahm represents.
    
    There are divisions in both major parties. All large political parties have factions. Even the Chinese Communist Party has factions.
    
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJBEAxIqsJo
    
    LikeLike
  - dienne77 says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 1:02 pm
    
    We can absolutely paint the Democratic Party with that brush. Sure, there are some individual Democrats who are trying to serve the people and enact truly progressive policies. But time after time after time those individuals are shut down and marginalized by the Party and its enablers in favor of established, centrist, big money candidates. The Intercept has detailed any number of such races in the past few months. Right here in Illinois we just witnessed the Party support centrist, anti-choice, disastrous, while male incumbent Dan Lipinski over his progressive, pro-choice female opponent. Hell, Hillary herself just endorsed Cuomo over Nixon. The minute Tom Perez was installed as head over Keith Ellison, the Party made itself abundantly clear. Those expecting change from the Democratic Party are being played for fools.
    
    LikeLike
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 1:20 pm
    
    Dienne77 cleary is an individual that see only two colors in the political spectrum. The one she thinks and all the others lumped into one shade.
    
    NO! we cannot (I repeat NOT!!!!) absolutely paint the Democratic Party with that (Rham) brush.
    
    “What are the Major Groups that Represent Factions within the Democratic Party.”
    
    “Progressives tend to advocate a relatively social democratic agenda.[1] Unifying issues among progressive Democrats include opposition to the War in Iraq, opposition to economic liberalism and social conservatism, opposition to all corporate influence in government, support for universal health care or single-payer health care, revitalization of the national infrastructure and steering the Democratic Party in the direction of being a more forceful party. Compared to other factions of the party, they’ve been most critical of the Republican Party, and most supportive of direct democracy. …
    
    “Liberal wing Liberal Democrats are to the left of centrist Democrats but not as progressive as the Progressive wingers in the party. The liberal faction was dominant in the party for several decades, although they have been hurt by the rise of centrist forces such as President Bill Clinton. …
    
    “Centrist wing Though centrist and center-right Democrats differ on a variety of issues, they typically foster a mix of political views and ideas. Compared to other Democratic factions, they are mostly more supportive of the use of military force, sometimes including the war in Iraq, and are more willing to reduce government welfare, as indicated by their support for welfare reform and tax cuts. …
    
    “Neoliberals are socially tolerant or progressive, and argue for a market fair to both consumers and businesses. …
    
    “Conservative Democrats are Democratic Party members with conservative political views, or with views relatively conservative with respect to those of the national party. While such members of the Democratic Party can be found throughout the nation, actual elected officials are disproportionately found within the Southern states, and to a lesser extent within rural regions of the several states generally, more commonly in the West. …
    
    Libertarian wing — Civil liberties advocates, and people against national debt, also often support the Democratic Party because its positions on such issues as civil rights and separation of church and state are more closely aligned to their own than the positions of the Republican Party, and because the Democrats’ economic agenda may be more appealing to them than that of the Libertarian Party. …
    
    There a lot more on this site.
    
    https://sites.google.com/site/suncitydemocrats/democrat
    
    LikeLike
  - dienne77 says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 1:05 pm
    
    Incidentally, for anyone who wants to defend the Democrats as a party, please find me some examples of races where the Party has rallied behind the more progressive candidate rather than the established, centrist (usually incumbent) candidate. Thanks.
    
    LikeLike
  - dienne77 says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 1:46 pm
    
    Oh good g-d, Lloyd, you’re the one who thinks the Democrats (Blue) and Republicans (Red) are the only two colors on the political spectrum. To the extent I have a color on that spectrum, it’s closest to Green.
    
    Anyway, sure you can argue that there are “divisions” within the Democratic Party. But which of those factions prevails? Again I’ll challenge you. Please find me any races where the Party is supporting the more progressive candidate. I’m waiting.
    
    LikeLike
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 2:06 pm
    
    Dienne77, DO NOT put words in my mouth.
    
    I never said the Democrats are all blue and the GOP is all red. What I did say in one of my comments in this threat to you is that every large political party has factions and that includes the GOP.
    
    As for progressives in the Democratic Party winning their elections. Isn’t Berny Sanders a progressive (not by your individual, biased want-to-be definition but by the standard, accepted definition of a progressive)?
    
    In addition, Politico.com reports:
    
    “Even in Illinois, where the Democratic Party holds most of the levers of power, the data tell a similar story: There were more progressive candidates this year, the Primaries Project reports, than moderate and establishment candidates, by a count of 25 to 21. …
    
    “These progressives aren’t necessarily sweeping races up and down the ballot. But they are winning enough of them—and generating enough grass-roots pressure—to continue driving the party leftward.”
    
    https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/03/29/bernie-sanders-democrats-primaries-217719
    
    To be clear, “A progressive politician is one who usually favors the middle class and sympathizes with them and any struggles they may be facing. More often than not progressive politicians will side with a position if it is estimated to benefit the middle class in some way.”
    
    https://soapboxie.com/us-politics/What-is-a-Progressive-Democrat
    
    Do you ever bash the Republican Party? I can’t remember you ever criticizing the GOP. It seems that all of your criticisms are always focused on the Democratic Party.
    
    I think you are a conservative subversive attempting to spread discord among Democrats no matter what their political thinking is.
    
    LikeLike
  - dienne77 says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 2:44 pm
    
    Who’s “Berny”? Assuming you mean Bernie (who’s been in the spotlight long enough for you to be able to spell his name properly), you did note what the Party did to him, right?
    
    Anyway, I’m not asking how many progressives are in which races or even which progressives are winning or have won. I asked you specifically to find examples of instances in which the Party has supported the more progressive candidate against a more centrist/conservative candidate. I’m still waiting.
    
    As for the Republicans, in case you didn’t notice, this thread isn’t about Republicans. Rahm is a Democrat. He’s supported by the Democratic Party. Nearly the entire Chicago City Council (which appoints the board that runs CPS) is Democratic.
    
    I don’t need to waste my breath or bandwidth talking about the Republicans. They speak for themselves. Their current leader openly brags about grabbing women by the p*ssy – what more could I possibly add to that?
    
    The problem is that people think that the Democratic Party is the answer to the Republicans, when clearly they’re not. At the same time as all the Democratic #Resistance “heroes” are bashing Trump, they’re voting for all his policies and appointees. The Democratic Party stands for the same thing as the Republicans, they’re just more “statesmanlike” about it, meaning that when Democrats are in power, there’s less resistance because there’s a prettier veneer. The Democrats do indeed “get things done” – the kinds of things the Republicans would be proud to get done. No Republican could have destroyed welfare as we know it or established the right of the president to assassinate U.S. citizens (including 16 year old ones) due-process free. No Republican could have gotten away with destroying Libya and laughing about its leader getting bayoneted in the backside (“We came, we saw, he died, hahahahaha!”). Look how much more trouble Betsy’s had than Arne ever did privatizing public schools.
    
    LikeLike
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 3:55 pm
    
    Thank you for your endless examples of extreme and often misleading bias.
    
    LikeLike
  - dienne77 says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 4:31 pm
    
    And thank you for admitting you can’t answer my question.
    
    LikeLike
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    June 10, 2018 at 6:32 pm
    
    Funny.
    
    There is a difference between “I can’t” and “I refuse” to play your biased game by your rules. When someone refuses to play a rigged game by rules someone else makes up (sort of like Trump does every day) as they go, that doesn’t mean the refuser lost or can’t answer a question.
    
    Back in 1989, during my 14th year of teaching, I meant a teacher who complained often about the fact that his choice (AFT) for the teachers’ union in that district had lost the vote and NEA had won it. He retired the year before I did in 2005 and he never stopped complaining and how AFT would have done a much better job defending teachers rights. He never stopped being angry that his choice lost.
    
    Dienne77 reminds me of him.
    
    This is what I think about dienne77. Since there is no way to tell if you are a man or a woman or an alien from another planet, then I will call you “it”.
    
    I think “it” is a sock puppet shill for the Alt-Right and its job is the sow anger and doubt and discourse among Democrats so they won’t vote in the next election, just like many didn’t vote in the last election thanks to the Alt-Right lying media machine and the Russians, and then the Koch brothers Alt Right will keep their current seats in the local, state, and federal governments so they can continue to support Trump as he dismantles this country.
    
    If “it” does not belong to the Alt-Right or work for the Alt-Right, then “it” has nothing to gain and everything to lose by continuing to bash the Democratic Party. At least in the Democratic Party, there are factions that fight for the people even if those factions don’t control the entire party platform at this time.
    
    LikeLike
  - Duane E Swacker says:
    
    June 11, 2018 at 9:24 am
    
    Lloyd wrote “This is what I think about dienne77. Since there is no way to tell if you are a man or a woman or an alien from another planet, then I will call you “it”.”
    
    Dienne is definitely a woman’s name and is the first name of the poster and she is definitely a woman-an intelligent, thoughtful, nice, etc. . . mother who deeply cares not only for her children but also for all children.
    
    I know that you’re better than that comment Lloyd.
    
    LikeLike
  - Lloyd Lofthouse says:
    
    June 11, 2018 at 8:57 pm
    
    Anyone, even if they are an alleged “mother who (allegedly) deeply cares not only for her children but also for all children” who leaves comments using a sock puppet name similar to what trolls use, that does not identify who is really leaving the comment, risks comments like mine.
    
    I actually knew a man who used a woman’s name online for his anonymous name. I’ve never used an anonymous name online. That friend, a former US Marine and veteran teacher of more than 30 years in the classroom, died of leukemia years ago soon after he retired from the classroom but for some reason, he liked using a woman’s name online instead of his real name.
    
    Online, it doesn’t matter what sock puppet name you use, you can be a man or a woman or an alien from another planet because we have no way to tell.
    
    If what you say is true, then I think she/he/it is misguided, and I’d probably not apologize if I learned who the real person was, because that comment is based on a person that prefers to leave comments using an anonymous name.
    
    My comments are based on what I’ve read from many of dienne77’s often angry and biased comments.
    
    LikeLike
  - Duane E Swacker says:
    
    June 11, 2018 at 9:39 pm
    
    I’ve met Dienne. She is real and is a sincere genuine person who says it like she sees it and sometimes what she says offends some. . . much like I do. And as I feel about that offending some. . . so be it. She defends herself well and does not take any grief without commenting back. I can understand and appreciate that aspect of “social media discussions”.
    
    Unfortunately, at least in my mind, far too many feel the need to use pseudonyms on social media for whatever reason. Not many use their names as you and I, and others here do.
    
    LikeLike
  - carolmalaysia says:
    
    June 12, 2018 at 7:10 am
    
    I didn’t realize when I signed up that people were using their real names. I tried to change what was already in the system. I gave up after a few tries. I was not trying to hide anything.
    
    [Diana] Carol Ring
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
  - dianeravitch says:
    
    June 11, 2018 at 9:56 pm
    
    On the Internet, no one knows you are a dog. Famous cartoon in the New Yorker years ago.
    
    LikeLike
- LeftCoastTeacher says:
  
  June 10, 2018 at 6:01 pm
  
  Rahm is a neo”liberal” Democrat, not a supporter of the Party of the People. To me, it’s very simple. We have the numbers, ‘we’ being education professionals, parents, community, labor, multicultural, and other activists. They have the money, ‘they’ being hedge fund managers, financiers, and tech moguls. We the People need to voice our collective needs with numbers and drown out the donor class’ dollars in primary elections. We need to win primary elections (especially, overcoming the superdelegates in 2020). We won’t win every primary election. We need to try to do so. Every time we don’t, we are forced to accept the law of lesser evils and hope for the best. Every time we do, we stand a better, grassroots chance of beating the Republicans and resuscitating democracy.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
retiredbutmissthekids says:

June 10, 2018 at 12:21 pm

Also, to add to what Dienne77 said & to LeftCoastTeacher: thanks, Bridgeport, CT (no, kidding–you are SMART!!): Paul Vallas is baaaack w/a vengeance; he is running for mayor! (He consistently comes back to ILL-Annoy &, somehow, makes lot$ of $$$ on our backs. After he got kicked out of Bridgeport, he came back &–voila!–Gov. Quinn “chooses” Paul to run as Lt. Gov. on his ticket {Quinn, the “accidental” gov. who had the chance of a lifetime–when Blago was convicted–to REALLY do something for us. But he turned tail on the very people that supported him in the first place…the unions. He said that he was “born to fix the pension crisis,” even coming up w/a silly cartoon, “Squeezy the Pension Python.” He may have been one of the first governors to be booed off the stage at the ILL-Annoy State Fair; word has it that he escaped out the back. Then, after all the S.t.P.P., he twists the knife in further & picks Vallas as his running mate. Because, you know, Vallas always HAS to have some position of power. Then, Vallas goes to the very cash-strapped Chicago State University, appointed by Republican Gov. (named worst gov. in U.S.) to be an unpaid consultant. Of course, Vallas can’t be “unpaid” for very long, so he lands a paid position at the, still cash-strapped C.S.U., angering many.
(I advise looking up his salary…I believe it was in the 6 figures.) But…not enough power for him, so he has to run for…mayor, because, well, Rahm is just SO much worse than Paul.
People from NOLA (specifically, Mercedes Schneider), CT (Jon Pelto) & Philly (Helen Gym)–this is an urgent appeal: PLEASE, PLEASE write an editorial to the Chicago Sun Times (to the Chgo. Trib., too, to see what sticks, although the S-T is part union-owned & liberal, & will more likely to be published there, & I think more commuters & others read the S-T; my neighbors, long-time Trib. subscribers, recently switched) about what havoc Vallas has caused–most people around here don’t know, & rely on tv ads, word-of-mouth, some glowing columns in the paper (John Kass, a widely-read Page 2 Trib. columnist is in love w/Paul–in fact, he urged him to run), etc.

Chicagoans have GOT to know that Vallas is no viable choice. Out of the frying pan into the fire.

LikeLike

Reply
retiredbutmissthekids says:

June 10, 2018 at 12:23 pm

Oh–& someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that Vallas used to be a Republican which, I’m sure, would mean that he’d found it more politically advantageous for him to declare himself a Democrat.

LikeLike

Reply
Lloyd Lofthouse says:

June 10, 2018 at 12:24 pm

We could replace Rham Emmanuel with Putin, Trump, Stalin or Hitler and get similar results. Rham is a dictator. Democracy died in Chicago when he became mayor just like democracy has expired in North Carolina.

LikeLike

Reply
- dienne77 says:
  
  June 10, 2018 at 12:43 pm
  
  Democracy died in Chicago long before Rahm came along. Maybe about the time Harold Washington died.
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  
  Reply
speduktr says:

June 10, 2018 at 1:22 pm

I am fighting with WordPress to post comments. All of a sudden they have never heard of me when I want to post, but my user names are already in use when I try to sign in. Here goes…Any protocol that is developed should include protection for both accuser and alleged abuser. I know of several incidents of alleged abuse (sexual and/or verbal) where the allegation was false. One student recanted after questioning by the parents, but the teacher never tutored students alone again.

LikeLike

Reply
dienne77 says:

June 10, 2018 at 4:38 pm

And thank you for admitting you can’t answer my question.

LikeLike

Reply
- dienne77 says:
  
  June 10, 2018 at 4:39 pm
  
  Sorry, WordPress issues – this was a reply to Lloyd above.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
retiredbutmissthekids says:

June 10, 2018 at 10:36 pm

I just wrote a long reply to Lloyd that was cut off (not because of WordPress, but because my computer is acting goofy). Anyway, I wasn’t saying that Rahm has been great; quite the opposite. But people need to know that Paul Vallas means bad news, as well. Anyone reading this blog for any length of time knows what destruction he’s wrought wherever he’s been; absolutely destroyed New Orleans public schools. In fact, I’ll bet anyone that–if & when–he loses the Dem primary here, he’ll quickly be off to Puerto Rico, to oversee the privatization of their schools, because, well…KA-CHING $$$$$$$$.
And we’ve had mayoral trouble both before & after Harold Washington (remember Benjamin Willis, our Supt. under Mayor Richard J. Daley, & his very segregated “Willis Wagons?” {& the Bernie you refer to, Lloyd, was a U. of Chicago S.N.C.C. leader, & was arrested for protesting civil rights violations right outside those very trailers}). We in & around Chicago know the sad history &–Harold, we miss you! One of the good ones, definitely gone too soon.

LikeLike

Reply
retiredbutmissthekids says:

June 10, 2018 at 11:01 pm

OOps, my comment disappeared! Anyway, thank you, Julie, for this brilliant quiz!
“Chicago Public Fools” is a great blog. (BTW–I, unfortunately, scored a 20; I bet all CPS Parents would, as well; perhaps their scores could be factored in to their kids’ schools,giving each some extra V.A.M., & saving them from closure for poor test scores.)

LikeLike

Reply
- speduktr says:
  
  June 10, 2018 at 11:51 pm
  
  I got a twenty, too, rbmtk. I know who not to vote for. I need to hear more about who might be a good candidate and why. Any ideas?
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
  - retiredbutmissthekids says:
    
    June 11, 2018 at 10:17 am
    
    I heard Lori Lightfoot on “At Issue” & on Ben Joravsky, & she has experience, great ideas & is very much pro-public schools…&…she’s got a fighting chance (has a good team, thus far).
    Of course, Troy LaRaviere is whip-smart, was fired for telling truth-to-power (on numerous occasions; if memory serves me correctly, he originally broke the story about Sodexho & the filthy schools) & was a Bernie delegate & supporter. Having said that, where has he been? I went to an early meeting, & have heard nothing much since. He’s not been “making the rounds,” as far as I can see; no new P.R. I think he’s an unfamiliar face to the vast majority; Lightfoot has been in the papers & speaking out & out-&-about: she was at the 57th St. Art Fair last week, & her volunteers were out w/sign-ups, buttons, etc. at Midsommarfest in Andersonville both Sat. & Sun. (she may have been there, as well).
    
    LikeLike