Let’s hear it for Rahm Emanuel. He is not running for a third term. He boasts about his education record. He closed 50 public schools in a single day. That was historic! Some locals think that this mass school closing led to violence, gang activity, and many deaths. But then, he was just following in the footsteps of Arne Duncan, who was Chicago’s superintendent of schools under Mayor Daley and started a program called Renaissance 2010. The heart of Renaissance 2010 was closing public schools and replacing them with charter schools. Chicago is still waiting for a “renaissance.”
This is what Politico said about Rahm, the education mayor:
EMANUEL SAYS HE WON’T RUN FOR REELECTION, TOUTS EDUCATION RECORD: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday announced he won’t seek reelection to a third term. The mayor had already been campaigning for a third term, but his unpopularity had drawn an unusually high number of challengers, POLITICO’s Caitlin Oprysko and Shia Kapos report.
— In announcing that he won’t run, Emanuel put his education record front and center. He listed his long-time plan to make full-day preschool available to all 4-year-olds in the city by the fall of 2021, in addition to other education reforms, as his most significant accomplishments.
— “The changes we have made to our school system — universal full day pre-K, universal kindergarten and a longer school day and year will add up to nearly four more years of class time for Chicago’s students,” he said in remarks Tuesday. “In the end of the day what matters most in public life is four more years for our children, not four more years for me.”
— Flashback: Caitlin Emma spoke to Emanuel late last year about the progress and challenges that lie ahead when it comes to Chicago’s school system. More time in the classroom for a “child in poverty is essential,” he said. “I also think empowering the principal is essential. I think starting kids with a full day of kindergarten is essential. And not willing to accept failure as an option.”
Darn! They forgot to mention the historic closing of 50 public schools in a single day. That’s what Rahm will be remembered for.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Diane, what’s happening in the US? Are people crazy? 😦 A chronicle in Sweden refered to this Krugman article. How in the world did Donald Trump become elected?
I live in the US and I ask myself how did this happen and are the Trump supporters/voters crazy? Tell the Swedes to study up on the Electoral College which appears to be lethal to Democrats, along with a right wing supreme court (Bush v Gore).
Thanks for bringing this up, the Bush vs Gore case. Many have suggested judicial overreach in the election, and the appointment of radically different Supreme Court nominees during bush’ s administration point to the increasing perspective that we no longer see balance of power. Montesquieu is spinning within his grave.
Trump boasted during the campaign that he was drawing people to vote who had never voted before or had given up voting. I believe him. The KKK, neo-Nazis, and his favorites “the uneducated.”
Rahm-BOO is a jerk.
Perhaps we should recall that George W Bush ran for president touting the miracle of Texas education under his term as governor. Tennessee has a governor about to serve out his last term that says the same thing about himself. (Aside, his education record includes hiring Huffman and the failed ASD in Memphis, oh yes, I forgot about the average wage for teachers, inflated by administration salaries, being two thirds of the median income of college graduates)
We should watch out for politician’s lies. They are of a special flavor. Rousseau said that democracy could not survive apathy.
Oh, and let’s not forget Rauner posing as the education Governor? These people sure have some chutzpah. I don’t know how they can look at themselves in the mirror everyday.
What looks back is ugly.
And Scott Walker as an “education governor,” too. What is in these people’s heads?
election time….tick tock
much like Arne Duncan now trying to run for public office and being touted by Democratic leadership as the “EDUCATION CANDIDATE”
Share Blue reported this week about other DINOS. Three are running for re-election in N.Y. primaries for state office- Jeff Klein, Jesse Hamilton, and Jose Peralta. Immediately after being elected they formed the Independent Democratic Conference and began helping Republicans thwart progressive legislation. Corporations and LLC’s are spending money to hide what they did so that they will be re-elected.
And those 3 DINOs have the rabid support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo who has done more to enable that group of DINOs are there to prevent all progressive legislation in New York except that ones that Cuomo’s billionaire funders approve of.
The real reason that Cuomo hates de Blasio is not the rivalry but because de Blasio worked to raise money to defeat those DINOs and Cuomo and his rich bankers did not approve.
The NY Times endorsed Cuomo over Cynthia because even though he is surrounded by corruption, he has experience. The very next day, the Times lead editorial was about corruption in Albany and how many of Cuomo’s closest aides have been convicted of taking huge bribes.
This is a really commonly used dodge by Democratic ed reformers- they point to preschool instead of talking about how they don’t support K-12 public schools.
It works among people who don’t pay any attention to their actual record on K-12 schools.
Preschool is safe, politically. Half the Democrats in Congress do the same thing.
It worries me because I figure they’ll take the funding they need for preschool from the K-12 public schools they don’t support. We have to look very closely at the numbers. This feels like a scam.
Ed reformers spent a decade spouting nonsense about “disruption” and insisting “seat time” doesn’t matter.
So guess what state legislatures did? They cut funding for public schools so many of them have now gone down to a 4 day week.
Another great advocacy job, ed reformers! Good work.
Can they pretty please STOP “helping” public schools? They’re killing our schools. Take a couple of years off. Allow public schools to recover from the last round of “reforms” before you impose yet another gimmicky fad.
Every single person who cares about public schools should read the book about Theranos.
You will all recognize the mindset. It describes ed reform to a T. You’ll recognize a slogan on every page.
Interesting what Chance the Rapper had to say about Rahm’s announcement:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/chance-rapper-addresses-news-chicago-230800905.html
Yep, Ciedie, right away Arne Duncan’s name came up as a possibility.
Isn’t it bad enough that Paul Vallas is running?!