Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Another look at Rahm's Texas model

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Another look at Rahm's Texas model:

Another look at Rahm's Texas model

by Mike Klonsky

"If you start in the Chicago Public School system in kindergarten," offered Rahm, "and your cousin lives in Houston, and you both go all the way through high school, the cousin in Houston spends three more years in the classroom." -- Rahm Emanuel

Romney's ed adviser and former Houston Supt. Rod Paige

Chicago's mayor, in his demagogic appeal for a longer (not necessarily better) school day, is fond ofholding up Houston, Texas as his model. This piece in the Texas Observer details some of the reasons why Houston schools and Texas schools in general, may work for some of their students, but certainly not for poor students or students of color, and why they provide no example for Chicago to follow.

Observer reporter Cindy Casares writes:

People who question the existence of systemic racism need only look at the numbers. Take the emotion out and see for