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Monday, November 5, 2012

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES:


WEEKEND QUOTABLES

"CPS and Mayor Emanuel want to do to our schools what Mayor Daley did to the parking meters." -- Windy Pearson (Action Now) at Friday's City Hall sit-in [Video]

Barbara Byrd-Bennett
“We need to acknowledge that the community simply does not believe what we say we’re going to do.” -- Sun-Times 
Pauline Lipman (UIC Prof.)
 "If school closings were such good policy, why aren't they closing schools in white communities?"- At Friday's City Hall sit-in. 
Aquila Griffin
Dyett High School student, Aquila Griffin 
“My message to our mayor and Barbara Byrd-Bennett is we are not collateral damage. CPS has to answer for ignoring the voice of the people most 









If the goal is 100% "failure" then we're almost there

After nearly a dozen years of No Child Left Behind and Race To The Top

Remember, back in the day, when all the talk was about leaving no child behind? Remember the NCLB mandate that ALL children will be proficient by 2014?

Now as the new year approaches, comes the news that 82% of Illinois school districts have failed to make the grade, up from 80% the year before. Even worse, 98% of Illinois high schools are now considered failing. That means only 11 out of Illinois’ 671 eligible high schools achieving the standard known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Scores on state achievement tests barely budged in 2012 and graduation rates also dipped across the state,