Editorial

This Sept. 2, opening day for the Chicago Public Schools, is a day to celebrate recent academic growth — but also to look honestly at the huge challenges ahead.

In the week leading up to opening day, CPS and the mayor’s office made sure to spread the good news: Attendance, ACT scores, freshman pass rates and graduation rates are all on the rise. While the current administration can claim some credit, these gains also are an outgrowth of policies put in place years ago, reforms continued under the current mayor. The big applause, of course, goes to students and their teachers...