Chicago Tribune
Chicago has tried cutting-edge school reform after reform. In the 1990s, Paul Vallas ended social promotion and championed high-stakes standardized tests to hold schools accountable. His successor, Arne Duncan, shuttered failing schools and boldly vowed to create 100 new schools in a decade. Educators revamped reading and math curriculum. Chicago gained a national reputation for being on the cutting edge of urban school improvement. Duncan runs the federal Department of Education today.
But are those reforms really working?
The sobering answer: Not as smashingly as you might think...