With his speech last week at a Crain’s business luncheon, Mayor Emanuel made it clear that he’s adopted a new attitude toward Chicago’s public schools: he likes them.
In particular, Emanuel is trumpeting gains made in standardized test scores—more on that in a moment—to win points in his fight with Governor Rauner, his old wine-drinking, money-making pal.
OK, so Rahm never compared schools to prisons. But he roared into office intent on making his name as a charter-school-loving, teachers’-union-bashing Democrat who stood arm in arm with Republicans like Rauner.
Once in office, Emanuel spent the better part of four years fighting the teachers’ union, provoking a strike, and forcing curriculum changes on schools whether they wanted them or not.
To prove his point, he—irony of ironies—praised Sullivan for sending so many graduates to college.
Let’s go into the weeds.
