Chicago public schools have seen progress in many areas since Arne Duncan took over as chief executive in 2001. Today, Duncan is President-elect Barack Obama's choice for education secretary.

His critics, however, say he shouldn't get credit for better test scores because they improved before he took over and state tests became easier during his tenure. Parents who opposed his aggressive school closings say they were disruptive to kids.

Here is a look at Chicago public schools under Duncan.

Reading: The share of students meeting state standards on reading tests was 38.8 percent in 2001; it was 63.5 percent in 2008.

Math: The share of students meeting state standards on math tests was 34.8 percent in 2001; it was 69.1 percent in 2008.

Closings: Duncan has closed 61 low-performing schools.

Openings: Duncan has opened 75 schools. Some were "turnaround" schools, which were closed and then reopened with new staff. Many were charter schools or contract schools, which operate much like charter schools.

Dropouts: About 47 percent of high school students graduated in 2001; 55 percent graduated in 2007, the most recent year for which data are available.

Enrollment: Chicago schools had 426,273 students in 2001 and 408,601 in 2008, a decline driven by the city's shrinking population.

No Child Left Behind: There were 383 schools that missed targets for student improvement in 2008, and 244 schools were in some stage of restructuring because of missed targets. There are 627 schools in all, but only 588 were assessed under the federal law.