"This is not a bill to attack the teachers." -- State Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood

Whenever a bill's sponsor has to introduce it in this way, you can only assume that's exactly what it is.

SB7, which was just signed into law this week by Illinois Gov. Quinn severely weakens...

Deborah Meier is considered the founder of the modern small-schools movement. She is a veteran educator (I know. That's considered a negative these days). Deb taught for many years in inner-city schools in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. She founded the Central Park East Schools, the first of the teacher-led...

"The data shows that the longer you stay in the classroom learning, you'll learn more..." -- Rahm Emanuel

While you mull that one over, I want to know who the genius was that told Chicago mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel to model his school reform initiative after Houston, Texas? It's...

"I wanted an entire new board, an entire new corporate suite because what's happening today both on the finances and the educational scores -- needs to be shaken up. And what I know in my heart [is that] the people of the city do not think we're doing what we...

The Chicago Tribune reports that Rahm Emanuel's short list of outsiders for new schools CEO includes current Rochester superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard. This, even though Brizard, the latest through Rochester's revolving door of school bosses, just recently signed a three-year deal. After all, he's ONLY making $235,000 in Rochester...

"What is it, precisely, that we expect all educated citizens to have learned? What explicit knowledge, skills, and understanding of content will help define the day-to-day work of teaching and learning?" -- A call for common content

What brings liberal policy wonks and teacher union leaders together with corporate reformers...

The stated purpose of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act was to make every student in the U.S. proficient in reading and math by the year 2014. The way to get there was by identifying and punishing "failing schools" -- those that were unable to make Adequate Yearly Progress...

"In the ensuing decades, a large, permanent military establishment emerged as a result of the Cold War -- an establishment that forged deep ties to the Congress and industry."-- Robert Gates in 2008

Secretary Gates, successor to Donald Rumsfeld, has led our ever-expanding military-industrial complex through both Bush and...

"There's a bully pulpit there that the president has, and it needs to be used, I don't think you can turn the cheek on this one." -- Rep. Raul Grijalva (D., Ariz.), a co-chairman of the House Progressive Caucus.

Forbes is calling this "the final battle in...

Interim Chicago schools chief executive Terry Mazany has appointed Charles Payne, a University of Chicago sociology professor and author of So Much Reform, So Little Change: The Persistence of Failure in Urban Schools to the position of chief education officer. Payne is a long-time social-justice advocate who also authored one...

How about some tougher questions for Rahm?

Some day we may learn the real story of how deep-pockets Rahm Emanuel and his powerful political patrons were able to swing that unanimous state Supreme Court decision putting his name back on the ballot. Writes Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown:

For...

If you liked the scandal-ridden Daley machine, you will love Rahm Emanuel as mayor. And why not? Daley and Rahm both move in the same inner circle politically and financially. Rahm's campaign offers voters little more than a continuation of Daley's policies and management style, including management and control over...

"Chicago teachers are not underpaid."-- Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel is back campaigning again after an extended vacation in Thailand. He must be worried over the prospect of not simply being able to waltz onto the 5th floor of Chicago's City Hall without serious opposition. The press is even starting to...

"We don't use poverty as an excuse for low achievement." -- Springfield, Ill. School District 186 Superintendent Walter Milton, Jr.

2010 wasn't a very good year for public education -- or public anything, for that matter.

A so-far jobless economic recovery has seen a sharp rise in child...

"You know, a quarter of our teachers are very good. If you could make all the teachers as good as the top quarter, the U.S. would soar to the top of that comparison." -- Bill Gates

Someone should probably point out to Mr. Gates that his statistical approach to teacher...

The most conservative wave of teacher bashing in recent history emanates, not just from the Republicans, but from Barack Obama's Department of Education and his secretary of education, Arne Duncan as well. A carry-over from Bush-era No Child Left Behind, Duncan's version of school reform now focuses mainly on re-inventing...

For the past month in Chicago's media, it's been all Rahm, all the time. With a loaded campaign war chest, a connection to President Obama, and a scattered and dollar-poor opposition, Emanuel has found his return to Chicago surprisingly easy going.

But this week, cracks began to appear in...

Diane Ravitch calls them the Billionaires Boys Club (BBC) with the likes of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and power philanthropist Bill Gates leading the pack. They know only one way to exercise their power -- from the top down, allowing little if any room for questioning or dissent. They...

Need some good reasons to end mayoral control? I've got two for you -- Bloomberg and Daley. Their narrow self-serving political agendas have left both of their autocratically-run school systems in chaos.

With Daley's announced retirement and a week to go before Chicago schools chief Ron Huberman's departure, the mayor...

Those who have followed the work of our Small Schools Workshop over the past 19 years, know that we are not "anti-charter." Many charters emerged from the early small schools movement that we helped create. We originally saw small schools and charters as ways to push for changes and offer...