Posted on 12/17/2008 7:26:01 AM PST by Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid!
Only 17% of 8th Graders Can Read at Grade Level in Chicago Schools Overseen by Obama Education Secretary-Designee
Chicago Schools Chief Arne Duncan smiles as President-elect Barack Obama announces his selection to be Education Secretary, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008, at the Dodge Renaissance Academy in Chicago.
(CNSNews.com) In 2007, only 17 percent of eighth graders tested at or above grade level in reading in Chicago Public Schools the school system administered by Arne Duncan since 2001.
President-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday tapped Duncan to become secretary of education in the upcoming administration.
Duncan, hailed by Obama as a reformer, said he would like to take the lessons he learned in Chicago with him when he moves to Washington. I'm also eager to apply some of the lessons we have learned here in Chicago to help school districts all across our country," Duncan said after Obama formally named him to the job in Chicago.
According to the U.S. Department of Educations National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report for 2007, Chicago public schools have consistently performed below the national average during Duncans tenure.
The report measures students at the fourth and eighth grade levels in the subjects of reading, math, science, and writing, and ranks them at below basic, basic, proficient, or advanced levels.
Students in eighth grade are those most likely to have been in the Chicago system for a majority of Duncans tenure. CNSNews.com used the scores for these students to best determine the results of Duncans administration.
By 2007, only 17 percent of Chicago eighth graders were at or above grade level in reading. Thirteen percent scored at or above grade level in math. Twenty-three percent scored at or above grade level in writing.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
That's easy! Plagiarism.
As a former Chicagoan and CPS student, I agree that the Magnet schools helped retain some middle class kids in the city, whereas their families commonly moved to the burbs when the kids came of school age. This has the practical of improving average scores.
However, Duncan (a nice guy with limited competence) has done absolutely nothing to improve education where it’s really needed.
“By 2007, only 17 percent of Chicago eighth graders were at or above grade level in reading”.....
Obama says:”What’s wrong with that?- 17 per cent-that’s 3 out of 4, isn’t it”?
/sarc
Obviously “at grade level” needs to be redefined. Things change, you know.
And since the Chicago schools at 8th grade are dumbed-down to Kindergarten level, that’s really scary.
Heck why doesn’t he just name Bill Ayers.
There are more folks speaking Ebonics than Spanish at Chicago schools, but your point is well taken.
I guess Obama wants to do for America’s classrooms what his local public schools have done for Chicago.
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I'll bet you're too low on that number.
55% graduation rate? When only 17% of 8th graders read at grade level? How can that be?
Given the 8th grade literacy and numeracy scores then the Chicago Marxist schools are graduating a lot of kids who can't read their diploma.
Please read about the history of compulsory government education in the U.S. The very purpose of government schools from their inception in the mid-19th century was to produce compliant sheeple. The founders of our modern government schools were socialists.
I think Michael Farris would have been a good choice, however I doubt he would have taken the job.
>>I don’t know...I started experimenting with my kids about 18 years ago (homeschooling) and it all turned out very well. :-)
Let’s hope that it remains an option. I can’t imagine that the Obama administration and the NEA won’t do all they can to end, or highly regulate, home education.
It used to be just about my kids’ education, but more and more, this is becoming an expression of individual liberty.
This is a completely meaningless statistic without a benchmark to compare eight grade test scores prior to 2001 and each year during his tenure. If, for example, only 10% of eight graders were reading at grade level when he took over in 2001, then a person could argue that scores improved 70% during his administration (assuming the test hasn't been dumbed down and/or the grades re-centered). On the other hand, if 17% or more of the eight grades students were testing at grade level when he took over the school system in 2001, then I think by any standard, this guy sucks.
Par for the course. Move them along up and out of the system.
And into the system.
Into the welfare and penal systems.
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