Surprise. The Chicago Public School system is the best among large city school systems in the country.
It is based on a new, second and better way to evaluate schools: measure how much progress a student makes. Here's the story.
Example: In Chicago the average third grader, most of whom come from low income at-risk communities, makes 6.0 years of progress by the time the child gets to 8th grade. In other words, children start behind and catch up in those five years.
By contrast, in Wichita, Kansas, a far wealthier city, where most children are white, the average third grader makes only 4.1 years of progress by the time they get to 8th grade. In other words, children in Wichita do not make nearly the same progress as children in Chicago.
We consulted with Chicago State University this week, an historically black university. Yes, we took the train (happy holidays!).
