No feuding in school Mayor Daley and Chicago Public Schools chief Paul Vallas have been fighting in public. For the good of Chicago's schoolchildren, let's hope their spat is over. Speculation over what's really behind it only serves as a distraction from the important work of improving the city's schools. No doubt, after enjoying 5 1/2 years of praise for his efforts, Vallas was, as he put it, "frustrated" and "irritated" to hear the mayor's complaints. But, as Daley pointed out, two-thirds of the students in the state's largest school district read below grade level. Still, that obscures the real progress Vallas has achieved in improving reading scores, lowering the dropout rate, increasing graduation rates, getting more students to take advanced placement courses and boosting scores of the high school ACT tests. The decision by Vallas to end social promotions and mandate summer school for underachievers sparked an educational revolution. But to enjoy continued progress, Vallas will need the enthusiastic support of more parents as well as administrators, teachers and the General Assembly. And, in his effort to boost reading and math scores as Daley demands, Vallas may have to make even more controversial policy changes. For continued success, Vallas will need the solid backing of the city's mayor. -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
