'Survival of the fittest' mentality in Chicago

[proud2BlibKansan]

A Chicago school board decision to overhaul schools and shut down under-performing ones has a big impact on poor communities. Karen Lewis, president of the Chicago Teacher Union, joins Ed Schultz to discuss Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s role in the decision.

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-ed-show/46490091#46490091

[NYC_SKP]

1. It's a mess, but Ed's an entertainer as much as anything.

I'll stick with what my friends in the Chicago public school community have to say about things.

[Starry Messenger]

2. I love Karen Lewis.

I'm thrilled to see her getting airtime. People talking to teachers=good thing.

[mopinko]

3. it isn't survival of the fittest.

schools that end up in turnaround do so at the end of a very long process. several types of remediation happen before the final step of turnaround is reached.
it is very true that the problems of poverty are inextricably linked to poor school performance. that is mostly why orr high school is on it's second turnaround.
anyone who thinks that this can be boiled down to a simple sound bite is, well, just not giving a true picture.
read a little about it here. this is an excellent site for anyone who really wants to know what goes on here in chicago schools.
http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/charts/2012/02/03/data-ausl-turnarounds-offer-more-complete-picture

also please note that this data covers only one non-profit that is doing turnaround management. there are others, mostly university based.