By Josh Dwyer -
Chicagoans are ready for education reform. A recent survey conducted by National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that Chicago parents are anxious for the city and state to implement substantive reforms that will help their children succeed.
Chicago parents’ displeasure with the current school system is reflected in the grades they gave it on the survey. Overall, six in 10 parents gave Chicago Public Schools a letter grade of “C” or “D.” Another 8 percent gave it an “F.” Only 7.8 percent gave it an “A.”
Here are some of the other survey results:
- 63.7 percent of Chicago parents think it should be easier for charters to expand in neighborhoods where there are currently charter waiting lists
- 67.9 percent of Chicago parents say it should be easier for charters to move into neighborhoods with low-performing schools
- 61.1 percent of Chicago parents favor parent trigger laws
- 72.2 percent of Chicago parents think that highly effective teachers should be paid more than they currently are
- 61.7 percent of Chicago parents believe that it is unfair for a student to have a low-rated teacher for more than a year
- 71.9 percent of Chicago parents favor laying off ineffective educators, regardless of seniority
- 73.8 percent of Chicago parents say teachers should lose tenure if they’re judged ineffective in the evaluation process
Rather than fight parents tooth and nail or call the mayor a “racist liar” for his position on school closings, the Chicago Teachers Union should work in tandem with the school district to ensure that parents’ common sense ideas become common practice.
Josh Dwyer is Director of Education Reform at the Illinois Policy Institute
