Interesting Articles

Especially in light of the grade changing scandal out in the open:

• Classes begin at Chicago public Schools in a little more than a week.
  
  Ahead of that, there was a community discussion on the North side Sunday afternoon where education advocates and some state lawmakers talked about improving city schools.

We thought the Sun Times article already explained how to improve schools - change the grades and everyone passes!

And then there was this article:

• More Chicago Public School students are graduating and heading off to college than ever before.
  
  WBBM [...] reports that now, school officials are working with the private sector to help those students stay in their new schools.
  
  The Chicago Public Schools have not only beefed up college prep curriculum, but the very process of getting kids ready for high education as well.

And this one?

• Can a school in North Lawndale achieve 96 percent attendance and 100 percent college placement?

  The Ford Motor Co. Fund's first school in Dearborn, Mich., achieved those results, and now officials hope the same can be done at a new charter high school opened by the fund in Homan Square on Saturday.

Why does it seem that the CPS people had a bunch of "feel good" articles and interviews ready to go when the grading scandal hit? It's almost like the media is trying to blunt the impact of the bad news splashing all over Shortshanks...almost like they were bought and paid for. Hmmmm.