Early childhood

“Reduced money in state coffers may lead some to walk away from early childhood programs completely. Yet turning away from these important early investments without full evidence about their effectiveness risks lost potential for many children, and for society, in decades to come.”

Rachel Gordon, associate professor of sociology and Institute on Government and Public Affairs faculty member, on education reforms and the effectiveness of early childhood education, Sept. 17 Chicago Sun-Times

“Mayor Emanuel and Chicago’s teachers have a chance at this moment to do something truly innovative — they could jointly acknowledge that schools, especially high-poverty urban schools, need to take a broader, bolder approach to education.”

Kevin Kumashiro, professor of Asian American studies and education, on the Chicago teachers strike, Sept. 14 Huffington Post

“One of the problems for Emanuel is he is alienating all the unions, not just the teachers, but the police, the firefighters. That may hurt long-term.”

Dick Simpson, professor of political science, on Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s handling of the Chicago teachers strike, Sept. 16 Chicago Tribune

“Chicago was the birthplace of this neoliberal corporate reform agenda of high-stakes testing, paying teachers based on test scores, disinvesting in neighborhood schools and then closing them and turning them over to charter schools.”

Pauline Lipman, professor of educational policy, on public education in Chicago, Sept. 14 Spokane Spokesman-Review