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Pushed by unions, school districts abandon grades for this year. Chicago Public Schools recently agreed that assignments completed during the shutdowns will count “only if they improve a student’s grade.” That’s not enough for the Chicago Teachers Union. President Jesse Sharkey said this month that it is “just plain cruel” and “wrong to assign letter grades” this semester even on work completed before schools closed.
Summary and audio linked here.
Chicago’s political leadership is floating a pension buyout program as evidence it is seriously addressing the city’s thirty-six-billion-dollar unfunded pension liability, but Mark Glennon, founder of the Illinois policy research organization Wirepoints, said that the proposal moves debt from one column to another rather than reducing it, and that the broader fiscal picture facing the city continues to deteriorate across every measurable dimension. Audio here.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Full interview and summary linked here.
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“grades have historically rewarded students with privilege…” No, grades have historically rewarded students who have discipline and study after school, rather than play Nintendo for 4 hours.
God forbid that there be any documentation to reflect the sheer incompetence of both the CTU and the CPS. All know that there is little education being attempted or accomplished. This is typically the case in Chicago, but it is usually hidden better.
Unforutnately, I agreed with the union (not sure if I agree with the reasoning because the article was paywalled). There shouldn’t be grades for this 4th semester or 3rd trimester. At home learning has been a joke. It’s barely even learning.