CHICAGO: Sun Times Edit Board Questions Narrow RttT Focus On Data Systems

 I'm not exactly sure why Duncan did this editorial board with the Chicago Sun Times last week -- much less let them videotape it -- but there are some interesting moments (video below the break). 

You get to see how sincere Duncan is in lamenting the youth violence that's become pretty much constant in Chicago over the last few years, and you get to see how candid he is in criticizing his own work and that of the rest of the city in addressing the issue. 

Kudos for candor and sincerity.But you also get to see that Duncan doesn't really seem to have great ideas for what to do about the problems that Chicago and other big districts are facing. He touts his new Safe and Drug Free guy Kevin Jennings, talks about a Cincinnati program called the Fifth Quarter, mumbles something about how the Safe and Drug Free program is going to move towards more competitive grants (wuh?), and talks about longer hours and community schools being the best way to go for kids and safety. 

But there's no real focus on these things in RttT and $5 billion won't get you there.  So Duncan doesn't have much to say when editorial page write Kate Grossman (off camera) asks him why none of these things -- youth safety, community schools especially -- are RttT priority: "Why isn't that as important as data systems?" she asks. 

Here's the accompanying Mary Mitchell column.

Comments

[Sewer Repair]

Thank you for sharing!

[Sewer Cleaning]

Hope these violent acts stop soon...