Chicago Case Study: Time For A New Vision For Schools

Since Mayor Richard Daley took control of Chicago schools in 1995 and began appointing business-minded CEOs to head the system, the march toward a numbers-driven, test-and-punish vision of public education has been steady.

Some insist kids are better off because of it. Tighter accountability, tougher standards and top-down control, they say, have brought about a renaissance in the city's schools.

But for whom? And what have we lost sight of along the way?

In October, a Chicago magazine cover story heralded its ratings of the "best" elementary schools in the city.