Duncan's Data

On Monday Alexander Russo asked for more information on how Chicago Public Schools have fared under Superintendent Arne Duncan, a likely Secretary of Education candidate. Eduwonkette gave a harsh review of the data, but the truth is a little more mixed.

Since Duncan took over in 2001, Chicago has made statistically significant progress in fourth and eighth grade math and fourth grade reading scores. They're up across all subjects and grades for low-income students, students with disabilities, and English Language Learners (ELL). Low-income students narrowed achievement gaps in all but fourth grade math, while students enrolled in special education and ELL students closed gaps in both eighth grade subjects.

To Eduwonkette's point, the racial achievement gaps have not narrowed as much as we'd like, but blacks are scoring higher in 3/4 categories and Hispanics on all four.

Do these data cement Duncan's candidacy or disqualify it? Neither, really, but probably more the former than the latter.