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Michael Lach thought you'd be interested in this ChicagoBusiness.com news story.
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School starts for system's untested CEO
>From the Crain's Chicago Business Newsroom
September 04 06:00:00, 2001
By Greg Hinz
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His style is as different as could be from that of his predecessor: low-profile and
low-key, as methodical as a coach sketching a play on a gym blackboard yet eager for
debate on how best to score—at least for now.
The substance shows signs of changing, too. Carrots are being mixed with sticks, and
"fun" accompanies back-to-basics instruction. Getting good test scores is fine, but
getting kids to actually read is better.
That's the picture as 420,000 Chicago schoolchildren—and a business community
desperate for a well-trained labor force—begin to find out this week whether new
Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan can take the schools turnaround effort to the
next level.
Mr. Duncan, who stepped into the job in late June, certainly is offering hints that he
sees a new world, not just an extension of the one crafted by departed school boss
Paul Vallas.
"We have one uniting goal: to prepare all of our students for some form of higher
education," be it college or trade school, he declares. "We're going to have a
laser-like focus on driving the educational process."
So far, much of the corporate and civic community that was put off by Mr. Vallas'
take-no-prisoners management style is impressed.
"Arne sees the importance of the team, as opposed to the individual player," says John
Ayers, executive director of Leadership for Quality Education. "Early indications are,
they're trying to do the same basic things as the prior group, but will do them
better."
Yet the challenges facing Mr. Duncan, 36, and new school board President Michael Scott
are staggering, from taming the bureaucracy and finding cash for needed capital
projects to deflecting power-grabbing City Hall politicians. It likely will be years
before anyone knows for certain whether they've taken the right road.
Complete coverage of this story appears in the Sept. 3 issue of Crain's Chicago
Business.
For news headlines throughout the business day, go to: http://www.chicagobusiness.com
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