Elaine Richardson

Ten years ago Chicago went through one of the most publicized and, it seemed at the time, significant efforts at school reform. Sitting on a system that was called, by then Education Secretary Richard Bennett, the worst in the nation, the city seemed to come together and demand standards, demand action, demand change.

This year's installment of the excellent Chicago Matters series, Education Matters, tackles the topic in all its forms, giving special emphasis (on public television and radio, and in print publications like Catalyst and The Chicago Reporter) to the ten-year anniversary of Chicago School reform. And while "Teaching Readers," the first of a five-part documentary dealing with the importance of basic education, offers an excellent look at what some people are doing to effect change, it's seems somewhat disingenuous to praise the Chicago Public Schools for their "progress."

How does a student go through twelve years in the system and come out functionally illiterate? Because someone allowed it to happen. Though considering what teachers in the school have to face, it's not hard to see how it becomes easier to let things slide than to try to teach unwilling and undisciplined kids the basics of things they should have learned three grades back. School officials go on about standards and the importance of school reform in setting standards, but if standards mean that kids departing the CPS high school can read at a third-grade level, as opposed to a first-grade level, do we really want to count that as progress?

We can only hope that the people who really need to see a program like this get the chance to watch. There are some great highlights -- from the large Chicago family that started a reading circle for its burgeoning group of nieces, nephews and grandkids, to the doctors who determined that kids in their waiting rooms could be using that valuable time reading, there are a host of wonderful stories about people stepping forward to make a difference.

There's also a great focus on teaching adults to read, on encouraging those who, for whatever reason, didn't learn and letting them know that it's never too late to learn now. And that's a powerful and important message -- that literacy, no matter what the age, no matter what happened in the past to slow you down, is always worthwhile. Now if the Chicago schools can only take that message into their higher grades, maybe we'll start seeing some real progress.

"Teaching Readers" kicks off a week of documentaries, April 16, 7:30pm on WTTW-TV Channel 11 (PBS). Other documentaries follow each weeknight, also at 7:30pm. (2001-04-12)

Also by Elaine Richardson

ON DELIVERY
It all sounds too good to be true -- that one of the most dreaded of life's tasks could be shuffled onto someone else, all without paying significantly more than you would by going out to get it yourself.
(2001-04-05)

HOT AIR
An intriguing Friday night offering from WTTW's Network Chicago brand -- it's a look at an amazing ballet by Kurt Jooss, "The Green Table."
(2001-03-29)

THE ART OF WAR
Apparently someone somewhere got sick of seeing all these money hungry freaks running around doing fake survival stuff for cash payoffs and decided that it was time to give props to people who face real danger -- the U.S. military. No kidding.
(2001-03-29)

GET IN THE GAME
Spring pushes us into primetime for spectator sports, but it's also the ideal time to get off the couch and try your hand at everything from basketball to volleyball to basketball.
(2001-03-29)

SUFFERING GRACEFULLY
(2001-03-22)

REEL DEAL
(2001-03-22)

BAD BAD THINGS
(2001-03-15)

GHOST TOWN
(2001-03-15)

MIDSEASON SHUFFLE
(2001-03-08)

HARSH REALM
(2001-03-01)

THE HORROR
(2001-02-01)

WINTER WONDERS
(2001-02-01)

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