For a moment, it appeared as though the new school administration was going to write a prescription for the entire school system. Invented spelling would be out. Diagramming sentences would be in. That was the message of School Reform Board President Gery Chico, as reported in the Chicago Tribune . As it turned out, Chico was simply venting, not laying down educational policy.
Different children have different needs, and different faculties have different capabilities.
Further, one of the worst things that can be done with even a successful program is mandate it, because success depends in large part on principals' and teachers' embracing a program as their own and, therefore, working hard at it. Besides, mandates simply let schools off the hook. If there's no progress, they can blame central office, not themselves. While Chicago schools have been spared mandates, they are being pushed strongly in one direction. So far, the School Board has invested only in programs that focus on the discrete skills measured by standardized achievement tests.