Sections:

CASE test publication shows George's unshakeable morals

It was 1999 and Leo Gorenstein and I were leaving again for Asia. George was considering publishing the whole of the CASE tests in Substance. He gave Leo a copy of the math portion. What a pitiful test.

Reporter Sue Carrel's husband Leo Gorenstein, an editor of Substance (in the Substance shirt), died on April 2, 2018, of Lou Gehrig's disease. He is pictured with Chris Johnson, Terry Czernik, and Larry MacDonald in the 1990s. All had worked on Substance, beginning in the 1970s.Leo gave it to travelers while abroad. There was a business woman who failed it, a journalist who barely passed and a young woman who was a statistics major we met while hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. She, of course, passed it, but said, "Wow, this is hard! I can't believe it was given to high school freshmen!" Leo wrote the story, George published it and the rest of the tests and paid the price, losing his teaching job.

Sue Carrel and Leo Gorenstein (with Sam Schmidt) in federal court during one of the CASE hearings, 2002.I have met few people ( actually no one else!) in my life whose morals are unshaken, even if it means jeopardizing career, family and friends. George was the one. We need George Schmidts in this world, especially now...they are few and far between.

[Editor's note: The Reader's Ben Joravsky covered CASE and George many times. The following is his piece "Before Mayor Rahm there was a big boss man at CPS called Paul Vallas" from July 10, 2013, that gives a quick overview of the CASE situation and nods to George's work after it.]

Before Mayor Rahm there was a big boss man at CPS called Paul Vallas

By Ben Joravsky

The latest news about Paul Vallas was a few days old when George Schmidt came a-calling.

George Schmidt being photographed for an article by Michael Miner in the Chicago Reader in July 1998. Before and after the CASE publication in January 1999, George was regularly featured in the Reader, by Miner and Ben Joravsky.I wasn't surprised to hear from him. Way back in the 90s and early aughts, Paul Vallas—Mayor Daley's hand-picked school CEO—did what he could to make Schmidt's life miserable.

So it was Schmidt's turn to gloat—just a little.

"You hear what happened to Vallas?"

Oh, yeah. A judge had removed Vallas from his position as superintendent of schools in Bridgeport, Connecticut, because he didn't have proper certification.

If that wasn't bad enough—"Vallas had the nerve to compare himself to Michael Jordan," said Schmidt.

I hadn't heard that.

"It's true," said Schmidt. "He said that removing him as superintendent because he doesn't have the right certification is 'like saying Michael Jordan can't coach basketball because he doesn't have teacher certification.'"

Sure enough, I tracked down the clip in a bit by an education writer named Hugh Bailey, who clearly knows a thing or two about basketball.

So, first we have Mayor Emanuel prematurely killing off Bobby Hull, one of hockey's greatest players.

And now we've got Vallas foolishly comparing himself to the greatest basketball player—ever.

Hey, politicians—do everyone a favor and stop talking about sports without at least running it by someone who knows a little something about the subject.

Back to Schmidt . . .

These days he works for the Chicago Teachers Union and publishes Substance, a muckraking paper that takes great delight in mocking, maligning and taunting the top brass at CPS.

Back in 1999, he was an English teacher at Bowen High School and published Substance, which took great delight in mocking, maligning and taunting the top brass at CPS.

It's good to know that some things haven't changed.

On January 20, 1999, Schmidt published portions of the Chicago Academic Standards Examinations, a multiple-choice standardized test that Vallas and Mayor Daley were forcing high-schoolers to take. As if adolescence wasn't bad enough.

By printing portions of the test, Schmidt exposed it as a stupid and confusing waste of money, time and energy.

Of course, Daley and Vallas didn't exactly see it that way. They fired Schmidt and sued him for $1.4 million, on the grounds that he had infringed on the board's copyright by publishing portions of the test. If you're interested, read all about it.

Furthermore, they argued that they'd have to spend thousands to create a new CASE test cause the old one was ruined on the grounds that by publishing it Schmidt had given away the questions.

Even though knowing the questions is not the same thing as knowing the answers, as any test taker can tell you. And it would take the most enterprising of students to track down the answers to questions that may or may not be on future tests. And even though . . .

Oh, don't get me started.

That legal battle raged for almost six years. When it was over, it was like a split decision.

CPS got to fire Schmidt. But CPS had to drop all of its claim for compensation. "They went from $1.4 million to zero," says Schmidt.

Here's the kicker. In 2002, CPS stopped giving the test after teachers at Curie High School rose up angry and said they wouldn't waste their time making kids take it.

By then Daley had ousted Vallas and replaced him with Arne Duncan, who didn't have any ego staked in the CASE test. And so Duncan quietly killed the test—for which a grateful city says: thank you, Arne!

So you see, young teachers, the episode shows that top-down ultimatums by egomaniacal autocrats is not something that began with Mayor Emanuel. An observation that may or may not offer you a little comfort as you face whatever foolishness the mayor has up his sleeves for the coming year.

In retrospect, Vallas and Daley would have saved everyone a lot of time, money, and energy had they just admitted that Schmidt was right and that the test wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. But, alas, then as now, being the boss means you never ever admit you're wrong.

I asked Schmidt who, in his opinion, was worse for Chicago's schools—Mayor Emanuel or Vallas. Despite all the misery Vallas caused for him and his family, Schmidt didn't have to pause to think about his answer.

"Rahm," he said.

He's got a point. For all it's flaws, the CASE test was a temporary imposition. The fallout from closing 50 schools will go on for years.



Comments:

October 12, 2018 at 7:02 AM

By: Catherine Cunningham

CASE tests

I remember back in the 90s when I first came to Chicago to teach in the public school system. I taught high school back then — we were required to give our students this test called the CASE (Chicago Academic Standards Exam). The board used this test to deal out all kinds of abuses....I can’t even remember that specifically. What I DO remember is this guy who PUBLISHED the tests in his newspaper. Man, I thought, this guy is my hero. What balls! I thought....fast forward. I got to MEET and become friends with him and his wonderful wife, Sharon. Well, he just passed away and Chicago will not be the same. RIP George Schmidt. You will be missed. Peace to Sharon, the boys and his family.❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Editor's note: Catherine's comment was originally published on Facebook. Used here with her permission.]

January 18, 2024 at 12:06 AM

By: ppu-prof_far

Утепление фасадов в москве цена

Забота о жилье - это забота о удобстве. Утепление наружных стен - это не только модный облик, но и обеспечение теплового комфорта в вашем уголке уюта. Мастера, наша команда профессионалов, предлагаем вам преобразить ваше жилище в идеальное жилище.

Наши улучшения - это не просто теплоизоляция, это творческий процесс с каждым строительным блоком. Мы предпочитаем гармонии между стилем и полезностью, чтобы ваш дом стал не только теплым и уютным, но и изысканным.

И самое существенное - приемлемые расходы! Мы полагаем, что профессиональные услуги не должны быть сверхдорогими. Утепление здания снаружи цена начинается всего от 1250 руб/м².

Инновационные технологии и материалы высокого стандарта позволяют нам создавать изоляцию, которая долго сохраняет свои свойства и надежна. Позабудьте о холоде стен и дополнительных затратах на отопление - наше утепление станет вашим надежной защитой от холода.

Подробнее на https://www.ppu-prof.ru

Не откладывайте на потом заботу о радости жизни в вашем жилье. Обращайтесь к мастерам своего дела, и ваш дом преобразится настоящим художественным творчеством, которое подарит вам не только тепло. Вместе мы создадим место для жизни, где вам будет по-настоящему уютно!

March 7, 2024 at 7:45 PM

By: ppu-prof_kr

Стоимость утепления фасада дома

Наша группа опытных исполнителей завершена предложить вам новаторские средства, которые не только обеспечат надежную протекцию от холодных воздействий, но и подарят вашему жилью элегантный вид.

Мы трудимся с последними компонентами, ассигнуруя долгий запас работы и замечательные эффекты. Изоляция внешней обшивки – это не только экономия энергии на подогреве, но и заботливость о природной среде. Экологичные разработки, какие мы используем, способствуют не только вашему, но и сохранению природной среды.

Самое ключевое: Утепление фасадов под ключ цена у нас открывается всего от 1250 рублей за квадратный метр! Это бюджетное решение, которое сделает ваш домик в подлинный душевный угол с скромными затратами.

Наши труды – это не только теплоизоляция, это постройка пространства, в где любой элемент преломляет ваш собственный образ. Мы примем во внимание все ваши просьбы, чтобы осуществить ваш дом еще более удобным и привлекательным.

Подробнее на официальном сайте

Не откладывайте труды о своем квартире на потом! Обращайтесь к мастерам, и мы сделаем ваш жилище не только тепличным, но и по последней моде. Заинтересовались? Подробнее о наших трудах вы можете узнать на сайте компании. Добро пожаловать в пространство комфорта и качественной работы.

March 27, 2024 at 5:27 PM

By: Seo-Ul-Kep

Почему вашему бизнесу необходимо инвестировать в SEO в

Мы коллектив SEO-экспертов, занимающихся увеличением трафика и улучшением рейтинга вашего сайта в поисковых системах.

Мы постигли успехи в своей области и предоставим вам доступ к нашему опыту и навыкам.

Что мы можем вам предложить:

• эффективное поисковое продвижение сайта

• Исчерпывающая оценка вашего сайта и разработка индивидуальной стратегии продвижения.

• Улучшение контента и технических параметров вашего сайта для максимального эффекта.

• Систематический мониторинг и анализ результатов с целью улучшения вашего онлайн-присутствия.

Подробнее https://seo-prodvizhenie-ulyanovsk1.ru/

Клиенты, с которыми мы работаем, уже видят результаты: увеличение трафика, улучшение позиций в поисковых системах и, конечно же, рост прибыли. У нас есть возможность предоставить вам бесплатную консультацию, для того чтобы обсудить ваши требования и помочь вам разработать стратегию продвижения, соответствующую вашим целям и бюджету.

Не упустите шанс улучшить свой бизнес в онлайн-мире. Обратитесь к нам немедленно.

Add your own comment (all fields are necessary)

Substance readers:

You must give your first name and last name under "Name" when you post a comment at substancenews.net. We are not operating a blog and do not allow anonymous or pseudonymous comments. Our readers deserve to know who is commenting, just as they deserve to know the source of our news reports and analysis.

Please respect this, and also provide us with an accurate e-mail address.

Thank you,

The Editors of Substance

Your Name

Your Email

What's your comment about?

Your Comment

Please answer this to prove you're not a robot:

3 + 5 =