Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be out of town Friday to talk about schools.
He's on the list of mayors participating in a Washington D.C. education forum Friday with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The topic of conversation? According to the U.S. Department of Education, it's about highlighting local efforts to improve education in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Chicago Public Schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard will attend along with the school CEOs of New York City and Los Angeles. They'll talk about education successes and challenges, and discuss "accountability, school management, strengthening the teaching profession and the importance of school leadership."
Public schooling certainly hits home in Chicago. Local community leaders recently protested outside Emanuel's house over the closure or "turnaround" of 17 underperforming schools. Ahead of negotiations to begin a new contract, the Chicago Teachers Union hasn't been pleased with the school board either.
The Washington forum kicks off at 10 a.m. Friday at American University moderated by NBC's Andrea Mitchell.
The three school districts teach a combined student population of nearly 2.5 million children.
