By Whet Moser
Even in the era of No Child Left Behind, it's surprisingly hard to get good data on school truancy across the country. To the extent that it exists, other urban districts seem to share our problems. Read more
Tag: Writers – Whet Moser
By Whet Moser
As Chicagoland struggles with education reform, it faces a stiff headwind from income-based educational-achievement gaps that have been growing since the 1970s. What happened? Wealthier parents may have learned a great deal from programs targeted at very poor children. Read more
By Whet Moser
A hand-built electric-train model of the CTA—with homemade model two-flats, laser-cut El railings, and vintage El cars—takes shape; the Peotone airport continues to plod along, even without Jesse Jr.; and will Chicago drivers be ok with BRT? Read more
By Whet Moser
The stat geek's FiveThirtyEight site is a must-read during campaign season. But interest can turn into addiction, and addiction into abuse. Consume his work in moderation, as part of a healthy information diet, and be wary of people who call it deadly or a miracle drug. Read more
By Whet Moser
Years ago, Mayor Daley offered to shell out about a million and a half bucks a year to the Gary/Chicago International Airport to keep the state from taking control of O'Hare and Midway. Years later, the subsidy still exists. Read more
By Whet Moser
Jeanne Gang on the future of architecture (hint: it's smaller); Alexander Fruchter on the ironization of Chief Keef and Chicago's drill scene; and more Read more
By Whet Moser
There is a game that allows you to play a CTA conductor, fulfilling a dream I barely knew I had (though they chose the Brown Line, which is less than optimal). Plus: the history of Chicago's Belt Railway and a trip through the North Shore in the 1920s. Read more
By Whet Moser
A report on our state's finances from the bureaucratic dream team of Richard Ravitch and Paul Volker is a lengthy yet concise description of its many problems, but doesn't provide many ideas for addressing them. Read more
By Whet Moser
Cubs' ticket prices have gone up 265 percent in two decades; the White Sox have had one of the largest price increases in the past few years, to the extent that they can't fill a stadium with a competitive team. Tax subsides are in part to blame, but there's a better way. Read more
By Whet Moser
In the 1950s, the American Medical Association—with the help of the first political PR firm—launched a full-on assault against Harry Truman's national health care plan, connecting it (and all sorts of other subsidies) to the specter of socialism. But it backed an approach not unlike the ACA. Read more