2014 elementary schoolsRemember that WBEZ Chicago public radio story I wrote about a few days ago (Chicago Series Highlights Tensions, Tradeoffs)?

Well, in response to am oped from Education Post’s Tracy Dell’Angela published by the Chicago Daily Herald (Don’t give up on reforms for schools in poverty), WBEZ reporter Linda Lutton and editor Cate Cahan posted a comment at the Daily Herald claiming that Dell’Angela misquoted their piece and misinterpreted their analysis of the poverty-proficiency relationship:

“We stand by our reporting and continue to believe that the issue of deepening poverty in Illinois schools is important, and that the public should be aware of the lack of overall movement on de-coupling poverty from achievement.”

My take on the series didn’t warrant a similar public response, though Lutton and I have gone back and forth on email about some of the issues involved in reporting and writing the piece.

However, the story isn’t over quite yet.

On Facebook, former Chicago Tribune education writer Dell’Angela responded to Lutton and Cahan that she was questioning the premise of the piece:

“I know it’s easier to attack the organization I work at, but that’s not what this is about. This is about… a philosophical disagreement around the premise of a story.”

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Alexander Russo is a freelance education writer who has created several long-running blogs such as the national news site This Week In Education, District 299 (about Chicago schools), and LA School Report. He can be reached on Twitter at @alexanderrusso, on Facebook, or directly at alexanderrusso@gmail.com.