Mayor Daley is one of a few urban leaders with control over his city’s public schools. In Chicago that adds up to a lot of power: Chicago Public Schools is the country’s third largest school system.

The mayor selects the head – or CEO – of CPS, and appoints members to the board that oversees the entire system. Recently, a coalition of Chicago groups began a campaign to change that.

Tuesday, one member, Jitu Brown spoke with “Eight Forty-Eight.” Now, an argument in support of mayoral control from Marcus Winters. Winters researches education policy, including such topics as school choice, high school graduation rates, accountability and special education. He’s also an assistant professor at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

Music Button: Jason Adasiewicz’s Rolldown, “Green Grass”, from the CD Varmint, (Cuneiform)