Wilson says he would press elected school board on reading levels, promotes trade education

When asked how he would use data on Chicago Public Schools’ student performance, Willie Wilson said he would meet with elected school-board members and work with principals and communities to ensure students meet standards before advancing. “We want people to know how to read and write,” he said, adding he would personally oversee the effort and seek buy-in from principals.

Wilson emphasized vocational training as a route to higher pay and stable employment: “I think those young men and young lady need a trade from, say, 1st grade to 2nd grade and all the way up to 12th grade… Before you retire, they ought to had to know 1 trade.” The host cited slides (attributed in the interview to Ted Dabrowski/WirePoints) that, according to the interviewer, showed graduation rates higher than grade‑level reading and math proficiency for many groups; those figures were presented by the host during questioning, not by Wilson.