Mayor Rahm Emanuel returns to Washington on Friday to talk about the changes--controversial in Chicago-- he is pushing for the Chicago Public Schools in a forum with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa--and the superintendents from the nations three biggest cities.

The session is sponsored by the Department of Education and takes place at American University in northwest Washington. Andrea Mitchell, host of MSNBC's "Andrea Mitchell Reports," is the moderator.

The latest: Emanuel wants to revamp 17 low-performing schools and the way he wants to do it is drawing criticism from Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis, with whom he has clashed.