Politics, Projection, Faith an Choice: A Message to Chicago
Lessons from CPS’ Attempt to Remove an Award-Winning Principal
for my mother, Kay
An OverviewAccording to standards used by the Mayor’s office, there are only four schools that consistently and substantially raise student performance year after year after year. For the past five years, I’ve led one of those four schools: Blaine Elementary.
We have an incredibly simple philosophy for success: Take the things that have been proven to work, and implement them, while giving your staff the freedom to improvise to fit the unique circumstances of your school. Unfortunately, that’s not this administration’s strategy. Their education policies have been ideologically driven, clumsy, and scientifically baseless.
I’ve talked with so many principals who are deeply troubled by the obstacles this administration puts in their way: underfunding; a flawed school rating system; a lack of support schools that serve the most vulnerable children; a lack of respect for their work and their time; a culture of fear and intimidation; and burdensome compliance driven paperwork. This list goes on. Under this administration, teaching, learning and leading are far more difficult than they have to be. This is a direct result of the fact that this administration has focused on creating financial relationships that ensure their rich donors profit from our children’s losses. It is inherently corrupt, and corruption breedsincompetence.
Instead of being guided by self interest. We must see the city as our family, and decide that the well being of everyone in that family is our priority. That must be our vision, and we must act to make it so. I made that decision three years ago. That my Chicago family would be the priority. And I based my actions on that decision.
Those actions, in defense of our family, led my colleagues to nominate me for the presidency of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association. If elected I made it clear that I would work to develop systems and relationships that end the isolation of principals and administrators and brings them together to have a collective voice for policies that support student development, instead of undermining it.
When I was a lone voice the administration tolerated me. But when faced with the prospect of an organized group of education leaders speaking as one on behalf of students, they’ve moved with haste and reckless abandon to prevent that from happening.
The Charges: An Exercise in ProjectionI’ve already written about this administration’s hasty, effort to remove me. Today I’m Politics, Projection, Faith an Choice: A Message to Chicago – Troy LaRaviere's blog: