Principal of Chicago's #1 Rated School Writes Be-All-End-All Resignation Letter to Rahm Emanuel

[Stellar]

A much-needed takedown of education "reformers" in both parties.

Troy Anthony LaRaviere was, until this week, the principal of Chicago Magazine’s #1 neighborhood school, Blaine Elementary School. LaRaviere became the principal of Blaine back in 2010, saying he would bring the 6th ranked school to the top of the list and he would use empirical evidence to support the school practices he and his fellow educators applied to their student body.

About two years into his tenure, after dealing quietly with the mountains of bullshit that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) get from up high, he began speaking out about his misgivings with what he felt was mismanagement. When Emanuel announced sweeping budget cuts to education a couple of years ago, Troy LaRaviere publicly criticized Emanuel and others. This led to LaRaviere being chastised publicly, and the beginnings of a campaign to oust LaRaviere began, you know, corporate gangster-style.

Troy LaRaviere has been battling, on principle, to stay principal the past couple of months, but the announcement of his school’s success—in a publication that Emanuel and others laud—LaRaviere was given the opportunity to resign on his terms and in an open letter addressed to Mayor Rahm Emanuel. It’s one of the best pieces of writing on public education and the fundamental problems with education “reformers” in both the Republican and more importantly the Democratic Party. On his school’s accomplishments LaRaviere writes:

***Behind this significant accomplishment are a series of basic concepts based on empirical evidence regarding effective school practices and thoughtful consideration of how we might apply those practices at Blaine. One fundamental element of improving the school was ending selective access to advanced curriculum. When I arrived, less than 30% of students had access to it; today more than 90% have access. As is the case with most CPS schools, Blaine has a talented hard working staff. Another critical element of our success was to involve that staff in an effort to create systems, relationships, and patterns of collaborative activity that are proven to improve teacher performance, and therefore improve student achievement. In many ways, that was the easy part.

The difficult part was mustering the will and stamina to remain steadfast in our commitment to use evidence-based practice in the face of tremendous pressure–from politicians like you–to adopt baseless “school reform” ideas like “tracking” (school based selective enrollment), “choice,” and the over-evaluation of teachers; ideas that are grounded in ideology and politics as opposed to proven effective educational methods. In a word, the biggest obstacle to Blaine becoming the #1 neighborhood school in Chicago was politics. And while many people contributed to this problem, nobody in our great city is more responsible for that political obstruction than you.

LaRaviere hoped for a while that his, and the example of others, would help get Rahm and other “reformers” to see that there were tangible benefits to listening to actual educators about...education.***

***PLEASE Read the remaining: Alternet

[G_j]

1. K&R!

[jonno99]

2. I'm not familiar with Mr. LaRaviere, but am I am intrigued. Can anyone explain these

"concepts"?

Behind this significant accomplishment are a series of basic concepts based on empirical evidence regarding effective school practices and thoughtful consideration of how we might apply those practices at Blaine.

IOW - why was he successful?

[Stellar]

3. "empirical evidence " I looked it up...

Empirical evidence is information acquired by observation or experimentation. This data is recorded and analyzed by scientists (or whoever) and is a central process as part of the scientific method.

Success was when his school went from 6 place to 1st place

[jonno99]

4. I appreciate the response, but it doesn't really answer my question -

why was he successful - what were these "school practices"?

[AngryAmish]

12. At Blaine, the way to get high scores is have the children of millionaires be the student body

It is an incredibly privileged place.

[jonno99]

15. I'll take your word for it, but that doesn't explain why the school ranking improved.

What changes did LaRaviere implement to improve the school's success?

[Rex]

17. Here in his own words.

'One fundamental element of improving the school was ending selective access to advanced curriculum. When I arrived, less than 30% of students had access to it; today more than 90% have access.'

[jonno99]

18. So... the environment didn't actually change, the students we simply allowed to taked more

advanced classes - which in turn raised the overall rank of the school?

Kind of like an gymnast whose routine includes more difficult elements - if they successfully execute them they get a higher score?

In other words, the principle didn't actually DO anything - he simply let the kids take harder classes?

[Rex]

21. Well there is more if you keep reading.

But it sounds like you already made your mind up.

[jonno99]

30. Chuckles - actually no. Please excuse me if I don't regulary engage in "administrative policy speak"

From what I can see he was successful because he did things "his way". However, I'm at a loss to understand what exactly is "his way".

From the article, the closest I can come to figuring out what this guy did - besides opening up the selective classes - is this statement:

So for the next three years, I consistently and publicly advocated for credible evidence-based education policies. This, in turn, made me also be a consistent public critic of the ideological and politically driven policies coming out of your office and implemented by your hand-picked board.

I have to laugh at my own ignorance, but I'll ask it again: what were his "policies" and what were the "politically driven policies"?

Please excuse me - I feel like I'm missing the obvious.

[Rex]

39. It is called leadership. Not rocket science.

[jonno99]

41. Well I've never really had to engage in either one, so I defer to you:

"Yours... is... the superior..."

(obscure 'Wrath of Khan' reference: Joachim)

[ancianita]

22. Not so. Principals are the instructional leaders of their schools, professionalize their staff

and create school-wide public learning climate while promoting classroom learning climates with teachers.

Clearly, ending the previously structured limitations on advanced class access was his decision, so he did DO something. Then teachers and students did their jobs.

You might naysay many principals, but this guy isn't one of them.

Principals -- good ones -- are not simply managers or bureaucratic place holders.

[Rex]

24. He lead a talented team and improved the school system.

Yeah good leadership means a lot in matters of success.

[ancianita]

25. Yep. Any city school system needs many more principals like La Raviere.

[alcibiades_mystery]

35. Blaine, like a number of other schools in the area, is located in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood

Put plainly, the area where Blaine is located and the community it serves has changed drastically in the last six years (since 2010). I wouldn't go as far as Angry Amish, who overstates the population (Blaine's zone still has tracts of sketch, to be sure), but Blaine is definitely in a gentrified neighborhood, and one that has gentrified recently (which goes to your question).

Also not stated in the Chicago magazine (or Alternet) article is how much money the school gets from parent fundraising. These are large hauls now that make mounds of difference school to school. My daughter's school pays whole teacher salaries in music, art, and language with parent donations - obviously not something that can happen in every school. Chicago Public Schools are in essence public/private entities as a result of the parent donations: they get the same money per instructional unit from the government, but have vastly different budgets as a result of the parent organizations. I don't doubt that Blaine has an active and very generous parent base.

[jonno99]

37. Interesting. I've never lived in a district with schools like Blaine. Like my mother would say:

"It's fun to see how the 'other half' lives."

Thanks for your response.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

19. Reality based governance, not ideological or faith based governance. . . . nt

[jonno99]

20. Ok - what does that mean in practical terms? nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. In practical terms: If you are too practical about education you don't get much education. Period.

[jonno99]

32. Thanks. I've read your other comments and I appreciate your input. nt

[Mosby]

5. isn't testing knowledge the very definition of "empirical evidence"?

I admit I don't follow education policy very much, but how is testing for student understanding of basic knowledge a bad thing?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

26. No, because it depends on what you test for and how you test for it.

If you test for memorization or rote skills, you will not be giving your students a good education.

If you test too frequently you end up spending all the time on preparing students for tests and little time on actually educating them outside of the narrow bounds of the test.

If you have a rigid set of tests and rigidly link teacher performance evaluation to them, then you will get rid of good teachers and end up with teachers who are good at teaching a narrow set of facts and skills. For example, how to calculate percentages, not what it means and not a broader mathematical context.

You definitely will not get students educated in critical thinking, not students capable of connecting patterns across wide ranging fields, not students capable of having reasoned debates, not creative students.

[font size = "+1"]Doesn't "narrow-minded, uncreative, close-minded, uncritical people" sound like the problem the US is facing today and probably the main factor why Trump has gotten as far as he has?[/font] The media pander to people like that, people who think that politics is a football game, a game where the person who has the most energy, shouts the loudest and is the loosest with the truth wins.

[alcibiades_mystery]

36. The Chicago Magazing ranmkings are based largely on test scores

If his school is #1 in "neighborhood" schools (a category not included in the Chicago magazine article), it's because of the standardized testing.

[vlyons]

6. jonno wasn't asking for the definition of empirical evidence

He wanted to know exactly WHAT empirical evidence demonstrates the improvement. I want to know it too.

[jonno99]

7. Thanks!

[ancianita]

29. There is a lot about school learning climates that are not empirically measurable since those

features are local, community-based, attitudinal, communicated in emotional and culturally relevant ways.

School learning climates have some features in common, but those alone don't a good learning climate make.

You can google "learning climate" or "school climate" to learn much more.

In general, I'd say that the non-measurable qualities of good learning climate are foundational to the measurable results they enable.

As teachers have said for decades, not all things worthwhile in schools are measurable. And as many people have finally come to realize, all there is that is measurable make for meager, dull schools.

[jonno99]

31. Obviously it's a complex topic - but something I need to dig into. I appreciate

your input.

[ancianita]

33. Sure! As big as Chicago is, with hundreds of elementary schools, and over 90 high schools,

learning climate can be a real challenge.

[LisaM]

9. I read the letter, and I think what he is saying

is that, as principal, he chose to initiate and promote policies that worked based on observation and experience, rather than implementing the kind of directives our public schools have been subject to. I'm sure there are many examples (including giving access to high-level subjects to all students rather than a few), but the gist of this, I think, is that he's pointing out that teachers and principals really do know what's best for students to achieve academic success. Unfortunately, the bloated administrations for many school districts seem to buy - hook, line, and sinker - untested theories that don't work in practice. The sad thing is that a lot of it's backed by the companies that make testing software and other for-profit tools.

I simply cannot understand Rahm Emmanuel's position on this. I know he's not stupid and at one time he seemed somewhat progressive. Now he seems to be a complete tool of lobbyists and maybe think tanks. It's so disappointing.

[Stellar]

11. Oh, of course...

I've seen as much as you have.

[Ace Rothstein]

8. Being in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Chicago definitely helps.

I'd be curious if the same tactics would work in a lower income neighborhood.

[wcast]

14. IMHO, they would if the same amount of money was spent.

I teach in PA. The difference in per pupil spending can be as high as $13,000. That means the highest spendings districts have $13,000 dollars extra per student to spend on education. This can be tens of millions of dollars.

I got into a heated, on my side, debate with a teacher from one of these affluent districts around Philly. His argument was that extra money was wasted in the poorer districts as when these districts were given "a lot more money", their scores did not improve.

My response was that these poorer districts, even with "a lot more money", were still funded below the state average.

People like to say that money in education doesn't matter. It does! It gives opportunities that vastly benefit students which poorer districts miss out on.

[ancianita]

23. That would likely be tried by principals of those neighborhoods. Principals across the

system are cooperative with each other that way.

[awoke_in_2003]

42. Probably not...

I wish our party would spend more time talking about the plight of inner city schools.

[Sentath]

10. Clean link to Full Letter, rather than Alternet's excerpt

https://troylaraviere.net/2016/08/30/dear-mayor-emanuel-i-resign-my-position-as-principal-of-the-1-rated-neighborhood-school-in-chicago/

[Stellar]

13. It was embedded in the link above.

It was under - "in an open letter addressed to Mayor Rahm Emanuel".

[DonCoquixote]

16. in a dream

This person would have the ear of the Democrats, but way way way too many of people who should know better already bought into Charter $chools because they themselves hate teachers every bit as much as GOPigs.

[alcibiades_mystery]

27. Mmmmmm

Watching people who don't know fuck all about CPS or this ongoing LaRaviere saga comment.

- Guy with two kids in CPS elementary schools.

[ancianita]

34. I put two kids through CPS, and was a CPS high school teacher. I feel you.

[jonno99]

38. The puzzling thing about this thread is it's not easy to tell

who is for - or against - what LaRaviere was doing.

Your comment for example...

[alcibiades_mystery]

40. LaRiviere probably has some decent ideas but is a self serving showboater

If you've ever been in a room with the guy you'd see why many people roll eyes at his various publicity stunts.

[LiberalLovinLug]

43. What is wrong about publicly standing up for a principle (no pun intended)?

Why is it someone who has worked his whole working life trying to improve the lives and education of children, and actually achieves much of that, is smeared with the same phrase as what some silver spoon fed asshole like Trump deserves, simply for going public like this to attract attention to he topic?

On one hand we are encouraged to stand up against injustice, corruption and cronyism, but if someone dares to, especially in a way that is enough of a "publicity stunt" to be successful at drawing the publics attention to the issue, then it must be that they are simply attention whores and thus the actual reason they stood in the spotlight to bring it to the publics attention is purposely discredited and clouded.

If that is the benchmark then you could also brand any politician, teacher, TED speaker, lead activist etc.., with that phrase. I'm sure if he had just quietly retired from his post then Rahm would be so appreciative of this that he would reverse his war on public education.