Letter: In the Name of Consistency, Coherence for Chicago’s Students

I am not writing this blog as the President of Advance Illinois. Advance Illinois is a bipartisan state-level policy and advocacy organization. As such, we do not generally engage in district-level issues that appropriately belong in the purview of local systems, communities, and leaders. So I am not writing in my official position, but as a parent whose children all attended CPS schools from kindergarten through high school, as a former LSC member of two different CPS elementary schools, as a former CPS teacher, and as a Chicagoan who believes that education is the backbone of any city and that schools are critical anchors of their communities. As someone who has dedicated her professional life to public education, and as a parent who has experienced the power and promise of Chicago’s public schools, it is painful on multiple levels to watch what is happening at the leadership level right now.   

It should be axiomatic that educational leaders work first and always on behalf of students; that what is best for children is the north star of any decision or activity. It is hard to square that belief with any decision to change leadership of a complex school district like CPS in the middle of the year…without cause. Schools and students benefit from consistency and coherence. Every bit of educational research ever done underscores the value of having clear structures, curricula and programs and staying the course over time. There isn’t one right way to “do” school, but once you choose a thoughtful, informed, coherent plan and path, it is essential to stay with it. Disruption, on the other hand, gets in the way of good instruction, strong culture, and deep learning. 

There is little more disruptive than changing leadership in the middle of a school year, so if one is to undertake such a change, it should be absolutely necessary to student well-being. It is hard to argue that is the case here. It is my understanding that the Board of Education is not considering removing CEO Pedro Martinez “for cause”, and truthfully it seems hard to imagine they could make the case for that.  Instead, the rationale seems to be about politics and power – adult issues, not student issues. 

For that to happen – on full and public display – is hard to watch.  That it is happening on the eve of newly-elected Board members being installed makes it that much harder.   

This is Chicago, and you can’t live here without knowing something about politics. But as a parent, a former teacher, a former LSC member, and someone who believes in and fights for public schools and students, I am saddened to see politics at play in this way when there is so much at stake.