Taking it to the Streets

Gresham Elementary School Principal Diedrus Brown made the most thoughtful statement concerning the CPS desire to make her school a 'turnaround' next year. Since becoming Principal in 2004 almost twice as many Gresham students are now meeting the state mandated test score as dictated by the State of Illinois. Brown said, "Is that really a steady decline?" Any person with any degree of understanding would realize that this is true progress.

Brown, CTU President Karen Lewis and around 100 other stakeholders protested the slated 'turnaround' of three schools, including Gresham, at CPS School Board President David Vitale's home yesterday.

Whether one agrees, or not, with the tactic of protesting at a board member's home, the issue should not be lost on anyone. The fact that students are making progress is the key issue. Another issue, is that by removing the entire faculty and Principal Brown, after 10 years, simply leads to instability. No school needs that added issue to so many that need to be addressed.

Isn't it easy for someone sitting afar to take the action of riding a school of all the workers? Perhaps, just perhaps, if the brass could really put themselves in the shoes of Brown, the Gresham faculty, the students and those who live in the community they might see things differently.

Dick