Today, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) appointed a successor to John White who has been recognized by national publications as not only the longest serving of any state superintendent of education, but also the most controversial. Today marks the end of a reign of terror in which the only way was White’s way.
Dr. Cade Brumley first caught my attention back in late 2016, or early 2017. One of the non-profit education reform groups with inappropriate influence over education policy was repeatedly giving subtle praise to him. I’ve learned after seven years of advocating for education, when these groups support something, or someone, there’s a connection somewhere, or a plan. A little digging revealed that Brumley had participated in the Broad Superintendent’s Academy, the Harvard Institute for Superintendents, and National Institute for Excellence in Teaching programs which are heavily funded fronts for education reform policy. Connection found.
After a couple of conversations with friends who live in DeSoto parish, the small rural school district where Brumley served as superintendent, I learned that he was widely regarded and respected as a straight-shooting school leader and a genuinely good guy.
I followed him on Twitter for a few months, noting that his comments related to school policy were often in line with mine, and occasionally opposite of John White. I decided to reach out to him and ask him to explain the affiliation with the fellowships. He responded, promptly. Unfortunately, I am unable to locate that initial exchange, but in summary, he told me that as a “learner for life” and someone who hopes to influence education policy, it is beneficial to understand all perspectives. Soon after that initial contact, I read his book. It was at that point, I became a fan of Dr. Cade Brumley.
At this point, I want to offer full disclosure. I began this fight advocating for education seven years ago, as a parent. My children were, and still are, being adversely affected. I am also an educator. I am also a member of the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE), and since September 2019, I have served as a member of the LAE Board of Directors. My advocacy has always been first as a parent, second as an educator, and never as a voice for LAE. That doesn’t mean that my interest or position on policy doesn’t crossover into those three roles. More often than not, the position I take as a parent is the same one I would take as an educator, or as a leader for LAE. With that said, I received a lot of criticism and heat for my early endorsement of Brumley. I want to share with all of you some of the conversations I have had with Brumley. I am fully confident that they represent who Cade Brumley is, as a person and a leader. I will also share some quotes from his book that I feel provide support for my optimism going forward.
In this first exchange, I had been working hard to get a bill passed to acknowledge a parent’s right to exclude their child from state assessments. We were being blocked from every angle. Below, is Brumley’s response to a negative comment about the bill’s goal and the importance of “high expectations.” I would have included it, but it appears to have been deleted.
This second exchange was shortly after the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents (LASS) had taken a stand against John White’s ESSA plan for Louisiana and issued a public statement (Click here to read the statement). After reading the statement, I had some questions.
Finally, I’ve chosen a few quotes from Brumley’s book that I found important. In the book, Brumley provides a rather pragmatic argument in support of The Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium’ Standards for Leadership. I’ll will provide the quotes without comment and let you draw your own conclusions. While you will see some highlighted texts, please consider the entirety of the text.
The bottom line for me is that with the appointment of Dr. Cade Brumley as superintendent of education, Louisiana has begun an era in which voices will be heard, opinions will be considered, and input will be valued. I am not naive. I am well aware that much of what has taken place over the last two years, and what transpired in the BESE meeting today was orchestrated, but I am optimistic that policy decisions, moving forward, will be supported by research and data that represents meaningful measurements. Truly, that is all that I have ever fought for.
Today is a huge victory for ALL Louisiana school children!
WOW! How refreshing! A leader who believes in advocating for their stakeholders -instead of leading from the bully pulpit – is not a common occurrence in my personal experience. Principals that I have worked for in the past have managed with iron fists and intimation tactics. What a different this approach would make.