Congrats to TPES Principal Gadsden
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Anonymous
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Zadia Gadsden, principal of Takoma Park Elementary in Elementary in Takoma Park, Md., is The Washington Post’s 2024 Principal of the Year.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/04/23/washington-post-principal-of-the-year-2024-zadia-gadsden/ |
Anonymous
| Uh oh. What big mess did she have to overcome over at TPES to deserve this wonderful recognition? |
Anonymous
| Congrats to her! A wonderful recognition for a lovely and engaged administrator. |
Anonymous
| I have no clue, but she is professional and competent. Definitely not the worst principal and probably does the best she can with the job she has. |
Anonymous
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She is wonderful and this is very well deserved. My kids are in 7th grade and 9th grade and still remember her fondly.
PS - the article is pretty transparent about post COVID behavior issues experienced in the classroom. |
Anonymous
| She is great - it's nice to see her being recognized! |
Anonymous
| My college DD and Senior DD thrived at TPES. Congrats to a well-deserved recognition to the Principal! |
Anonymous
| That's great news. Congrats to her! |
Anonymous
| Wow, congrats, Dr. Gadsden! |
Anonymous
| I didn't love her when we were there, but congrats, I guess. |
Anonymous
| This is so well deserved. My kids went to TPES in recent years. My most clear view of Dr. Gadsden came when I was a parent volunteer for outdoor lunch during the pandemic; we would flounder to manage, and she would come out and show us how an expert does it - little fanfare, no yelling, she modeled respect and had all the kids rapt. And then when I was trying to roll my eyes at having a 2nd grade "promotion" ceremony, her speech made me tear up instead. I was struck by one of the comments in the article: that she now has to "pour" herself into parents as well, not just kids - something for us parents to keep in mind, taking care not to pull focus when we can avoid it. |
Anonymous
| I thought she was great but I’ve heard that the school has had recent challenges. I think 400 kindergarteners with a large proportion for whom English isn’t their first language? |
Anonymous
There is no way there are 400 kindergarteners. The school has 600 students altogether. ELD rate is 23.5%. |
Anonymous
| The school has about 200 students per grade, and it's k-2nd, while Piney Branch Elementary around the corner has 3rd-5th grade. In recent years, the number of FARMS kids has gone down a bit as the area's housing has gotten more expensive. My kids were there 2015-2023 and unsurprisingly the big challenges seem to have been pandemic related. The aftermath of zoom kindergarten, etc., as addressed by the article. Which Dr. G managed exceptionally well with clear child wellbeing and progress priorities. |
Anonymous
It might be 350 then. It’s enormous and much larger than the average grade in the past. Certainly much more than 200. |