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The 海角直播 (The Fund) has released the results of its annual Principal and Assistant Principal (AP) Engagement Surveys 鈥� the longest-running and largest surveys of school leaders in Chicago. Conducted in April and May and analyzed this summer, the surveys reveal significant findings about the satisfaction and needs of school leaders across the district. More than 900 principals and APs participated.

Overall, principal and AP satisfaction is up slightly year-over-year (from 63% to 64% for principals and from 73% to 76% for APs), but principal satisfaction rates have yet to return to pre-pandemic highs.

The survey found strong support for maintaining 海角直播鈥� (CPS鈥�) system of local decision-making and principal empowerment. A staggering 95% of principals stated that the ability to allocate school resources and develop their budget, as well as hire their APs, significantly impacts their effectiveness. Sixty-one percent of principals expressed the need for increased responsiveness and support from the CPS Central Office, and 60% wanted more autonomy in allocating resources.

鈥淭hese survey results show that school-level decision-making is a cornerstone of what makes Chicago鈥檚 public schools desirable for school leaders,鈥� said Mariel Laureano, Director of Educator Supports for The Fund, and a CPS principal for more than 10 years. 鈥淐PS leadership wisely named this as a core principle guiding their budget this fall, even as they shifted to a new budgeting approach. It鈥檚 vital that we continue to lean into what makes 海角直播unique for school leaders as we compete to retain and attract talented education leaders. As a school leader, I valued local control, and the vast majority of my colleagues continue to do so today.鈥�

The Fund鈥檚 annual Principal & AP Engagement Surveys provide a valuable view through the perspective of the leaders in Chicago鈥檚 public schools. With an annual frequency, 10 years of data for principals and three for APs, a high response rate (consistently over 70% among principals in district-operated schools), and independent administration by an expert survey provider (the National Business Research Institute, or NBRI), these surveys are a unique tool for anyone interested in understanding school leadership in Chicago.

Other key survey findings include:

• Principals want to spend more time on instructional leadership. Seventy-four percent of principals say they receive clear guidance on the district鈥檚 instructional vision, but principals chose instructional leadership 2 to 1 over all other answer choices when asked what would most improve their impact as a principal, including more resources, more staff, and professional development.
• Principals are deeply concerned about chronic absenteeism. Sixty percent of principals named it a significant challenge.聽
• Principals don’t yet fully understand the shift to an elected school board. While 61% of principals are aware of the upcoming elected school board governance changes, only 24% feel that communication from CPS regarding these changes is sufficient. Additionally, just 22% say they understand how the elected school board will affect their school communities.
• Principals want more tailored development opportunities. Only a slight majority of principals (58%) and APs (51%) are satisfied with the current professional development offerings, indicating a need for more responsive and relevant training opportunities.
• Most principals are satisfied with their managers. Eighty-four percent of principals reported receiving regular support and feedback from their network chief or deputy chief, with 81% acknowledging that this support has improved their practice.

About The 海角直播

The 海角直播 (The Fund) is a nonprofit organization that improves Chicago鈥檚 public schools by investing in the talented educators who lead them. For over 20 years, we have worked with our public, private, and philanthropic partners to redefine what it means to lead a public school.

About the Principal and AP Engagement Surveys

Each year since 2014, The Fund has invited all of Chicago鈥檚 public school principals to participate in our annual Principal Engagement Survey. The survey, which is available for eight to 11 weeks for any 海角直播public school principal to complete, gauges principal experience during the previous school year to better understand principals鈥� needs citywide. We then use the survey results to inform our program and policy work to support Chicago鈥檚 school leaders. High-level results for 2024, 2023, 2022, and 2021 are available at .

In 2022, we introduced the AP Engagement Survey. The survey similarly seeks to understand the experiences and needs of all of Chicago’s public school APs. The findings help inform our current programming and improve the support we provide to APs throughout the year. The survey results also shape our aspiring principal pipeline strategy. High-level results for 2024, 2023, and 2022 are available at .

Media Contact

Cheyane Bligen, The 海角直播, cbligen@thefundchicago.org

The survey responses inform our programming and help us to work toward our mission to improve public schools in 海角直播by investing in the talented educators who lead them. For the first time, we are excited to announce the program changes that are informed by the survey before the start of the school year. Based on the survey data, and discussions with members of our Educator Advisory Committee, we are:

1. Providing more support for principals鈥� professional development.

87% of participating principals want more time for professional learning and development.

We are investing over $1 million in our core programs for 2023-24. We aim to serve more than 200 principals through our Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Based on survey feedback, we will offer Illinois Administrator Academy credits for free through select semester-long PLCs. We will also offer our traditional yearlong PLCs focused on topics ranging from community partnerships, instructional leadership teams, and Local School Councils. Participants in yearlong PLCs will be eligible to receive a stipend for continued learning.

For principals leading schools in communities with high student mobility, we are launching a new, two-year fellowship program. The Malott Educator Fellowship will provide support to qualifying elementary school principals in years three through seven.

2. Renewing our commitment to adequate, equitable resources and principal flexibility.

57% of participating principals want more resources, and 53% want more flexibility in how resources are used.

We know adequate, equitable resources are required for the hard work that school leaders do. In the year ahead, we will share budget adequacy and equity analyses with elected officials and other local and state leaders. We will publish reports that shed light on the positive impact of increased funding and on the need to maintain and grow funding levels. Our past case studies and reports highlighted equity and the need for adequacy.

The survey results also showed that many principals value the flexibility to use resources in ways they know will best serve their school communities. We know there is a relationship between increased leadership latitude, joyful student learning, and positive school culture. Supporting school leaders鈥� ability to lead with local needs at the center is critical to increasing principal satisfaction and keeping them in their role.

Our continued investment in the Summer Design Program (SDP) and the Design Challenge are avenues for principals to pursue change that makes a difference for the communities they serve. Participation also helps build capacity across their leadership teams. In our Design Studio format, teams work together to build future solutions for the challenges they are experiencing today.

3. Investing in social and emotional learning (SEL) supports.

58% of participating principals want more support with student SEL, and 50% want more support with personal mental health.聽

SEL 鈥� for students and adults 鈥� continues to be a topic that matters to leaders citywide. Our PLC and Masterclass catalog for 2023-24 includes several educator-led opportunities to learn and deepen practices related to well-being.

Beyond the existing program catalog, we will bring principals together to discuss issues of trauma and loss in their personal and professional work and to build a supportive community. We plan to pilot this initiative in 2023-24.

More broadly, our educator newsletter and social media channels will include a focus on educator and student well-being in 2023-24. We will intentionally highlight proven tools, strategies, and experiences designed to improve mental health for adults and social and emotional skills for students.

Finally, we would like to thank 海角直播principals for their commitment and leadership. We remain grateful every day for all that they do, and we look forward to working with them to support their schools and communities in the year ahead.

The survey responses inform our programming and help us to be a catalyst for accelerating student learning by supporting school leaders. This year, we are excited to announce the program changes that are informed by the survey data before the start of the school year. Based on the survey responses, and discussions with members of our Educator Advisory Committee, we are:

1. Providing more support for AP professional development.

88% of participating APs want more time for professional learning and development.聽

We are investing over $1 million in our core programs for 2023-24. We aim to serve more APs through our extensive catalog of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Our PLCs include topics exclusively for APs who are looking to move into the principal role. The semester-long PLCs offer Illinois Administrators Academy credits for free, and participants in yearlong PLCs are eligible for a continued-learning stipend.

2. Creating additional opportunities to build skills for the principalship.

51% of participating APs would pursue the principal role if their principal left tomorrow.

The survey also suggests areas in which APs want more development. In response, The Fund is offering Masterclass workshops on budgeting, entry planning, and performance evaluation. The workshops are led by expert principals. Masterclasses are open to all 海角直播APs citywide, and we encourage them to participate.

3. Investing in social and emotional learning (SEL) supports.

50% of participating APs want more support with their mental health.

SEL for both students and adults continues to be a topic that matters to school leaders across Chicago. Our PLC and Masterclass catalog for 2023-24 includes several educator-led opportunities for APs to learn and deepen practices related to well-being.

More broadly, our educator newsletter and social media channels will include a focus on educator and student well-being this year. Specifically, we will highlight proven tools, strategies, and experiences designed to improve social and emotional skills for students and mental health for adults.

We would like to once again thank Chicago鈥檚 APs for their leadership and commitment. We are grateful for all that they do every day, and we look forward to working with them in the coming academic year to support their schools and communities.