Leadership | ��ֱ��

Foundational Assistant Principals: Resources for Successful Leadership in All CPS Schools

Communications — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:07:26 +0000

Thomas A. Hendricks Elementary Community Academy is a neighborhood school serving 230 students in Fuller Park on Chicago’s South Side. Before the 2024-25 school year, Hendricks’ relatively small size meant that Principal Anika Murphy generally didn’t have room in her budget to hire an assistant principal. Anika took pride in focusing on the student experience and the support her team gave her, but she recognized that being the sole administrator in the building was spreading her too thin. “Everything had to be done, no matter the size of the school, and it takes a toll on you,” she shared.

Assistant principals play an important role in ��ֱ�� (CPS) and are valuable to schools of all types. These leaders help share the administrative responsibilities of running a school, serve as valuable confidants to principals who would otherwise feel alone in their roles, and — in many cases — step into their principals’ shoes when they retire or move to another role. From 2016-17 through 2022-23, 155 of the 453 new principals selected in CPS (34%) were assistant principals promoted within the same school.��

Because we see the value assistant principals offer to schools, The ��ֱ��Principals and Administrators Association (CPAA) and The ��ֱ�� have long advocated for every school to have the option and financial flexibility to have at least one assistant principal. Using local and state data, and direct testimony from CPS principals, both of our organizations stressed to CPS the positive impact assistant principals have on schools and their vital role in improving principal satisfaction and retention.��

For 2024-25, CPS developed a new budget framework that identifies a base level of resources for all schools, regardless of enrollment. Critically, an assistant principal position was included in this resource base. This means that every school in the district has the ability to have an assistant principal (through what is called “foundational” funding) rather than having to divert money from other priorities in their budgets. As a result, the number of assistant principals in district-operated schools climbed to 651 in 2024-25, up from 618 in 2023-24 and 612 in 2022-23. A number of schools, including Hendricks Elementary, were able to hire assistant principals for the first time in several years.

Source: ��ֱ��; Employee Position Files, March 31

Upon learning she could hire an assistant principal, Anika set high expectations for the position. She was looking for “a partner for the work, someone willing to take on responsibility and hit the ground running, and someone who complements [her] traits.” Anika had trouble finding a candidate who met this high bar and fit with her leadership style, until Robin Tolbert’s application hit her desk. With over 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher and interventionist, Robin wasn’t initially sure that being an assistant principal was the right fit for her. However, when she interviewed for the job at Hendricks, she felt an immediate connection with Anika and the school and accepted the position.��

Robin immediately jumped in and supported Anika’s instructional leadership in the school while beginning to build relationships with the faculty and students. “In my last school, I was there for 20 years, so that trust builds naturally over time,” Robin said. “Beginning to build those relationships was the No. 1 thing I wanted to focus on this year, so I could start to make an impact.” Anika strongly agrees that Robin is an excellent fit for Hendricks: “This was a match made in heaven. Robin checked all the boxes.”

Across Chicago, public schools like Hendricks have proven the utility of assistant principals, regardless of their student enrollment. “Even at a small school, there’s still always something else that has to be taken care of,” Robin said. Anika agreed: “Having Robin this year made me think, ‘you were doing this all by yourself?’”

Even putting aside the actual workload, principals benefit from another administrator as a thought partner and confidant. “This can be a very lonely job,” Anika shared. “Many aspects of my job are not things I can talk to somebody else about. Having a partner, someone to talk about what’s going on, is so important.”

As CPS faces a potential 2026 budget deficit of over half a billion dollars, many recent district investments could be at risk to balance the books. For many smaller schools like Hendricks, the foundational assistant principal position is integral for leaders needing extra support. Many principals believe ending central funding for assistant principals would severely harm their schools. Anika worries about what priorities would suffer if she didn’t have Robin’s support: “A lot of things fell off the table when I was by myself. This position needs to be here to stay.”

The article was developed in partnership with CPAA. It is also available on .

For another example of the importance of assistant principals in CPS, read “Why Every School Needs an Assistant Principal: Danielle Pearse Is a Partner in Leadership,” also on our blog.

Listening First: How Kathleen Hurley Leads With Student Voice

Communications — Fri, 11 Apr 2025 16:11:26 +0000

“What do the kids think?” This simple question guides Assistant Principal Kathleen Hurley at Peterson Elementary in Chicago’s North Park neighborhood. She believes that student ideas and needs should drive school decisions — especially when it comes to creating a supportive, inclusive learning environment.

Growing up in a rural southeast Ohio community, Kathleen was raised by two lifelong educators. “School just feels like home to me,” she shares. Somewhat surprisingly, though, her plan in college wasn’t to go into teaching. She studied food and nutrition science and hoped to work on improving school lunch programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But a desire to better understand schools from the inside led her to join Teach For America. She listed Washington, D.C., as her top city, but was placed in ��ֱ��— at Peterson Elementary. That was nearly 11 years ago, and she has never left.

From her early days teaching STEM — at the time a K-8 program with no curriculum, which she helped lift off the ground — to her current role as assistant principal, Kathleen has always considered Peterson more than just her school — it is her professional home. “Peterson is the most special school in all of [��ֱ��],” she says. “We have 43 different languages and kids from all over the world. If we can all learn in one place and draw from each other’s strengths and experiences, there is so much hope for the future.”

Kathleen’s work centers on students’ voices. Her belief in their agency is real, but beyond including them in decisions, she equips students to lead. She is currently collaborating with a group of sixth and seventh graders on an attendance leadership team. The students are conducting empathy interviews with peers who are chronically absent, aiming to understand barriers to attendance and to design solutions.

Assistant Principal Kathleen Hurley at Peterson Elementary, 2025.

This student-centered approach pervades Peterson, too. “We have teachers committed to making student voice committees happen and leading kids through the design process to figure out what they want to do,” Kathleen says. One standout example is the student-created RISE framework, which defines behavioral norms in shared spaces. RISE stands for respectful, intelligent, safe, and empathetic. After students expressed confusion about expectations, Kathleen and the school’s Culture and Climate Team empowered them to research, design, and roll out the new norms. They surveyed peers, collected feedback, and created hallway posters — even organizing pep rallies to build excitement.

Kathleen has accomplished a lot in her 11 years at Peterson, and she credits much of her growth to working alongside Peterson’s principal, Yalil Nieves. “She’s such a phenomenal mentor,” Kathleen says. “She lets me learn right alongside her.” At the same time, Kathleen is trying to overcome her humility as she prepares to take her leadership to the next level. “Something I’m working on as I prepare for the principal eligibility process is saying, ‘I did this,’ instead of just crediting the team or students,” she says.��

Her years of hard work, along with Yalil’s mentorship and participation in The Fund’s 2024-25 Leadership Bridge program, is preparing Kathleen to lead her own school, though she’s clear that her heart is at Peterson.

Regardless of her future, Kathleen’s leadership philosophy will remain rooted in a deep belief in students — their voices, their power, and their potential. “I believe that has to drive everything we do,” she says. At Peterson, it does.

Using Design Thinking to Drive Belonging: Verneisha Gair Leads an Inclusivity Framework at Jones College Prep

The Fund — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 16:48:41 +0000

A ��ֱ�� alum, Verneisha Gair is proud to have taken the role of assistant principal at Jones College Prep in 2024. She grew up in a family that valued education, and her perspective was shaped by conversations with grandparents who, despite being denied educational opportunities, instilled in her a deep belief in the transformative power of learning.

After earning a biology degree, Verneisha felt drawn back to her original dream — education. Her early teaching experience at Austin High School was eye-opening. She had expected that all public high schools in ��ֱ��would offer the same resources and opportunities she had as a student at Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep. Instead, she encountered opportunity gaps that would later define her leadership approach.

“I thought I was walking into a system where every student had the same shot,” she recalls. “But the inequities were real — and deeply personal to me.”

When Verneisha joined Jones as an assistant principal, she brought a clear vision: to develop systems of support that enable all students to thrive. One of her proudest accomplishments has been building the Student Success Team, a combination of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and the Behavioral Health Team (BHT). This team provides academic and social-emotional interventions for students, especially those who might otherwise be overlooked.

“There’s a misconception that because we’re a selective enrollment school, our students don’t need additional supports. That’s simply not true,” she explains. “In reality, families with means often access these supports outside of school. My goal is to ensure every student, regardless of socioeconomic status, has access.”

Assistant Principal Verneisha Gair at Jones College Prep, 2025.

This year, Verneisha’s work with The Fund’s Design Coaching to Implement has helped advance this vision. Initially, she joined the program to improve MTSS implementation. However, through empathy interviews with students — particularly Black male students — Verneisha discovered a deeper issue: a lack of belonging.

Students didn’t discuss curriculum or teaching styles. Instead, they shared stories of feeling out of place — experiences related to socioeconomic status, cultural differences, and a lack of representation.

“They talked about being first-generation students, about never having been downtown before coming to Jones, and feeling isolated when others talked about vacations abroad or going out for lunch,” Verneisha shared. “That’s when we realized that the core challenge was building a sense of belonging.”

Verneisha is using the insights gained from Design Coaching to Implement to develop the Jones Inclusivity Framework. This framework — designed with input from students, staff, and counselors — will serve as a guide for building a school culture rooted in representation, cultural competence, and connection.

This project reflects Verneisha’s philosophy as a leader. “My leadership style is relationship-based,” she says. “It’s about treating people with respect, listening deeply, and leading with a vision for equitable access so students can self-actualize.”

Verneisha’s transformative work at Jones shows how assistant principals work hard to improve students’ educational experiences — just one of the many ways in which they can positively affect their schools. She wants people to understand that assistant principals are more than just administrators. “We’re doing deep, adaptive work every day,” she says. “We may not be the principal, but our touchpoints are everywhere — academic systems, student well-being, culture-building. We’re architects of experience.”

Why Every School Needs an Assistant Principal: Danielle Pearse Is a Partner in Leadership

The Fund — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 15:40:39 +0000

Every school deserves strong leadership, but ensuring staff and students have what they need to succeed is difficult to do alone. That is why assistant principals are essential in schools across Chicago. They are the behind-the-scenes strategists, the culture keepers, the connectors, and the champions of students and staff. Danielle Pearse is an assistant principal who exemplifies the value, heart, and hard work of the role.

Danielle didn’t set out to be an assistant principal, though. She didn’t even plan on becoming an educator. In college, she was on a pre-med track, convinced that saving lives meant becoming a doctor. But as her passion shifted, a tutoring job at her old middle school sparked a realization: her passion was for education.

“I fell in love with the lightbulb moment when students finally get something,” she said. “One student changed my life — I still tell her that.”

After nearly a decade as a biology teacher at Walt Disney Magnet School, Danielle had no plans to leave the classroom. “I was that teacher who said, ‘Nope. I’m a lifer. I’m never going into administration.’” But her then-assistant principal, Dr. Anna Vilchez — who is now principal at Steinmetz College Prep — saw something in her. And like all great leaders do, she pushed Danielle to grow.

The result? Danielle returned to school, earned the necessary credentials, and now serves as an assistant principal at Steinmetz, where she leads with vision, equity, and purpose.

Danielle acknowledges the importance of her role: “You can’t run a school alone — and you shouldn’t have to.” She knows firsthand how much happens behind the scenes in a school, much of it invisible to students and teachers. “When I was a teacher, I’d be like, ‘Where’s our [assistant principal]?’ Now I know. They’re putting out fires all day, and then going home to do all the work they didn’t get to during the day.”

Danielle’s relationship with Anna is built on mutual trust and shared purpose. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I’m her person. If she calls at 9 p.m., I’m there. If she needs something at 4 a.m., I’ll answer.”

But her role is more than problem-solving; it’s a partnership. “Even if it’s just someone saying, ‘I got you,’ leadership is not work you can do alone. Every school — every student — deserves more than one person holding the weight.” Danielle is that person: the one who holds systems together and holds the staff accountable for doing what is best for kids.

As both an assistant principal and school programmer, Danielle is focused on creating equitable outcomes for every student, particularly English learners, students with disabilities, and students from historically underserved groups. “We don’t program for teachers. We program for students. That has to be the starting point,” she says.

Accordingly, Danielle leads data-informed conversations, partners with teams across the school, and ensures that the schedule opens doors instead of closing them. Danielle has regular “rigor walks” with her leadership team to calibrate what excellent, equitable instruction should look like in every classroom.��

Though she understands the importance of her role, Danielle plans to become a principal one day — but she’s in no rush. “There’s still so much to learn. I want to be ready when the right opportunity comes.”

Anna is helping her to prepare for that by holding her to her growth goals and pushing her out of her comfort zone. “She’ll even call me out on my facial expressions in meetings!” Danielle laughed. “She pushes me to align my words, my actions, even my nonverbals with who I want to be as a leader.”

And when that opportunity comes and Danielle leads her own school, she knows that she will want a partner to support her. “Because every school should have an [assistant principal],” she says. “Always.”

For another example of why all of Chicago’s public schools need an assistant principal, read “Foundational Assistant Principals: Resources for Successful Leadership in All CPS Schools,” also on our blog.

The Many Hats of an Assistant Principal: Dr. Nicole Luke’s Leadership at Lindblom

The Fund — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 18:09:31 +0000

“Assistant principals are the co-pilots of the school,” says Dr. Nicole Luke. At Lindblom Math and Science Academy in Chicago’s West Englewood neighborhood, she wears many hats — each one with purpose. Whether she’s celebrating student wins, coaching teachers, leading equity spaces, or supporting her principal’s mission, she embodies the kind of steady, visionary leadership that keeps a school thriving.

Now in her first year as assistant principal at Lindblom — and with five years of administration experience in ��ֱ�� — Nicole brings her deep commitment to equity, leadership, and learning to every layer of her role.

Hat #1: The Instructional Leader

Before becoming an administrator, Nicole taught high school history for eight years in charter and public schools. “I enjoyed providing students with relevant and culturally responsive education,” she says.

Her love for teaching grew naturally into a passion for leadership. As a teacher, she was a tenth-grade-level lead and U.S. history course team lead, which allowed her to help colleagues solve problems and strengthen school-wide practices.

As an assistant principal, she supports instruction by working directly with teacher teams, overseeing departments, and managing day-to-day operations. “I want to be a collaborator — a co-laborer — with teachers to develop solutions,” Nicole explains. “We meet regularly, set goals, and when something unexpected comes up, I’m often the person who can jump in and solve it on the spot.”

Hat #2: The Student Advocate

Nicole is committed to being present for students, too, whether in the hallways, in classrooms, or in their celebrations. “I pride myself on being accessible and available. Actually, yesterday a student said, ‘I see you everywhere.’ I said, ‘Yes, that’s my goal.’”

She supports the seventh- and eighth-grade teams and is intentional about uplifting both academic and social-emotional success. At Lindblom, the school’s guide how students are encouraged to engage in the school community, and Nicole helps lead the effort to recognize and celebrate students who embody those values. “We’ve been having student celebrations — recognizing students who exhibit ‘Be’lief pillar traits, as well as students who make [the] honor roll.”

She also builds strong family partnerships by helping to host virtual town halls and maintaining open lines of communication with parents.

Hat #3: The Staff Coach & Culture Builder

Nicole considers herself a partner in her colleagues’ professional growth. She regularly meets with teacher leaders and grade-level leads to set goals, work through challenges, and provide support. “Seeing them set goals for themselves and have aspirations toward improving student outcomes” is a huge benefit of being an assistant principal, she says.

She emphasizes the importance of being a good listener, especially when it comes to supporting teachers. “I want to hear what their aspirations are, what their struggles are — for their department, for their students.” She adds that “being a good listener and being empathetic — those are qualities that make good assistant principals, and they’re qualities you can build before even stepping into the role.”

Whether she’s problem-solving in the moment or planning for her teachers’ long-term development, Nicole is focused on building a strong, healthy staff culture that centers students.

Nicole Luke in 2022, when she was an assistant principal at North-Grand High School. Read more about her work there in our report Emerging Innovation in ��ֱ��.

Hat #4: The Vision Partner

Nicole is fully aligned with her principal’s vision and believes that strong alignment between leaders is essential. “I am 100% bought in and supportive,” she says, referring to Principal Starlet Banks, who is also in her first year at Lindblom. “I make sure that I’m enacting [her] vision with the teams I lead and the teachers I support.”

She sees her role as helping to operationalize big-picture ideas and making sure the school’s direction is felt at every level. “The principal is the visionary, and we [assistant principals] are the ones who ensure that the rubber meets the road — that vision is actually brought into fruition.”

Her connection with the administrative team has been a highlight of her time as a leader at Lindblom. “We collaborate so well together,” she says of Starlet as well as fellow Assistant Principal Adrienne Morales and Assistant Principal Michael Meadows.

And their leadership extends beyond their work — it’s about care, too. “We also just provide emotional and spiritual support for each other. It really means a lot when you work alongside someone who is aligned . . . and we care about each other as full human beings, not just colleagues.”

For Nicole, this moment in her career is about what she calls “reblooming Lindblom.” “[It] was always an amazing school — we’re just ensuring that the amazingness happening inside the school is promoted outside the school as well.”

Hat #5: The Community Builder

Outside of Lindblom, Nicole co-leads ��ֱ��’ Black Affinity Group. It is an initiative to help Black educators build community and grow in leadership. “The space really gave us a chance to be in community with Black educators across the district — to process, share resources, and work through challenges together.”

She co-leads the group with Principal Dr. Samuel Davis, a fellow member of her doctoral cohort at the University of Illinois Chicago. Their shared vision is about growing leadership in each other. “We talk a lot about building human capacity — finding opportunities to promote from within and give people space to lead.” Nicole believes that assistant principals are essential — not only for keeping schools running smoothly but also for ensuring a strong pipeline of principals. “We’re the link in the pipeline of building up more leadership in the district,” she says.

This work brings Nicole full circle. As a high school student, she received the Golden Apple scholarship. “It gave me financial support, but also built my first professional network. That’s where I started to see what was possible.” And now, she’s creating that same kind of space for others. “Pouring into educators so they can go back and create these spaces in their own schools — that’s what impacts student success.”

Through every hat she wears, Nicole Luke proves that assistant principals don’t just support a school. They help shape its future.

Lessons From the Classroom: Erin Walker Builds a Vision at Infinity High School

Communications — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:21:17 +0000

In August, Erin Walker began her second year as principal of Infinity Math, Science, and Technology High School, an early-college STEM school in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. Over the summer, having completed her first year leading Infinity, she saw an opportunity to engage with her school community to build a shared vision for the school — as she put it, to get clear on “what was our ‘why.’” Erin sought out feedback from students, staff, and other stakeholders as the school rewrote its mission and vision statements to lay out a clear presentation of how Infinity would serve the community.

Although Erin was previously the assistant principal (AP) at Infinity, she sees the effort to revisit the mission statement as a key step in assuming leadership of the school. She frequently calls on her own past experiences as both a teacher and an AP to inform how she approaches her work, from day-to-day interactions to major strategic efforts. In that way, her principalship is a culmination of all of her previous roles.

However, only a few years ago, Walker didn’t see a principalship in her future at all. Like most ��ֱ�� (CPS) principals, Erin began her education career as a CPS teacher. She taught English in the district for about 16 years, and she had every expectation that she would continue growing in that role. “I loved teaching,” she says. “I never thought I would leave the classroom.” However, when an opportunity to serve as the coordinator of another high school’s International Baccalaureate program opened up, she decided to apply.

While Erin was not ultimately hired in that role, her resume garnered attention at other schools. Eventually, she was approached with a chance to interview for a role as AP at Infinity. Erin says she was still reluctant to move out of the classroom at that point; however, she took the interview, and when she was offered the job, she wanted to give it a shot.

Erin was unsure how well she would adapt to a new role in school administration. This uncertainty was amplified by her move to an entirely different school in a new neighborhood. She was initially worried that her lack of knowledge of Spanish would be an issue in a school where, according to her, a majority of students and staff are fluent in the language. However, she soon found that her enthusiasm for education followed her wherever she went: “Kids are kids,” she says. “They’re what make my job fulfilling, no matter what that job is.”

Erin Walker brings her 16 years of classroom experience into her role as a principal.

As she settled into her new role as AP, Erin applied lessons she had learned in her many years in the classroom. Chief among the qualities she brought with her to the role was resilience, and the sense that “everything is ‘figure-out-able,’” as she puts it. “Just like in the classroom, you have to have a sense of humor in this job, and you have to be patient, but no problem is insurmountable. So much of the job is listening and helping teachers work these issues out.”

As an AP at Infinity for about 7 1/2 years, Erin became comfortable with the structures and processes of the school. During this time, her principal helped her build some of the skills she would need to eventually take on the top role. Last year, the principalship at Infinity opened up, and her familiarity with the school, her involvement in developing its structures and procedures, and her strong relationships with the staff made her the obvious choice for promotion to that role.��

The transition from classroom to principalship hasn’t always been what Erin expected. “When I was a teacher, I thought being the principal was easy,” she recalls. “You just get to sit at your desk the whole day.” Now, she says, while she doesn’t discount the difficulty of leading a classroom, she has experience with the challenges of school leadership as well. “It’s a different kind of hard.”

Even the jump from AP to principal carries new responsibilities, Erin says. As she puts it, “Often the AP is the ‘good cop,’ and the principal is the ‘bad cop,’ meaning that the responsibility for making the hard choices ultimately rests with me.” Fortunately, she identified a leader on Infinity’s teaching staff to serve as her AP, and hopes to develop his skills in the same way her predecessor developed hers.

Every day, Erin brings her memories of being a classroom teacher with her through Infinity’s front doors. “If you’re working with teachers, you can’t forget what it’s like to be a teacher,” she stresses. “You have to remember that some days are hard, and some days are better than others. Through it all, you have to keep your focus on the students.”

Her classroom days also inform Erin’s approach to leadership. “When you’ve been a teacher, you know that as a principal, you can’t micromanage everything; you have to let teachers make their own decisions,” she shares. Erin sees her strength in distributed leadership — in recognizing talent in her staff and building on their strengths. “You have to hire people who are smarter than you, honestly, and empower them to create their own vision that’s in alignment with the school’s vision.”

Refining that school vision has been a focus for Erin as she began to think about what her principalship would look like at Infinity. As she wrapped up her first year in the role, she realized that she had an opportunity to involve all stakeholders — staff, students, and community — in laying out a vision for the whole school. That work culminated in a powerful statement: The school would cultivate “an empowered community of inspired innovators who actively contribute to positive change in society through becoming active and socially responsible leaders; excelling in post-secondary endeavors; and navigating the evolving fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.”

That vision comes through in the opportunities Infinity offers for its students. The school has long had a strong focus on STEM, and recently added an “early college” designation, providing the ability for students to graduate with an associate’s degree from the City Colleges of Chicago. This is a selling point for the community, but Erin, her inner teacher shining through once again, naturally focuses on what it means for the kids: “I knew that no matter what, we had to put students at the front of everything we want to do here at Infinity.”��

The Many Roles of APs: Latricia Baker-Tall Putting People at the Center of Leadership

Communications — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 18:07:26 +0000

Assistant principals (APs) have multifaceted roles in Chicago’s public schools. They serve as instructional leaders, operational managers, student advocates, and important contact points for the community, among others. In this series, “The Many Roles of APs,” we present the work and experiences of APs around ��ֱ��to better understand how they contribute to their school communities.

AP Latricia Baker-Tall has served Wendell E. Green Elementary School for nine years. Her journey from a math teacher to an impactful administrator reflects her deep-seated passion for developing teachers, supporting her principal, and meeting the needs of students through a people-centered lens. Reflecting on her leadership journey, Latricia says, “I think I’ve always been a leader, even from childhood, and becoming an assistant principal has opened a lot of doors for new learning.”

Because she steps in where needed, Latricia’s days are filled with a variety of tasks —�� from coordinating substitutes and assisting with assessment administration to bridging communication between students, teachers, and parents. Through it all, she uses her people-centered approach. Latricia uses restorative practices for student discipline issues, for example, helping students access resources to address adverse behaviors. She even transforms her office into a “beauty shop” to boost the confidence of students having a bad day.

Latricia especially prides herself in her role as a coach and instructional leader. She observes teachers and challenges them to improve their practice through new strategies. She also works hard to connect with her teachers as people first in an effort to support their growth and development. This approach shines through in her work with Green’s out-of-school-time programs, which she initially led and then trained teachers to manage.��

Notably, Latricia has also been an integral part of the Local School Council (LSC) since 2004. Working alongside Green Elementary Principal Tyrone Dowdell, she emphasizes transparency, ensuring the LSC is well-informed about the school’s Continuous Improvement Work Plan, budget and personnel changes, curriculum updates, technology needs, and events, among other matters. Her commitment has contributed to an engaged and smoothly functioning school environment for over two decades.

Through every initiative, meeting, and personal interaction, Latricia proves the indispensable value of dedicated APs in shaping schools. “The AP role is very interesting in that it encompasses so much,” she says. “When the principal is out of the office, I step right into the principal role. And I can honestly say it’s really beneficial when principals get along with their assistant principals. My principal has ensured that I am learning all the skills needed to be an effective leader.”

Latricia exemplifies the ingenuity and commitment Chicago’s APs need to support their school communities. They work relentlessly to ensure that their principals and teachers are supported and that their students have inclusive and enriching learning environments.

The Many Roles of APs: Q&A With Cecilia Mendoza and Tamara Swoope

Communications — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:22:43 +0000

Cecilia Mendoza

Cecilia Mendoza is the AP at Brighton Park Elementary, drawing on her experiences as a ��ֱ�� alum. A challenging chemistry class shifted her path from engineering to education and solidified her commitment to providing science instruction that speaks to all students. Beyond that, her work focuses on enhancing the experience of students and supporting bilingual families.

The Fund: Why did you decide to become an AP?

Cecilia Mendoza: I wanted to be the person who not only helped students enjoy learning but also held high expectations for all of them. This was because that was my experience as a student, where I didn’t always have the best experience in science class, especially as a Latino student on the south side of Chicago. I wanted to be someone who looked like my students so they could see that they too could achieve success. So, I started as a middle school science teacher at another school and then transferred to Brighton Park Elementary. It was the principal and assistant principal at the time who saw my leadership potential and helped me develop my skills by allowing me to join the instructional leadership team, lead our middle grades network, and even present at team meetings. These experiences made me realize that becoming an assistant principal was something I wanted to do and can do.

The Fund: Looking back on your time as an AP, what are you most proud of?

Cecilia Mendoza: One of the things that I find important in my role is being able to connect with students and their parents. It’s important for parents to feel like they can communicate with me directly, in their language without a translator. This helps them feel a sense of belonging and feel welcome at our school. And that’s definitely not something that I created;�� it was at Brighton Park before me. But I think I also embody that positivity, and it makes a difference for staff to want to work there and for students to feel safe knowing that they can trust administration and we aren’t just hidden figures in the office who discipline.��

The Fund: What advice would you give to teachers who are interested in becoming assistant principals? What do you think is most important for their success in the role?

Cecilia Mendoza: As a leader, you need to be flexible. Things are going to change in any given minute, and you just have to roll with the punches. You have to be quick in your thinking and prioritize what is most important.��

Also, we work with a lot of people, and being able to give grace is important because, at the end of the day, we’re all humans. For every decision, think about how it is going to affect the children. We’re here to serve them, but we also have to give that grace to teachers, students and parents. Being empathetic and compassionate with all stakeholders allows us the flexibility to be open-minded and make the best decisions.��

It’s only as difficult as you let it be. This position allows you to see and build relationships with all the students in your school and help them all in different ways.

The Fund: Is there anything you’d like people to know about the role of an AP that may not be obvious?

Cecilia Mendoza: It is a little lonely because as a teacher you have your co-teachers, grade level teams, and yearly set of students, but as an AP, you don’t have that. You get to build relationships with everyone in the building and you do get to meet other administrators, especially through Fund programs; you get to meet different administrators from across the city, which then opens up your lens a lot more. That’s very nice because then you hear different stories and advice from people with a bunch of different perspectives. I think that has really helped my leadership. I now have that community of people all over the city that I can go to, and I’m not just in my bubble.

Tamara Swoope

Dr. Tamara Swoope is a first-year AP at Avalon Park Elementary, a fine and performing arts school. Despite facing challenges — such as a relatively high student mobility rate, with students transferring in and out of the school — Tamara and her team remain committed to the school’s vision of developing critical thinking and problem-solving in students using research-based practices. With the mentorship of Principal Takeshi James, Tamara has been able to make a positive impact at Avalon Park Elementary. As Tamara puts it, “When I get on the phone, I just like to say, ‘Hey, Avalon Park, it’s a great place to educate.’”

The Fund: Why did you decide to become an assistant principal?

Tamara Swoope: I have about 20 years of experience as a ��ֱ��public school teacher. I have a passion for kids. That’s always been my number-one priority. I was just looking for ways to improve student learning, make it fun and interesting, and then support not only the academic needs of students but their psychological needs as well. And often, I’ve realized that those psychological needs and social-emotional supports outweigh the academic needs. I think about the adage that says, “Before you can teach, you have to reach.”

The Fund: Looking back on your time as an AP, what are you most proud of?

Tamara Swoope: One of the things that I’m most proud of is my growth and my development in leadership. I am a lifelong learner. I am consistently and continuously learning in this role. There is never a dull moment, from multitasking to time management, prioritizing, and delegating. It has just been a wonderful, transformative journey of learning. So, I couldn’t just name one thing I’m most proud of. It’s so many things that I’m proud of. I’ve seen my growth from day one to where we are now, in the middle of the year, kind of segueing into the end of the year. But it’s the growth and development that I’ve seen in my leadership capacity, and that growth has also extended to being able to develop leadership capacity in others.

More specifically, we have increased our attendance rate. We are up about 3% from this time last year. And I take pride in that because that is one of my babies. I own the attendance rate and the attendance team, but we are just doing some phenomenal things, and I’m excited for the trajectory we’re headed in as a school.

The Fund: What advice would you give to teachers who are interested in becoming assistant principals? What do you think is most important for their success in the role?

Tamara Swoope: Well, everybody’s going to find their niche. For me, one of the things that I found truly helpful in this role is ensuring that whatever decisions you make, they’re student-centered. Students are at the heart of those decisions.

The other thing that I value most about this role is building relationships with people within education. So, again, when making decisions, make sure that you are leading with students centered first, and then that you can build and nurture relationships with all stakeholders. This includes your staff, your parents, definitely students, and even your outside stakeholders as well. So those will be the two: building relationships and ensuring that everything you do is always student-centered.

The Fund: Is there anything you’d like people to know about the role of an AP that may not be obvious?

Tamara Swoope: It’s a lot of fun. I mean, it’s different from being in the classroom every day. It’s not that kind of fun because I enjoy being in the classroom with kids all day, every day. But it’s a lot of fun because you get to see the entire school. You get to build relationships with the engineer and the lunchroom staff. You get to know people in your building who all make a difference in the lives of our young people. But it’s really fun when you have a school as great as my school; I like to say there is an overwhelming excitement that just comes with the job, having fun with kids. And then, like they say in this profession, it keeps us young.

The Many Roles of APs: A Day in the Life of Chandra Garcia-Kitch

Communications — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 17:52:23 +0000

Chandra Garcia-Kitch’s day at William H. Ray Elementary School begins well before she arrives on campus. With 17 years invested in the Hyde Park school, she has taught everything from third grade to eighth, and the experiences she gained as a teacher helped her transition into an AP.

Chandra uses her long commute to plan the day ahead. “I arrive around 7:15 and use that quiet [commuting] time to mentally prepare for the day’s needs,” she says.

Once she arrives at school, Chandra handles administrative tasks. “The first hour is spent helping in the office, making sure teachers have everything they need,” she explains.

During the rest of the day, though, Chandra’s presence extends throughout the school: “I review lesson plans, handle discipline for grades five through eight, and participate in half of the grade book reviews.” Her rounds through the building are opportunities to connect, check on student well-being, and address immediate needs. “I walk the halls, checking in on everyone,” she says as she reflects on her daily interactions. “It’s probably 65% students and 30% teachers.”

Managing positive and productive relationships is vital to her role. Challenges are inevitable, but Chandra approaches them with empathy. “If a teacher is frustrated,” she says, “I remind them that everyone has tough days. We just take a break and come back to it later.” Whether addressing conflicts or supporting teachers with curriculum development, her focus remains on constructive outcomes and fostering a supportive learning environment. In fact, she recently led professional development for teachers to assess the data they collect, think about factors that may be driving trends, and consider how they can make classroom changes when necessary.

As the school day draws to a close, Chandra helps make sure after-school transitions go smoothly and that students get where they need to go. She organizes her workspace and takes time to reflect and provide support to teachers in the building — whether it is workshopping a challenging lesson or figuring out how to support a student in need.

Chandra’s typical day illustrates the complexity of a job that is often overlooked. She recalls having conversations in which people say, “Well, you just help the principal.” But that perspective oversimplifies her intermediary role, as Chandra describes it, in which she not only supports students and teachers but also her principal. “It’s kind of a catch-all,” she says of the AP position, acknowledging the diverse responsibilities that come with it.

The Many Roles of APs: Curie High School

Communications — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 18:16:38 +0000

The five APs of Curie High School provide a perfect example of the broad range of work that their position requires. Each one brings unique strengths and approaches that make a significant impact on every aspect of Curie’s school community. From veteran leaders like Starlet Banks to new APs like Vanessa Ruiz, their dedication to Curie’s students is clear.��

Starlet Banks has worked in ��ֱ�� (CPS) for 21 years, seven of which she’s spent at Curie. She is a champion for inclusivity and culturally-affirming classrooms. Starlet leads initiatives that amplify student voices, particularly among Black students. “I recognized how our African American students are minorities in this community and have thought through ways that they can be seen and heard and [that] allow them to feel like they’re more than just a number in this school community,” she says. She routinely asks herself, “How do I create some support systems and structures for all students so that they can be successful academically?” As an AP, Starlet has created such systems to ensure not just the academic but also the personal success of all students at Curie.

Jasmine Vasquez-Dorner has served Curie for 16 years, focusing on enhancing the International Baccalaureate program and promoting bilingual education. Her dedication has increased students’ access to rigorous academic opportunities, especially for those who are English Learners. Jasmine shared that over the past two years, she has been working on increasing opportunities for more students to join the International Baccalaureate program. She is excited about the work she has been a part of with coordinators, department chairs, and the administration team — specifically with Starlet and Alexander Kmicikewycz, a fellow Curie AP — regarding early college credits. Jasmine is thrilled to create more opportunities for students to take these classes and earn college credit in high school.

��Katie Shanovich is in her fourth year at Curie, having started her school leadership journey through the program. Before joining the administration team at Curie, she spent 16 years serving the diverse learner population as a special education teacher and case manager in Chicago; Austin, Texas; and Washington, D.C. Curie has given her the experience of leading in a large high school. During her time there, her focus has been leveraging the instructional leadership team to build the capacity of department chairs and course team leaders. Katie sees coaching and supporting teacher leaders as one of the most rewarding, impactful aspects of the assistant principal role.

Alexander Kmicikewycz, another ��ֱ��Leadership Collaborative alum, focuses on Career and Technical Education (CTE) and work-based learning. He has worked with teachers to significantly expand these programs, giving students opportunities to explore career paths through real-world experiences and partnerships with the community, which demonstrates his role as a community connector. “Work-based learning was viewed as just an experience outside of school when I first joined Curie,” Alexander says of this project. “And now, work-based learning is an integral part of instruction and the classroom experience — more students are aware of the opportunity and its benefits.”��

Vanessa Ruiz started her career as a student teacher at Curie. She went on to teach high school English for four years while also teaching at Malcolm X College. Having come full circle, she is now the newest member of Curie’s administration team. “What really brought me to Curie was just the vision of supporting all marginalized students,” she says. Vanessa also emphasizes the importance of building trust through relationships. She currently works with Curie’s Parent Advisory Council and has been able to connect families to the school community, giving them a sense of belonging and a voice. She and the Curie team are committed to continuing “to build those relationships so that the entire community and our entire team continue to build trust.”

The collective power of Curie’s AP team is undeniable. They cultivate a vibrant, inclusive, dynamic, and rigorous learning environment for all their students. As Principal Homero Peñuelas puts it, “Assistant principals are the cornerstone of educational leadership. They provide support and guidance for both students and staff while being dynamic partners to the principal, lending a helping hand when needed and complementing their leadership to ensure the success of the school.”

Leadership | ����ֱ��