Emily joined North-Grand 11 years ago and has served as principal for seven years. As a child, Emily looked up to her older sister who was a teacher. Her sister would bring Emily with her to her summer programs and have her participate in class among her peers. Inspired to pursue a career in education, Emily joined an urban teaching cohort at Miami University before returning to 海角直播to teach English Language Learner students and English.

Emily鈥檚 commitment to supportive services is rooted in both her experience and the research. In fact, data increasingly point to the relationship between our physical, social, emotional, and mental wellbeing and our ability to learn and retain new concepts.听

鈥淢y whole take is that the school – especially a neighborhood school – should be the heartbeat of the community,鈥� said Emily. 鈥淲e should be offering resources to families outside of just education or schooling for their children.鈥澨�

For Emily, this means that North-Grand has a duty to prioritize students and families鈥� wellbeing –听 whether that means nutrition support, housing security, or access to physical and mental health resources.

At North-Grand, 27% of students have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 plans. Additionally, a quarter of the students at the school are non-native English speakers, and many come from immigrant families. In just the past year, North-Grand welcomed about 70 English language learners who require additional supports.

鈥淸We] try to take a more holistic approach to education,鈥� Emily said. 鈥淎 kid can’t learn algebra and biology or anything else if they’re hungry, if they’re worried about where they’re going home for the night, or if their family is scared or has concerns.鈥澨�

Emily began expanding her school鈥檚 psychiatric resources in 2016. Today she has five school counselors, instead of three, and a dedicated college coach. She also strongly advocated for the two full-time social workers and a full-time educational psychologist that serve North-Grand students, among other clinical positions and partnerships. The growing team includes a Youth Intervention Specialist and Student Services Advocate.These resources ensure North-Grand鈥檚 team is better equipped to address students鈥� needs and can lead to outcomes like better attendance and grades as well as to increased self-esteem.

The physical and mental health challenges of the pandemic exacerbated an already growing crisis, while simultaneously casting a spotlight on the issue. North-Grand鈥檚 mental health staff members have helped Emily address the growing requests for support from students and their parents.听

Today, North-Grand鈥檚 students are attending college at higher rates, and persisting through college more often. Coupled with new funding from the school鈥檚 recent Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) programmatic designation, Emily has high hopes for the future of North-Grand.

This project is just one of the many ways that Bronzeville Classical Elementary School contributes to its neighborhood. When Principal Nicole Spicer founded Bronzeville Classical, a 海角直播 (CPS) selective enrollment school, she knew she couldn鈥檛 offer every neighborhood child a place in her classrooms. As such, she made it part of the school鈥檚 mission to give back to its community.听听听听听听听

Those familiar with the Bronzeville neighborhood will recognize the necessity in strengthening its historic legacy. As Nicole pointed out, the area is the famed birthplace of the 海角直播Bee Branch newspaper, a publication that offered Black migrants information and networks to help them settle in a burgeoning 海角直播at the beginning of the 20th century.

Bronzeville bloomed into a cradle of Black culture and influence, becoming home to iconic and powerful figures such as Gwendolyn Brooks, Louis Armstrong, and other mid-century titans of art and entertainment. Nicole herself has many early memories of the neighborhood; long summer days playing in the streets and visiting shops.听

鈥淚 found my forever home there,鈥� Nicole said. 鈥淚 realized that I had to seize the moment and really take advantage of this opportunity to revitalize a community that was so instrumental in my formative years as a school-aged child.鈥澨�

Nicole has always had a deeply community-oriented mindset. In 1997, she graduated from St. Ignatius College Prep, where she was part of a community tutoring program and taught at neighboring elementary schools. That experience inspired her to pursue a career in education.听

Nicole began her career in CPS in 2009 on Chicago鈥檚 Southeast Side. After a year serving as an instructional coach for the Academy for Urban School Leadership, she became an assistant principal (AP) at Wendell Smith Elementary School. After a short tenure as an AP, Nicole prioritized time with her family and served as a gifted teacher, coordinator, and reading coach at Ralph Metcalfe Community Academy for a few years. There, she was recommended and accepted to New Leaders, a Fund-seeded principal preparation program that is part of the 海角直播Leadership Collaborative. Following a year-long principal residency at DeVry Advantage Academy High School, Nicole became the AP at Skinner North Classical School.听

Since starting Bronzeville Classical six years ago, Nicole鈥檚 efforts have consistently focused on improving the local standard of education and ensuring the entire community benefits from the school鈥檚 presence and programs. Since then, Nicole has also seen the myriad of ways the community supports and gives back to Bronzeville Classical.听

During the initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, subjects like music were difficult to transition to an online format. Without access to actual instruments, students had no way to hone their long cultivated talents. Nicole relied on the generosity of teachers, parents, and community members to raise funds to provide each student with at least one instrument. It was not only a bold show of camaraderie and local action during a time of great hardship, but also a testament to the hearts and homes that Bronzeville Classical has touched.听

Nicole is a member of The Fund鈥檚 Educator Advisory Committee.

Raven first learned about The Fund while serving as assistant principal (AP) at Bronzeville Classical in the Bronzeville neighborhood. Early in her educational career, Raven鈥檚 principal, Nicole Spicer, encouraged her to participate in The Fund鈥檚 Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).

“I joined my first PLC, not knowing it would help propel me into my next career move,” Raven shared. Though Raven began her PLC as an AP, she was named acting principal at Reavis Elementary in 2021. Raven credits her PLC with helping her navigate this transition. She also developed strong relationships with school leaders across the city, which she continues to nurture while seizing additional professional development opportunities.

In the 2022-23 school year, Raven is participating in a PLC focused on effective approaches to cultivating a positive school culture and climate. Led by Principal Jasmine Thurmond, the school culture and climate PLC will create opportunities for participants to visit each other’s campuses and gain insight into how different schools build community. “I’m excited to see how others support students and staff, even if they are in a different part of the city; we have more things in common than not,” Raven said.

After the pandemic deeply impacted students, families, and staff in the community, Raven was motivated to build a strong culture and climate. She sensed a deep “feeling” of hopelessness in her school community; there was a clear need for resources.

Till Elementary provides essential services and support for many families. There are 331 students enrolled at Till Elementary, 96.7% of which are Black, 3% are Latino/a/x, 94.9% are low-income, and 17.5% are diverse learners. During the pandemic, families and local organizations volunteered to help Raven, allowing her to uncover new opportunities and talents within the Till school community. Raven’s participation in The Fund’s school climate and culture PLC will enable her to build on those experiences and re-establish a sense of connectedness among students, faculty, and families.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank The Fund because this is a resource that not every district has,鈥� Raven said, 鈥淚t’s great that we have this in Chicago.鈥�

As schools across the country, COVID-19 placed a particular strain on students at North Grand HS. When her students struggled across grade levels during the 2022-21 school year, AP Luke knew that many of the failing grades were due to student disengagement. As a result, AP Luke and her leadership team developed a schoolwide survey to better understand students’ experiences during the pandemic and their attitudes towards grades. The results were clear: students felt overwhelmed and disconnected from their classes.

Currently, teachers at North-Grand grade students use a 100-point grading scale and have very different grading styles. This variance makes it hard to see what skills students have or have not mastered. AP Luke wanted teachers to have the space to critically examine the type of assignments presented to students along with how feedback and grading could be used as a tool of empowerment for students versus simply accumulating points. This would also give students multiple ways of demonstrating their understanding and mastery of the material.

As a participant in The Fund鈥檚 Summer Design Program, AP Luke used a design thinking approach to reconsider how North-Grand could make grading more meaningful to students and teachers after months of remote learning. Since 2013, the Summer Design Program has provided educators with the time, space, and resources to create innovative solutions to school-based, student-centered challenges.听

At the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, AP Luke shared the schoolwide data with teachers and underscored areas for improvement and how grading exposed inequities in student learning. She engaged the Grading for Equity PLC around discovering better alternatives for their grading practices.

Understanding the relationship between grading practices and inequity has helped teachers at North-Grand to rethink their approach to understanding how students are learning. Educators can better see where students are excelling or where they might need additional support. Students can better demonstrate their understanding of the material, and stay more connected in the process.听

By getting clear data on the problem, leveraging leadership through her educator team, and keeping students at the center of the work, AP Luke is leading North-Grand in reimagining a more equitable future.听听

Promising Practice

鈥淒esign thinking is not a linear process. It takes time, patience, sense-making, learning, and reflection by everyone involved, especially the person leading the work.鈥澨�

I am writing to share an important team update. After eight years serving across various teams, Chaula will be transitioning from The Fund in April to join Digital Promise, a national nonprofit focused on education innovation, as their Chief Program Officer.

As you all know, Chaula has been instrumental to the success of The Fund 鈥� having shaped our program strategy from the early days of Summer Design. When she started this work, we had 13 principals in our network. This year, we are serving more than 300 educators in Chicago鈥檚 public schools. So much of our creative expansion is a credit to her innovative spirit and fierce commitment to the work. Chaula has also served as a citywide mentor to many other nonprofit leaders, especially women of color, and is widely considered an expert on the operations of a small nonprofit. In recent years, she has also taken on fundraising work 鈥� having secured a major gift just last week.

More than all those things, personally, she has been my most honest critic and most genuine champion. I feel very honored to have worked closely with and learned from her for so long. I am going to miss her very much.

I am thrilled that Chaula will be working closely with Fund Director D鈥橝ndre Weaver, who serves as Digital Promise鈥檚 Chief Digital Equity Officer 鈥� you all know we can鈥檛 say no to 海角直播principals 鈥� and former CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard, the organization鈥檚 leader. Despite the national scope of their work, Chaula鈥檚 ties to 海角直播will, thankfully, remain strong. I am happy for Chaula鈥檚 new role as it allows her to build on the skills she has learned at The Fund, is close to her personal passion around innovation, and gives her more flexibility to be closer to family on the East Coast.

While we could not have predicted the timing, Chaula and I have been discussing this possibility for a while. And, as is best practice, we have contingency plans in place for all senior leader transitions at The Fund. We are working on the team structure and hiring needs, and we will keep you all updated.

Please join me in wishing her the best as she starts on her new chapter.

Warmly,
Heather Y. Anichini
President & CEO

Promising Practice

As a long-time educator, Julian High School Principal Myron Hester knows the value of fun.听

So when Hester started working with neighborhood organizations 鈥� like the – 听to bring more COVID-19 vaccines to his community in Washington Heights, he knew he had to find a way to make getting the jab enjoyable. A vaccination event wasn鈥檛 enough; Hester wanted to host something that community members would want to attend.

鈥淎t the beginning of the year, we had a fall festival on the football field,鈥� Hester explained. 鈥淭here were animals, a DJ, a bouncy house, food, hot chocolate, and we had folks from the Roseland Community Hospital on-site to give free vaccinations.鈥�

The turnout was great, and the Julian team was looking for a way to continue the momentum. They decided to take a similar approach in winter 鈥� this time hosting the festival in the gym rather than on the football field.听

鈥淚 brought my families to both festivals 鈥� my kids got vaccinated,鈥� Hester said. 鈥淢y mom got her booster at the winter event.鈥�

By pairing fun with community resources, Hester was able to help break down barriers that prevented students and families from getting vaccinated against COVID-19.听

Background

Hester鈥檚 approach to increasing access to the vaccine was rooted in experience. He and his team at Julian have long relied on partnerships with community organizations like Grads Over Guns to give students and families access to all kinds of support.听

Hester sees any school event as an opportunity to connect families to services. At report card pick up, for example, community organizations 鈥� and even businesses like ComEd 鈥� set up tables and talk directly to families.听听听

鈥淚 make it a priority to make connections,鈥� Hester said. 鈥淐ommunity organizations have the resources, and we can provide the facilities.鈥�

This kind of relationship-building between the Washington Heights community and the school has paved the way for new and exciting opportunities. Currently, Principal Hester is working with Dr. Abdullah Pratt, an ER doctor at University of Chicago, to plan a vaccination event during the school day. Students will be excused from class and to head to the gym, where U海角直播staff will be set up to vaccinate them, with their parents鈥� permission, of course.听

The partnership with Dr. Pratt doesn鈥檛 end with vaccines, either. The ER doctor and some of his colleagues are working to address gun violence as a public health issue. They want to see fewer kids coming into the university鈥檚 Trauma Center, so they鈥檝e joined forces with Julian to increase education around trauma, mental health, and healthy living and how they impact students鈥� relationships with one another and their community.听

Hester鈥檚 hope is that this type of work continues to show Julian High students that it鈥檚 not just family or teachers who care about their wellbeing 鈥� it鈥檚 the community too.听

Principal Hester鈥檚 Word of Advice

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 hurt to ask: 鈥楧o you want to sponsor this event?鈥� Most of the time people say yes when it comes to supporting students and giving back. Sometimes, as a principal, you have to get out there and hustle.鈥�

Promising Practice

Social media is the key to students鈥� hearts 鈥� or at least their attention. That鈥檚 something Corliss High School Principal Ali Muhammad knows all too well. So when Muhammad started working with the Far South Side Community Action Council to encourage Corliss students and families to get vaccinated, it didn鈥檛 take him long to realize a simple solution: Ask students to promote an upcoming vaccination event.

鈥淲e have a student who has 70,000 followers on TikTok,鈥� Muhammad said. 鈥淚 guess you鈥檇 call him an influencer.鈥澨�

The student, Danny, was more than happy to pitch in. He posted videos with details about the event in the days leading up to it. The hype paid off: On the day of, Corliss鈥� stadium was full of students, families, and community members ready to get their shot. Danny even showed up to share updates with his followers, despite already being vaccinated.听

Background

Corliss High School is a fixture of Chicago鈥檚 historic Pullman neighborhood, where the COVID-19 vaccination rate continues to hover around 54% 鈥� lower than the city average. Muhammad said he has encountered vaccine hesitancy from Corliss families. His approach has been to open Corliss鈥� doors.听

鈥淚 always ask myself, 鈥楬ow can I support what鈥檚 going on in the community?鈥欌�� Muhammad shared. 鈥淭he more exposure we have to resources to fight COVID, the better.鈥�

In addition to hosting vaccination events at the school, Muhammad has encouraged people to get tested regularly. That option puts people who don鈥檛 want to get vaccinated at ease 鈥� and keeps students and staff safe.听

鈥淚 have students who test every week,鈥� said Muhammad. 鈥淲e鈥檙e always in line together. You鈥檇 expect it would be playtime for high school students, but there鈥檚 no ruckus.鈥�

Still, even weekly testing hasn鈥檛 assuaged some parents鈥� fears. Corliss parents sometimes choose to keep their kids home beyond the recommended five-day quarantine after a potential exposure or if, say, a relative is visiting.听

Muhammad works to share accurate information with families, but his biggest ally is 鈥斕� and always has been 鈥� his students.听

鈥淭he majority of students have their masks on 鈥� and you just need to remind the others to pull theirs up,鈥� said Muhammad. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e mindful of it. They sanitize their hands. They wipe down their seats with disinfectant wipes. I don鈥檛 think adults always see all that kids do.鈥�

Principal Muhammad鈥檚 Word of Advice

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 control everything. You just want to make sure to keep everyone mindful. I go visit teachers鈥� classrooms, and if I see students aren鈥檛 wearing their masks, I鈥檒l motion to them to pull them up. You create the situation yourself. Communication is key. They listen to me because I communicate with them.鈥�

During the hearing:听

• The chair of the bill recognized that there were 海角直播principals who recorded both support and opposition for the bill.听
• The lead sponsor of the bill, State Senator Celina Villeneuva, stated that she is considering amendments to the bill.听
• State Senator Bill Cunningham raised some questions about the bill, regarding how the redefinition of principals as non-managerial employees could affect the powers of Local School Councils (LSCs).听

The Fund鈥檚 CEO, Dr. Heather Anichini, provided testimony in opposition to the bill during the hearing. Below, you can find her full written statement.听

____________________________________________________________

Members of the Committee, thank you very much.

I am Dr. Heather Anichini. I lead The 海角直播, a 20-year-old nonprofit that works directly with principals and assistant principals in about half the schools citywide.听

My team and I work to ensure that 20 years from now, our schools are even stronger than they are today. We know making 海角直播the best city in which to lead a public school is essential to reaching that goal. It鈥檚 that aspiration that informs my concerns about HB3496.

There are more than 600 schools in Chicago, and each one needs something a little different. Right now, our principals have the ability to flex around community needs. Under the current law and in practice, principals in 海角直播enjoy flexibility around budget, curriculum, scheduling and teacher staffing that is unique when compared with peer cities.听

Governed by laws similar to the one you鈥檙e considering today, principals in other cities have seen their flexibility limited. and have seen their hiring rights severely curtailed. In , principals can be involuntarily assigned to another school.听

Definitions like those under consideration today can lead to principal flexibility being compromised.

Chicago鈥檚 reliance on local flexibility – by both law and practice – is decades in the making. Thirty years ago Chicago鈥檚 principals, in partnership with their Local School Councils, were given initial local controls.听

Those practices were expanded over decades. I led the district鈥檚 school improvement redesign in the early 2000s and remember vividly the ways in which local control and principal discretion were intentionally expanded during that time period, in partnership with principals and the CPAA.

The theory then – and now – is that change happens locally, in schools. Principals – as leaders and managers in every sense of the word – shape that change.

That theory works. Chicago鈥檚 principals have used their local flexibility to partner with their teachers and communities and to achieve remarkable gains.听

In 2000, the CPS high school graduation rate hovered below 50%, and only 15 out of the 65 high schools had a rate above 60%. Today, the citywide graduation rate is over 80%.听

We know from research at the University of 海角直播and Vanderbilt and Stanford that those gains are meaningful and that principals play a statistically and experientially significant role in delivering them.听听

To be clear, we know that 海角直播is not the easiest city in the country for leading a school, especially this year. We conduct an annual survey of principals, regular program surveys and lots of focus groups. Right now, they suggest one thing: Our principals are exhausted. They often feel stressed beyond measure. Unsupported, under-appreciated and under-resourced.听

Their feelings are real, and particularly acute in the face of COVID. They also raise important questions.听

This bill is not the answer. We鈥檙e not the only ones who believe that. There are 海角直播principals raising concerns about the long-term implications of this legislation, despite near-term risks to themselves. Their questions merit additional debate.

We simply haven鈥檛 had enough time to understand what fundamentally changing the definition of management means for Chicago鈥檚 public schools.听

We know principals are tired and we value them. They need us to acknowledge the trauma and pain of this year, and invest in their leadership.听

That can be done without this law. It can be done by building upon and strengthening levers that already exist, and that can continue to evolve.听

I thank you for your time and urge you to vote no on 3496.

Wayne Zhang: What are your biggest takeaways from this report?

Nelson Gerew: I鈥檇 say I have two main takeaways. First and foremost, the study reinforces just how important strong principals can be for student performance. The authors reviewed six longitudinal studies using data from more than 22,000 principals from 海角直播and other districts, and found that principals can have a significant impact on student achievement, almost as much as teachers. While teachers were shown to have slightly larger effects on student learning than principals of a similar effectiveness level, the impact on learning from principals were felt across the entire school, and were not confined to just individual classrooms. The study authors note that replacing a principal in the bottom 25th percentile of effectiveness with one in the 75th percentile can add the equivalent of 2.9 more months of learning in math and 2.7 more months of learning in reading during a just single school year. That鈥檚 large in terms of educational interventions.

Second, I think the study underlines just how much data supports the idea that top-tier principals can affect student outcomes. While the study itself looked at six longitudinal studies, the outcomes are also situated with a larger in-depth review of hundreds of different studies that have been done about principal effectiveness over the past two decades.

And one final point: Those longitudinal studies reflect a type of research that wasn鈥檛 really possible until relatively recently. Carefully looking at principal job histories is important; it鈥檚 something we look to leverage at The Fund to inform our work.

WZ: What do you think this report means for Chicago鈥檚 principals?

NG: I hope that it means that Chicago鈥檚 principals can take a step back, congratulate themselves and feel proud of the value and work that they bring to their school communities! The report specifically calls out the effectiveness of Chicago鈥檚 school leaders, noting that some high school leaders have directly affected instruction by establishing 鈥渟afe, college-focused school climates.鈥� In elementary schools, meanwhile, the strength of some principal-teacher relationships has also resulted in accelerated reading achievement for students. This is all to say: If we haven鈥檛 already expressed how grateful we are for everything principals have been doing during this crazy year, now is the time to really appreciate and celebrate them!听

WZ: What is the implication of this report for The Fund’s work?

NG: Simply put, this report tells us that our present mission of cultivating and supporting leadership in Chicago鈥檚 public schools is still urgent and worthwhile. Through our programming, we aim to build a strong pipeline of qualified leaders and simultaneously support in-role school leaders with resources, community-building and professional development. Meanwhile, on the data and policy side, we aim to work with the district and other partners to create the best possible conditions for Chicago鈥檚 principals. We鈥檙e also gathering information from and about principals in things such as . By analyzing who principals are, where and how they work, and how they transition between jobs, we hope to better understand how to maintain a strong group of school leaders in 海角直播who will in turn do the best by our students. This report underscores how important quality school leadership can be; it鈥檚 our job to keep working with our partners to increase and sustain such leadership citywide.