Principal Barton Dassinger of C茅sar E. Ch谩vez Multicultural Academic Center won the Growth Leader in Elementary Schools Award. Principal Brian Kelly of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. College Preparatory High School won the Growth Leader in High Schools Award.

The organization announced the awards at its annual Principal Storytelling Evening on October 16 at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry. Mayor Brandon Johnson and interim 海角直播 Superintendent/CEO Dr. Macquline King delivered remarks at the event before four principals told inspiring stories from their careers as leaders. The event is part of the Principal Appreciation Campaign, a citywide effort led by The Fund that celebrates school leaders every October.

鈥淭he Fund celebrates Chicago鈥檚 public school principals year-round,鈥� said Dr. Heather Y. Anichini, CEO of The 海角直播. 鈥淪ince 2015, our October appreciation campaign has inspired a coalition of organizations and communities to recognize the essential role principals play in shaping school culture and accelerating student learning citywide.鈥�

The awards celebrate principals who have achieved exemplary postpandemic growth in their schools. The Fund鈥檚 School Leader Celebrations Committee, which includes 海角直播school leaders and members of community organizations, selected Dassinger and Kelly from a pool of finalists, four in each category:

Finalists for Growth Leader in Elementary Schools Award

• Barton Dassinger, Ch谩vez Multicultural Academic Center
• Meghan Duffy, Audubon Elementary School
• Yalil Nieves, Peterson Elementary School
• Donnell Rader, Beasley Academic Center

Finalists for Growth Leader in High Schools Award

• William Hook, 海角直播High School for Agricultural Sciences
• Paul J. Karafiol, Lake View High School
• Brian Kelly, King College Prep
• Jennifer Sutton, Von Steuben High School

The finalists were identified by assessing multi-year performance metrics for every public school in Chicago. Each finalist then submitted supporting materials and staff endorsements. The committee used a detailed rubric to carefully evaluate the submitted materials and school data. Important considerations included:

• Improvements in student attendance
• Growth in Illinois Assessment of Readiness scores for elementary schools
• Rising graduation rates for high schools
• Growth in the Effective Leaders rating on the 5Essentials Survey

Barton Dassinger has been the principal of Ch谩vez Multicultural Academic Center for over 15 years and has 20 years of leadership experience in 海角直播. He recently received the Award of Excellence from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). Under his leadership, Ch谩vez earned the Exemplary School designation from ISBE in 2024, the highest tier in the state. Among the many data points that impressed the committee, Barton has significantly reduced kindergarten through eighth-grade chronic absenteeism at Ch谩vez, lowering the percentage of students missing 18 or more days from 37% in 2022 to 6.3% in 2025.

鈥淚 felt overwhelmed with pride for our school community when I received this award,鈥� said Principal Dassinger. 鈥淥ur students鈥� outstanding growth is a result of their sustained hard work and that of their parents and all of our staff members.鈥�

Dr. Brian Kelly is in his seventh year as principal of King College Prep, where he has expanded dual-credit access, strengthened supports for students with disabilities, and sustained high Freshman On-Track performance while increasing graduation rates. A 2025 Cahn Distinguished Fellow, 2024 Golden Apple Award recipient, 2023 ISBE Administrator of Excellence, Dr. Kelly also coaches leaders as the founder of Fullbody Leadership and mentors emerging principals through the 海角直播Leadership Collaborative and the Golden Apple Foundation. In recent years, he has driven a 20% gain in ninth- and 10th-grade reading and math performance and increased seniors鈥� scholarship offers from $1.9 million to over $33 million, two of many outcomes that impressed the selection committee.

鈥淚 feel deep gratitude for our staff, students, and families. Their trust makes bold work possible, and this honor belongs to King College Prep,鈥� Dr. Kelly said. 鈥淭his award affirms that equity-driven, student-centered leadership changes lives, and I am proud of our Jaguars and the educators who make that promise real every day.鈥�

鈥淐hicago鈥檚 strongest principals are curious, committed leaders who use data to spot opportunities others might overlook,鈥� said Dr. Anichini. 鈥淏arton, Brian, and all of this year鈥檚 Growth Leader Award finalists provide tangible examples of transforming numbers into stronger student experiences. At a time when we might be collectively struggling to find clear instances of what鈥檚 working, they show us what excellence looks like 鈥� constantly innovating to ensure students are in school and learning every day.鈥�

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About the Principal Appreciation Campaign

For 10 years, The Fund has proudly led Chicago鈥檚 citywide Principal Appreciation Campaign, a collaborative effort with 海角直播, the city of Chicago, and valued partners like Aon, BMO, the Field Museum, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Intersection, Northern Trust, and William Blair. As part of Principal Appreciation Month every October, this campaign celebrates the exceptional work of Chicago鈥檚 school leaders and their positive impact on students, teachers, and communities.

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. The Fund is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025, underscoring its enduring commitment to collaborating with partners across Chicago鈥檚 education sector to redefine school leadership in the city.

Media Contact
Zach Jacobs
zjacobs@thefundchicago.org

After nearly a decade of leading The Collins Academy High School, LaKenya Sharpe continues to positively impact her school鈥檚 culture by leveraging her equity-driven approach to student support. Before arriving at Collins, she served as assistant principal at Harvard School of Excellence and Chalmers School of Excellence. She draws on that background to create joyful and structured learning environments, expand career-readiness opportunities, and cultivate a sense of pride and belonging among all of her students.

Principal LaKenya Sharpe of Collins Academy High School, 2025

Data-Informed Decision-Making

When Principal Sharpe first arrived at Collins, she noticed troubling patterns in attendance and student motivation, especially during first-period classes. She made it a priority to listen. She spent time in hallways, visited classrooms, and spoke directly with students and staff to better understand what was driving the disengagement. These early conversations revealed deeper barriers like a lack of connection to the school, responsibilities outside the classroom, and a lack of programming to meet student interests 鈥� all of which helped shape her next steps.

Implementation & Impact

Principal Sharpe used these insights to inform both school culture and instructional changes. To prioritize student engagement, she launched a series of whole-school activities, such as field trips, including a citywide scavenger hunt using Pok茅mon GO to foster connection and reframe students鈥� perceptions of school as a positive, supportive environment.

To address low attendance and behavioral incidents, LaKenya collaborated with her leadership team to develop an incentive system known as Warrior Points, where students earned rewards based on attendance, behavior, and academic performance. Students reaching the top tier gained access to premium field trips, such as outings to Enchanted Castle and Dave & Buster鈥檚.

Principal Sharpe and her leadership team monitored implementation using attendance data, behavior reports, and feedback from teachers and students. As more students reached higher tiers, she scaled the program, expanding the range of trips and incentives. She also introduced public recognition ceremonies and gave out trophies and school ambassador roles to reinforce student effort.

During her early conversations with students, Principal Sharpe also learned that some were responsible for walking younger siblings to school before arriving at Collins, causing frequent tardiness and absences during the first period. Rather than issuing consequences, her team responded with empathy and problem-solving. They built intentional partnerships with neighboring elementary schools, coordinating drop-off windows and communication to support older students in managing family responsibilities without sacrificing their own attendance.

When students expressed interest in cosmetology but found that there was no program at Collins, Principal Sharpe responded by creating an after-school nail technician program, the first of its kind in 海角直播. She partnered with a local Black-owned salon to provide hands-on training and a pathway to professional licensure.

The results of these innovative shifts were significant. By the end of the year, 40% of students achieved the highest Warrior Points tier, and schoolwide attendance rose by 4 percentage points. Disciplinary incidents declined by 80%.听

Principal Sharpe and her team now aim to deepen the Warrior Points program鈥檚 academic integration and build teacher-led implementation teams to sustain the work. As she explains, 鈥淲hen kids feel seen and celebrated, they show up for themselves and for each other.鈥�

Apply This Learning

1. Use student voice to guide culture-building efforts.

Principal Sharpe鈥檚 approach at Collins began with listening through informal focus groups, hallway check-ins, and direct feedback from students. This practice continues to shape the school鈥檚 incentive systems and community-building events. For example, students co-designed elements of the Warrior Points program, voted on field trip destinations, and offered feedback that led to more student-responsive celebrations. These efforts helped students feel seen and valued, which in turn led to increased attendance and participation.

2. Partner creatively to reduce hidden barriers to attendance.

When Principal Collins learned that some students were responsible for walking younger siblings to school before arriving at Collins, she reached beyond her own building and collaborated with nearby elementary schools to enact solutions rather than consequences.

3. Expand access to career pathways through community-based programming.

LaKenya鈥檚 decision to start the after-school nail technician program was rooted in student voice. Many shared that college didn鈥檛 feel like the right fit for them and that they wanted real, immediate opportunities to build careers. By listening to their aspirations and leveraging local expertise, Principal Sharpe positioned career education as a valid, empowering alternative, one tied to identity, purpose, and tangible outcomes. The program not only affirmed student interests, but also demonstrated that schools can adapt creatively to meet student demand.

Claudia Ortiz took the helm as principal of Tarkington Elementary in 2021. She has 25 years of experience in 海角直播 鈥� 17 of them in the classroom 鈥� and leads with a deep commitment to equity, multiculturalism, and strong instruction, shaped in part by the fact that she is a first-generation college graduate.

Principal Claudia Ortiz of Tarkington Elementary School, 2025

Student-Centered Opportunity Driven by Data

When students returned to in person learning after the pandemic, Claudia worked to reimagine how Tarkington supported its most impacted students. She recognized that effective transformation had to be grounded in evidence, so she dedicated much of her first year at Tarkington to a rigorous process of data collection to uncover student and staff needs.听

Claudia visited classrooms, launched staff surveys, and reviewed student performance data to uncover the most pressing challenges. She saw that English learners and students with disabilities needed the most support, as they were struggling more than their peers with academics, inconsistencies in instruction, and emotional disengagement following the disruptions of the pandemic.

Informed by this data, Claudia worked with her leadership team to clearly identify student needs: stronger teacher-student relationships, more culturally relevant and engaging instructional materials, and an emotionally supportive learning environment. They began changing instructional practices around these findings, embedding social-emotional learning (SEL) into daily routines, facilitating more collaborative teacher planning, and integrating culturally responsive teaching strategies.

Implementation & Impact听

In 2021-22, Claudia and her team prioritized rebuilding instructional and behavioral systems at Tarkington Elementary. They adopted 海角直播鈥� Skyline English language arts (ELA) curriculum for third through eighth grades and aligned kindergarten through second grade dual-language classrooms with parallel Spanish-language resources to ensure coherence and equity. Teachers used the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) standards to plan lessons by starting with the end goals in mind. This helped them include high expectations in their everyday teaching.

By the 2022-23 school year, Claudia increasingly distributed leadership through the instructional leadership team (ILT) and a new dual-language ILT. These teacher-led groups met weekly to study the structure of IAR test questions, share teaching strategies through peer-led training, and demonstrate classroom practices that match the format of the IAR. Meanwhile, Tarkington鈥檚 multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) 鈥� a schoolwide framework that provides varying levels of academic, behavioral, and social-emotional support based on individual student needs 鈥� grew stronger. Claudia hand-selected teachers to lead targeted small-group interventions and intensive, individualized supports designed for students with the greatest academic or behavioral needs based on their instructional strengths and readiness to lead. She strategically elevated in-house educators into interventionist roles, offering coaching and leadership development to expand their impact.听

As part of her MTSS strategy, Claudia gradually built the Power of Two initiative, which focused on identifying students whose proficiencies were just below grade level for targeted support and frequent progress checks. Over time, teachers began using 海角直播’ rigor rubrics and walkthrough tools to provide weekly feedback and participate in peer observations, helping to create a schoolwide culture of continuous improvement. Survey data later showed that over 90% of teachers found the feedback cycles and peer learning to be valuable.

Tarkington鈥檚 matched its improved instructional coherence with robust social-emotional support. This included a schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) system with monthly student celebrations, confidential mental health counseling partnerships, and a phone-free policy that reduced distractions. Together, these efforts led to fewer behavioral incidents and significantly higher student engagement. Between 2021 and 2024, Tarkington moved from “Targeted Support” to “Commendable” status on the Illinois Report Card.听

As Claudia looks ahead, she hopes to deepen teacher leadership across all grade levels and continue refining data-driven supports so that every student is both challenged and prepared for achievement.听

Apply This Learning

1. Build coherence through curriculum redesign.

Recognizing gaps in the existing curriculum, Claudia led a schoolwide shift to the Skyline ELA framework, starting with third through eighth grades. For early grades, especially in dual-language classrooms, Claudia secured Spanish-language curriculum materials that mirrored Skyline鈥檚 rigor and structure. Today, all students across grade levels receive coherent, high-quality instruction, and teachers use a shared framework and language to plan and assess student learning.

2. Invest in shared leadership and teacher growth.

At Tarkington, teacher voice and leadership are central to school improvement. Claudia nurtured a distributed-leadership model, restructuring the ILT and inviting teachers to lead professional development, model lessons, and even conduct classroom observations using 海角直播-aligned rubrics. Peer visits became common practice, building trust and a culture of collaboration. Teachers receive weekly feedback on instruction, and many choose to engage in coaching and book studies. Every teacher leader is carefully selected based on interest and readiness to support peers, not just experience alone.

3. Ensure equity through MTSS and SEL support.

Claudia鈥檚 vision for equity includes strong academic and social-emotional support systems. Through initiatives like the Power of Two, students just below grade-level proficiency are grouped together to receive extra tutoring from teachers, with their progress closely monitored. At the same time, SEL is embedded throughout the school: The team implemented a PBIS system to recognize and celebrate positive behavior while reducing distractions from cell phones by introducing secure phone lockers.

Principal Trevi帽o-Terronez began her principalship at Funston Elementary School in 2021, bringing with her a leadership style rooted in empathy, collaboration, and reflection. Inspired by her mother鈥檚 strength and compassion, Trevi帽o-Terronez leads with the belief that students and staff alike thrive in environments built on trust, transparency, and collective growth. From day one, Sarah prioritized building meaningful relationships within her school community. This involved facilitating one-on-one meetings with staff, roundtable discussions with students, and listening sessions with parents of disabled students.

Principal Sarah Trevi帽o-Terronez of Funston Elementary School, 2025

Listening First

Sarah made it a priority to listen before leading. She understood that positive change must be rooted in the lived experiences of those closest to teaching and learning. She hosted voluntary one-on-one conversations with staff, offering dedicated time during the school day to hear directly from educators about what was working and where they saw room for growth. These meetings helped build trust and revealed a school culture where staff deeply cared about students but often felt isolated or hesitant to share practices.

Sarah also facilitated student roundtables, particularly with middle schoolers, where a recurring theme emerged: Students felt misunderstood, unwanted, and labeled as 鈥渂ad.鈥� Recognizing the urgency of this issue, she began exploring ways to elevate student voice and agency. In parallel, she engaged parents of students with disabilities, many of whom had experienced challenges with inclusion and communication. Their feedback pointed to a desire for stronger partnerships and more consistent opportunities to get involved with Funston.

Implementation & Impact

All of this input and a focus on rebuilding trust in the school led to several key shifts in culture and practice. By her second year, Sarah formally launched Funston鈥檚 Student Council, giving middle school students a platform to express their needs and shape school life. With staff support, students delivered campaign speeches, created posters, and held elections, marking the school鈥檚 first formal effort to embed student voice in decision-making.

At the same time, Sarah worked with her leadership team to revamp internal communication and teacher collaboration. She introduced a weekly newsletter co-authored by team members, hosted open staff office hours, and led a restructuring of the instructional leadership team. By inviting teachers to record model lessons, lead peer professional development, and share effective strategies, Funston moved from a culture of guarded classrooms to one of peer-driven growth.

Funston also adopted small-group instruction informed by real-time data, alongside schoolwide use of the Rigor Walk tool, a classroom observation protocol designed to assess the level of cognitive demand and instructional rigor in teaching and learning. These efforts, combined with a renewed focus on social-emotional learning, resulted in a significant decline in student behavior incidents.

To deepen family partnerships, Sarah launched monthly Coffee Talks, reinstated parent volunteer programs through the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) and used the Remind app to keep families informed and connected. Students and families also led and participated in school events, including fundraisers, spirit weeks, and cultural celebrations.

Sarah’s long-term goal is to continue cultivating a schoolwide culture of distributed leadership, where staff, students, and families all play an active role in shaping the Funston community.

Apply This Learning

1. Create space for students to lead and be heard.

Principal Trevi帽o-Terronez launched a Student Council to increase student voice and foster leadership. The initiative began with student-led campaigns, speeches, and elections. Student Council representatives meet twice per quarter with the principal and school leaders to propose ideas, raise concerns, and collaborate on school initiatives like spirit weeks, dances, and fundraisers. Middle school students organize events, including a D铆a de los Muertos dance and candy sales, to build school spirit and fund class trips. These efforts provide students with real-world planning experience and increase engagement.

2. Use consistent structures to promote collaboration.

To build staff trust and coherence, Principal Trevi帽o-Terronez implemented a weekly schoolwide newsletter co-authored by members of the leadership team. The newsletter includes schedules, updates, and instructional priorities, and is released every Sunday evening to help staff prepare for the week ahead. Each team leader contributes a section, modeling distributive leadership and supporting work-life balance.

3. Communicate clearly and often with families.

Sarah reinstated partnerships with LSNA to rebuild trust post-COVID and bring parent volunteers back into the building. She also launched monthly Coffee Talks, where she invites families to discuss school initiatives and share feedback. Sarah also encourages teachers to send monthly newsletters to parents and caregivers, and the school uses the Remind app and a monthly calendar to keep families informed and engaged.

After serving as assistant principal for 12 years at Du Bois Elementary, Venus DeLoach became the principal of Carver Elementary School in 2021. Located in the Altgeld Gardens community, Carver serves students on Chicago鈥檚 Far South Side. Venus brings more than 16 years of leadership experience and a strong belief that every child deserves the best. She leads with empathy and high expectations, building strong partnerships with families to create a culture where students thrive academically and socially.

Principal Venus DeLoach of Carver Elementary, 2025

Reengaging Families as Partners in Learning听

Stepping into the principalship, Venus saw that student attendance had plummeted to 78% and chronic absenteeism was impeding academic progress. Rather than act on assumptions, Venus gathered both quantitative and qualitative data to understand the root causes of absenteeism and student and community disengagement. She reviewed school-wide attendance trends, analyzed participation rates at events like report card pickup (which stood at just 24%), and conducted one-on-one interviews and surveys with staff and families. These data sources revealed a pattern: many parents felt alienated from the school due to prior negative interactions and inconsistent leadership. The data also showed that parents wanted more transparent communication and a stronger voice in their children鈥檚 education.

Venus saw this as an opportunity to build a foundation of trust, shared accountability, and collaboration. Firmly believing in listening to all stakeholders 鈥� including students, staff, and families 鈥� she prioritized family engagement as a key strategy for improving attendance and accelerating learning. Her vision centered on creating a school culture where parents felt respected, informed, and empowered as true partners in their children鈥檚 success. This commitment would eventually lay the groundwork for Carver鈥檚 Very Important Parent (VIP) initiative, an effort to formalize and celebrate family partnership.

Implementation and Impact

In 2021-22, Venus launched a series of family engagement initiatives designed to strengthen trust and improve attendance, beginning with Parent Appreciation Day and the creation of the VIP Program. She set clear expectations for attendance, shared student data regularly, and incentivized families by connecting high attendance to promotion ceremonies, celebrations, and special school events.听

Venus also implemented consistent communication strategies, including biweekly behavior, attendance, and grades (BAG) reports and multiple parent meetings throughout the year. These sessions gave parents real-time insights into their child鈥檚 progress and created space for collaboration on academic and behavioral goals.听

To rebuild confidence in the school community, Venus introduced celebratory recognition for parents, such as distributing VIP-branded items and hosting themed events, including a Boots on the Ground celebration for families of students with 95% attendance or higher. These efforts signaled that parents were true partners in student success and set a new tone for school culture.听

The impact was significant: Parent participation in report card pickup rose from 24% to nearly 70%, and kindergarten attendance increased from the lowest in the school to 94.7%, surpassing the schoolwide goal. Overall attendance improved dramatically, and trust between parents and staff strengthened. As Venus explains, 鈥淚 can鈥檛 do this work without them. When parents know they鈥檙e valued, everything changes.鈥澨�

Looking ahead, Venus plans to expand family engagement initiatives and sustain strong attendance by deepening data transparency and co-designing solutions with parents, ensuring Carver continues to grow as a school where students and families thrive.听

Apply This Learning

1. Redesign parent-teacher conferences to increase trust and turnout.

When Venus arrived at Carver, only 24% of parents were attending report card pickup. She renamed the event 鈥淧arent Appreciation Day鈥� and reframed it as a celebration of partnership. Parents now receive VIP swag bags, shirts, and cups that brand them as 鈥淰ery Important Parents of Carver.鈥� This small shift led to a big change where parent turnout increased to nearly 70%, and the school saw stronger family engagement in student learning. These events occur twice annually during first- and third-quarter report card pickups.

2. Incentivize attendance through celebration and accountability.

Venus tied key events to attendance benchmarks. Kindergarteners needed 93% attendance to participate in promotion ceremonies, resulting in a jump to 94.7%. Eighth graders had to meet the same threshold for field trips and luncheons. Schoolwide incentives like the Sneaker Ball and 鈥淏eyonc茅-style Boots on the Ground鈥� celebrated students and families with 95%+ attendance, creating a culture that rewarded showing up.

3. Create open access and safe spaces for parents.

To rebuild trust, Venus prioritized transparency and accessibility. She maintains an open-door policy; visitors can enter her office from the main office or the hallway, and if she鈥檚 in, the door is open. She hosts quarterly parent meetings to review attendance, assessments, and expectations, creating consistent opportunities for dialogue. Her approach has helped shift Carver鈥檚 culture toward one of mutual respect, safety, and support.

Much of this difference is due to the city CPS serves: 海角直播is by far the largest city in Illinois, and its school district, with a student population of over 322,500, is nearly eight times larger than the next largest one in the state. Though this student population is dispersed across schools varying widely in size, the average CPS principal impacts 519 students, about 10% more than the statewide average of 475. Furthermore, this size brings diversity in student backgrounds and needs that principals must address.

Given the diversity in the schools they lead, CPS principals need the flexibility to meet the resulting needs in ways that make sense within their communities. Consequently, one of the most important distinctions is 海角直播principals’ significant autonomy in managing their schools. State law grants CPS principals the authority to hire teachers, set school budgets and goals, and develop specific curricula. These statutes, which cover only CPS, reflect a recognition of the need for local decision-making among the varied school communities within Chicago.

The state legislature encoded these elements of local control of schools in 1988 by passing a law that also created Local School Councils (LSCs). Policymakers and researchers agreed that highly centralized management of the district was limiting effective school practices and ultimately not supporting student achievement. As a result, CPS-operated schools have an LSC comprising parents, community members, school staff, and students, who partner with the principal to develop school goals that reflect local needs, and then align resources to meet them.

Data and experience across the country have long shown the value of principal quality: 海角直播principals, who have more control over their schools than many others, show what is possible. In CPS, with its longstanding local decision-making and school leader autonomy protected by state law, this has proven to be the case. Between 2009 and 2014, for example, CPS students in third through eighth grades improved their standardized test scores much more than the average student in the U.S., according to .

Chicago鈥檚 education landscape will experience significant changes over the coming years. However, we believe that strong school leadership will remain important. shows that students in a school with an effective principal learn nearly three months more in reading and math than their peers in schools without such leadership. We also believe that no one is better positioned to make the decisions that matter for Chicago鈥檚 schools than principals informed by their local school community. We plan to continue highlighting the significant investment 海角直播makes in its principals so they can cultivate excellent learning environments for all of Chicago鈥檚 public school students.

The Fund: Tell us about yourself and how you got into education as a career.

Principal Kimbrough: I started as the new principal of Jahn School of Fine Arts on July 1, 2022. [It was] my 18th year in education. Education, to me 鈥� I think it was something I always knew I wanted and somewhere I needed to be. Initially, I joined the United States Environmental Protection Agency here in Chicago. I worked mainly in the Office of Public Affairs, where I did community and media relations. About eight years into my career, I realized I wanted to do something different. So I started thinking about it, and I decided to get my substitute certificate. I decided to, at least, take a stab at being a substitute teacher. On my first day, I knew it was what I wanted to do. So from there, it was a matter of figuring out how I could get into teaching. I had no education degree and no experience whatsoever. Eventually, I found an alternative teaching program and got accepted into it. That’s how it all started.

The Fund: How did you find the Jahn School of Fine Arts?

Principal Kimbrough: Jahn actually found me, to be honest with you. I was quite comfortable in my assistant principal position, but I knew at some point I wanted to move into a principalship. Working with The Fund, I had done Leadership Bridge, and that helped me figure out where I was going. I even worked on a Professional Learning Community for assistant principals. I was comfortable at Skinner North [Classical School]; I was happy I was doing work that I thought spoke to the needs of the community. I was doing work around equity, which really is a big driver for me. Then, a member of the Jahn Local School Council reached out. I guess they saw the things that we were doing at Skinner North. I applied, did a number of interviews, participated in a public forum with the finalists, and eventually was offered the role of principal, in which I now sit.

The Fund: Tell us about your time at Skinner North and your transition to Jahn.

Principal Kimbrough: Skinner North, interestingly enough, is one of the few selective enrollment elementary schools in Chicago. Our students come from all over the city and have to test into the school. Something I appreciated during my time there was my work around distributive leadership, really learning that the work of leading a school can’t necessarily be done by the administrators alone. It takes a lot of calling on and pulling on members of your staff to actually help do that work. And interestingly, that has carried over into the work that I’m doing at Jahn.

The first thing that I wholeheartedly did with my staff was reach out and say, 鈥淗ey, I am new, but this work is not going to be done by administration alone. I need you guys to step up.鈥� And overwhelmingly, the staff have definitely risen to the occasion, doing everything from helping figure out what professional development week is going to look like, to revitalizing our instructional-leadership team, to leading interviews for open positions within the school. They have really jumped out there and taken the lead on what needs to happen to move the school forward beyond the actual leadership of the school leader. So that has been something that I could wholeheartedly say has been brought over to Jahn, as well as a lot of work around equity I did at Skinner North.

The Fund: Can you tell us a little bit about your time in Leadership Bridge?

Principal Kimbrough: I think the Leadership Bridge program really did so much for me. And the good part about it is that it provided me, first and foremost, with a continuous opportunity to be a part of a triad to grow as a leader. That triad consisted of my principal at the time and my leadership coach from the University of Illinois Chicago. So while I had some opportunities to do that on my own, Leadership Bridge gave us the chance to come together more often as a team and really build upon the principles and ideals that we learned during our meetings. We could take what we learned from those sessions and actually apply it. It really assisted me in laying the groundwork for thinking about what my next moves were as a leader.

About Leadership Bridge

Leadership Bridge supports the leadership development and career growth of assistant principals (APs) so that they are ready to assume principalship in the next one to two years. It aims to ensure that 海角直播has a robust, high-quality, and diverse pipeline of school leaders. Through on-the-job professional development and individualized coaching sessions from school leadership experts at , the , and , APs work in close collaboration with their principals to prepare for their future roles and to develop succession plans for their schools.

Since the inception of the program in 2019, The 海角直播 has supported more than 60 AP and principal pairs to develop clear succession plans for their schools, and has seen more than 20 APs successfully become principals in 海角直播schools.

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.听

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.