What do successful marriages, sports teams and businesses have in common? A strong willingness to collaborate, listen to each other, even when there are disagreements, and value the input of others to come up with a plan that works for the whole.

When it comes to racial diversity among principals, CPS does a better job than many other urban school systems, per a new UChicago report analyzing data in the district.

Why it matters: Research suggests principals can affect student achievement nearly as much as teachers do, increasing pupils' learning by up to 3 months...

Jasmine Juarez took over as principal of Pilsen Community Academy on March 16, 2020. She was eager to meet her new staff and start forging relationships with them.

The next day, COVID shut down campuses across the state, including the Southwest Side elementary school.

Two new studies released by the University of Chicago explore the diversity of Chicago Public Schools principals and the critical skills and experiences they need to lead effectively.

In his second inaugural address this month, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker promised to “make preschool available to every family throughout the state” — a feat that will require solutions to staffing shortfalls, school capacity limitations and an increase to the state’s nearly $600 million early childhood education block grant program.

Key Findings

• If 2021 rates hold over the next decade, of 100 current CPS ninth-graders, 82 would graduate from high school within four years; 37 would enroll immediately in a four-year college; 13 would enroll immediately in a two-year college; and 27 would complete any college credential within 10 years of starting high school.
• The CPS high school graduation rate declined for the first time in recent history: Among 2017–18 first-time ninth-graders, the high school graduation rate was 81.8% in 2021 vs.

Middle and high school students are used to answering questions at school. But they don’t often get asked how they view their teachers and classrooms.

Last month, Chicago Public Schools students got a chance to weigh in when they took a new 15-minute survey inviting them to rate statements such as: “In this class, my ideas are taken seriously.” “This teacher makes what we’re learning really interesting.”

Generally, Evanston Township High School teachers and students are feeling more stress and less trust in the institution, according to the most recently released data from the 5Essentials survey that students and staff took last spring.

Every year, students at schools across Illinois take the survey, which poses 80 questions to students and 150 questions to teachers about their daily lived experiences in the classrooms and hallways at school...