CPS and The Fund Launch Third Annual Principal Appreciation Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, October 9, 2018

The Chicago Public Education Fund
(312) 558-4515

CHICAGO - The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund), Chicago Public Schools, and the City of Chicago are celebrating the third annual Chicago Principal Appreciation Week – a dedicated campaign to highlight and celebrate the essential role Chicago’s dedicated principals play in fostering academic progress across the city.

Coinciding with National Principal Appreciation Month, The Fund and CPS are collaborating with school communities across Chicago to help them celebrate the hard work principals do each day to support students, teachers and families.

"Chicago's outstanding school principals set a high bar of expectations for their faculties and students, create strong cultures in their buildings, lead by example and are not afraid to be held accountable," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "The record success of CPS students would not be possible without the remarkable leadership of CPS principals."

“Chicago has emerged as a national leader in urban education because of our focus on placing a high-quality principal in every school,” said CPS CEO Dr. Janice K. Jackson. “As a former principal, I know how hard this job is – our principals work day and night to ensure all of our kids receive a 21st Century education that will prepare them for a successful future. I’m excited to celebrate their incredible achievements and tell their inspiring stories this week and every week.”

The #PrincipalPrideChi campaign will celebrate the work of outstanding principals across the city. All Chicagoans are encouraged to participate by:

• Thanking local principals via social media with a Facebook or Twitter message using the hashtag #PrincipalPrideChi.
• Creating a short video or photo thanking a principal – remember to use #PrincipalPrideChi!
• Sending your local principal a thank you note or small token of appreciation.

“Leadership is essential to thriving schools,” said Fund CEO Heather Y. Anichini. “Principals foster positive culture in schools, recruit and develop strong teachers, and provide meaningful opportunities for families to participate in their children’s learning.”

Hundreds of stakeholders, including Local School Council members, parents and community members signed up to participate in this year’s effort by writing thank you notes, posting videos and photos online, and sharing tokens of appreciation with their principals. Civic leaders will visit schools throughout the week and, thanks to the generous support of Fifth Third Bank and William Blair, all 646 Chicago public school principals are invited to attend a celebratory event at Navy Pier this month.

Chicago’s Principal Leadership Programs: A National Model for Urban Education Chicago has been nationally recognized by researchers and national education leaders for its innovative partnership structure that has helped bolster principal quality and drive academic gains. Notable programs include:

Independent School Principals (ISP): The ISP program provides high performing principals with the flexibility to innovate and the autonomy to operate their schools outside of the traditional network structure. Through this innovative program the district is creating incentives to retain top principals and provide them with the professional flexibility to push their schools in a positive direction.

Chicago Principals Fellowship: The Chicago Principals Fellowship is an executive leadership development program designed through a partnership between Northwestern University, CPS and The Fund. Fellows participate in rigorous academic sessions provided by the Center for Nonprofit Management at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.

Executive Principal Program: This newly-launched program is a unique mentorship experience that pairs experienced principals with newer principals to provide hands-on support and guidance to help drive school improvement and provide experienced principals with additional leadership opportunities.

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Chicago Public Schools serves 371,000 students in 646 schools. It is the nation’s third-largest school district.

The Chicago Public Education Fund is a nonprofit organization that improves Chicago's public schools by investing in the talented, innovative leaders who run them. We partner with Chicago Public Schools, the City of Chicago, the local philanthropic community and school leaders to build and sustain a culture of strong leadership in schools.