Meet A New Member of the CPS Principal Advisory Council

The CPS Principal Advisory Council is a critical part of the District’s approach to stakeholder engagement and building strong relationships with its schools. Comprised of school leaders from all over Chicago, this group allows principals to directly inform and provide feedback on policies and key decisions. 

This year, a new face is representing Network 14, which contains many of the District’s high schools on Chicago’s North and Northwest Sides. Anna Ruiz has been the principal of Advantage Academy of DeVry University for the past six years now. This unique school serves solely high school juniors and seniors to ensure they can benefit from advanced coursework and be ready to achieve postsecondary success.

Principal Ruiz has been a CPS resident principal, a CLC mentor principal, and a new principal mentor. She is excited to be a part of the Principal Advisory Council this year. Get to know her more below.

Could you share more about your CPS journey? 

I am a product of CPS and have been an educator for more than 20 years. After nine years as an English teacher, I spent five years as an instructional coach. This school had an Early College STEM program that was great preparation for my current role. After a year as a resident principal, I was told about the opportunity at DeVry and have been here since. 

How would your students and staff describe your leadership style? 

I think my staff sees me as very transparent. Whenever I communicate a decision, I always let them know the rationale behind it. My students know that I have an open-door policy. Sometimes, a group of them will stop by my office and let me know about an idea they have or a solution to a particular issue. They know that I am always willing to listen to them and work with them. 

What is your approach to helping students feel prepared for life after high school? 

I am a first-generation college student, and getting into college was a process that I had to navigate on my own. Even as a teacher, I remember helping students with their college applications. Now, as a principal, I am all about making sure that students have options and know about the opportunities available to them. 

Some students may not think that college is for them, and not everyone has to pursue that path. But I still want students to fill out a few applications and some scholarship applications as well. This way, when the spring of their senior year rolls around, they can decide what they are interested in between multiple good options. 

What is your top goal this school year? 

We’ve been trying to increase academic discourse as an instructional strategy. After the pandemic, we’ve found that students are less likely to want to work in groups or talk to their peers. We’ve found that when these conversations and discussions take place, students actually have a better understanding of the material overall. 

Why did you want to be part of the Principal Advisory Council? 

What interested me the most was the opportunity to see policies before they go out. Sometimes, I feel like policies are created and then different types of schools are retrofitted into them. As the principal of a small high school that is based on dual enrollment opportunities, I feel like I can share my experience to help ensure that policies work for certain schools that are different from the majority of other schools. 

What advice would you give to a new principal? 

I think I made the mistake at the beginning of taking on too much. I wore too many hats that drew me away from setting a strong instructional vision for the school. I always recommend trusting the people around you to take on some of those responsibilities. Recognizing when your plate is full and responding accordingly can really help the school overall. 

What’s your message to your fellow school leaders for Principal Appreciation Month? 

Be kind to yourself. You are doing a great job, and even when there are difficult times, you should be proud of the work you are leading.