Principal Perspective: Karin Breo of CICS Irving Park

Note from The Fund team: This week, we’re bringing you our second principal perspective post. We can’t wait for you to meet another terrific school leader who also went through our Summer Design Program. Happy Friday!

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My name is Karin Breo and I’ve been working in education for 20 years. I’ve been a principal for three years at the CICS Irving Park campus on the north side of Chicago. My favorite part of being a principal is learning and collaborating with my team to make our school the very best it can be for our students, families and teachers.

When I applied for the Summer Design Program (SDP), I was interested in fostering curiosity and drive with our students to motivate and challenge them. I felt that by enhancing teacher practice and building stronger relationships with our students, we would increase engagement.

Having the opportunity to be a part of the SDP challenged me to learn and to think about our approach differently.  I learned the importance of time, talent and technology and ways in which to redesign the school experience to better fit the needs of our students.

Through our follow-up support work with LEAP Innovations, we have received some of the best professional development of my career.  The work that we have done with them has had a measurable impact on the day-to-day lives of the students and families our school serves. The opportunity to work with consultants, such as Furman Brown of Sensible Innovation, has helped us to empathize with all members of our school community so that we can design a school experience that supports all students at their level.

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Thanks for sharing part of your story with us, Karin. Chicago’s students are lucky to have you! 

Pssst: Like what you read? Apply for the 2016 SDP!

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