Our Approach
The Fund 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.
WHY PRINCIPALS?
Strong principals are the best lever for student success.
Strong principals are those with at least two years of experience who are creating a strong culture of learning in their school, as represented by the school’s 5Essential scores and by students’ growth on normed assessments. Research tells us that elementary schools with strong leaders are seven times more likely to improve in math and nearly four times more likely to improve in reading. What’s more, principal leadership accounts for 25 percent of the total school influence on a child’s academic performance.
Why Chicago?
Chicago is one of the best cities in the nation for strong principals. Chicago principals have more control over budget, curriculum and staffing decisions than their peers across Illinois and in other major cities. With The Fund’s continued investment in principal leadership, we will increase the number of strong principals in Chicago, while ensuring more students are in a school with a strong leader.
70%
OF CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS SERVED BY FUND INVESTMENTS
550
AVERAGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS IMPACTED BY ONE CHICAGO PRINCIPAL
$95M
INVESTED BY THE FUND TO IMPROVE CHICAGO’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS
20+ YEARS OF FUNDING
How we make an impact
Our vision is to give all of Chicago’s students access to strong, stable school leadership. We improve schools by creating systems that support strong leaders at every stage of their careers and that create pathways to innovation.
