Chicago Principal Partnership Feasibility

In 2015, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Principal Quality Working Group recommended that Chicago establish an independent organization to support citywide efforts to accelerate and improve principal quality. To follow through on this recommendation, The Fund invested $140,000 for feasibility testing of the proposed organization. Through this investment, The Fund used external consultants to engage a broad base of stakeholders to inform the design of the organization, developed a launch strategy and created a communication plan. Interviews with more 67 stakeholders, including CPS Network Chiefs and charter leaders, representatives from principal preparation programs, education organizations, research and policy institutions, and the philanthropic and civic communities, as well as six focus groups with a diverse group of district and charter principal leaders, informed the initial scope and design of The Chicago Principal Partnership (The Partnership), which launched in November 2016.