New Report: The Fund Shows Impact of Chicago’s Principals

CHICAGO - Today, The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) is releasing its third annual report on the state of principals in the city of Chicago. The Chicago Principals Overview draws directly from publicly available data to paint a picture of the city's public school principals. Looking at both charter and district-operated schools, this report shows the considerable impact of principals in our city: On average, each of these 653 principals oversees 48 staff members, 553 students and a $5.7 million budget. “Principals are better situated than anyone else in Chicago to create dynamic change within their schools,” said Heather Y. Anichini, president and CEO of The Fund. “As the city debates numerous ideas on public education, it is important to keep front and center the knowledge that our principals serve a leadership role and need to be consulted in any major decision about our schools.” Key findings from the report include:

• Principal retention rates stayed stable across the district.
• There were 98 new principals across all of Chicago at the beginning of this school year.
• Over half of Chicago public schools (55 percent) are either Level 1+ or Level 1, the two highest school performance rankings.
• Few principals in the district have between four and six years of experience on the job

By analyzing who our principals are, where they work and how they transition between jobs, The Fund hopes to better understand how Chicago can prepare its principals for a challenging, yet immensely rewarding, career. About The Chicago Public Education Fund The Fund is a nonprofit organization that improves public schools in Chicago by investing in the talented educators who lead them. We are a catalyst for accelerating student learning and a long-standing leader in identifying and scaling what works for not only teachers and principals, but also their students. To learn more about the principals we serve and the work we do, please visit our website, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.