Policy and Reports

Our policy work aims to improve the conditions under which school leaders operate, enabling Chicago to be the best city in which to lead a public school.

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For more than two decades, our team has invested significant resources
in advancing policy goals that matter to school leaders.

From eligibility to accountability to compensation, our model is simple:
We assemble a diverse group of principals, aspiring principals, and other stakeholders;
we facilitate a process for clarifying needs on all sides;
we leverage the available data; and we work toward collective action.

We start with school leaders.

In addition to principals and aspiring principals engaged in our programs, we gather insights from an annual Principal Engagement and AP Survey and publish the results through The Chicago Principal Partnership. We also engage educators through our Educator Advisory Committee (EAC). Since 2013, we have gathered committee members four to eight times annually to shape The Fund’s program and policy work. These educators are valuable members of our team and have a direct impact on our work.

We support principal managers.

Locally, we also engage Local School Council (LSC) Members. These elected officials play a critical role in principal performance and leadership stability at the local level. We develop resources and create space for LSC members to learn from one another through bilingual workshops and focus groups. 

And we convene national partners.

Nationally, we launched a Community of Practice (CoP) in 2019. With 19 member organizations, the CoP gathers quarterly to share data, reflect on promising practice, and elevate principal voice.

See more about CoP collaborations here.

Reports

Four or five times a year, our policy work and data use informs results in public reports.
Our reports dive deep on the impact of our programs, the potential for policy change, and
the stories of our school leaders. You can read them all below.

Report categories

Type

This fact sheet showcases some of the ways in which the principal role in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) differs from that in other Illinois school districts, including the number of students or staff a CPS principal oversees and the unique autonomy granted to principals in the city.

To address 2023 Principal Engagement Survey data, The Fund shifted program objectives, introduced new incentives, and launched pilots in the 2023-24 school year. This report offers insights into how our program offerings and partnerships are empowering 378 of Chicago’s principals, aspiring principals, and principal supervisors.

A combined effort between the Illinois Principals Association and The Fund, this report summarizes data about Illinois principals, offers insight into their role and responsibilities, and highlights real leaders to reinforce the urgent need for greater decision-making autonomy.

This report highlights promising practices to to revitalize the summer school experience at five schools across Chicago. Their summer programs focused on socio-emotional well-being, literacy, math skills, and more—with lasting impacts on their students, schools, and communities.

This report and accompanying case studies showcases promising practices from participants in The Fund's Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and Fall Design Studio in 2022-23.

The Chicago’s School Leaders: 2022 Overview provides basic statistics about Chicago’s public school leaders - principals and assistant principals. In addition to demographic information, this overview provides insight into job histories, turnover, and retention rates.

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