Accelerating Excellence: Investing in Chicago’s School Leaders

Behind every one of Chicago’s excellent schools is a dedicated principal.

In Chicago, principals lead school communities; they set curriculum, hire and develop their teams, and control a large share of the district’s budget.

That’s why in 2013, The Fund made a five-year investment in principal leadership. We raised more than $20 million to improve schools by advancing principal quality.

It worked. Between 2013 and 2018 — our “Fund 4” — Chicago increased the number of strong principals in public schools citywide, improving educational outcomes for more than 1 in 3 public school students.

And during that same time, the number of excellent schools — schools with strong student achievement and stable culture and climate — grew by 167 percent.

Read more about how our investment in school leadership laid the foundation for districtwide growth.