Chicggo @Eg?gas VISION STARTS 2019-2024 RE I. a? - . We have risen far as a district, but to rise higher, we must lift every student and school up with us. The pursuit of equity is an investment in children’s potential. That potential must be allowed to shine. Table of Contents A Message from District Leadership 2-3 Introduction 4 CPS is on the Rise 4-5 CPS At-A-Glance 6-7 Academic Program Expansion 8-9 Creating a Vision for CPS 10-11 Vision, Mission, and Commitments 12 Snapshot of Core Values and Goals 13 Our Commitment to Equity 14-15 Academic Progress 16 High-Quality, Rigorous Instruction 17-21 Elevating Instruction 22-25 Supporting Student Success 26-28 Talented and Empowered Educators 29-31 Safety and Support 32-33 Financial Stability 34 Financial Equity 35-36 Operational Excellence 36-37 Integrity 38 Collective Impact 39-41 Transparency 42 Children First Fund 43 Thank You 44 Notes 44 Look for the Children First Fund logo throughout to see opportunities where partnerships can positively impact CPS students. Our Commitment to Equity Look for the blue copy throughout the document which highlights efforts related to equity. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 1 LETTERS From the Chicago Board of Education Thank you to the families, partners, and the leadership of our city who have supported our students in making historic academic gains. We will continue to push ahead and sustain our progress with the support of all of our stakeholders—especially our parents and families. We are entirely committed to engaging our school communities to make certain they are informed, inspired, and ready to partner with us as we begin the next phase of our work. We are proud to share our new Five-Year Vision, which outlines how we will build on this momentum and act with urgency and conviction to ensure students in all neighborhoods across Chicago have access to wellresourced schools. I, along with my fellow board members, have the distinct honor to serve Chicago’s youth and we take our responsibility seriously, which is why transparency will be the cornerstone of our leadership. The board believes all students have a right to a high-quality education regardless of their background, zip code, immigration status, or country of origin and we will honor our students, staff, and families by committing to deep engagement, transparency, and equity for all. That is our commitment to you. On behalf of the Chicago Board of Education, I thank our families, educators, and community members, for your commitment to CPS students. We are excited about what we can accomplish together in the years to come. Sincerely, Miguel del Valle President Chicago Board of Education Miguel del Valle From Our District Leadership Janice K. Jackson, EdD Chicago Public Schools is truly a district on the rise. Thanks to the students, families, educators, partners, and city leaders who have given their all to lift CPS to new heights, we have so much to be proud of as a district. Our graduation and Freshman OnTrack rates are at an all-time high, and more CPS students than ever are enrolling in college, with nearly half of them earning college and career credentials before they even finish high school. We have made unprecedented investments in early childhood education and school facilities. We’ve also brought our families and school communities into the academic investment process and have expanded high-quality academic programs such as STEM, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual credit, and dual enrollment opportunities. And perhaps most importantly, we overhauled our security procedures and launched our new Office of Student Protections and Title IX as part of our unwavering commitment to protecting students from sexual harassment, violence, and abuse. As CPS graduates and lifelong educators who have spent our lives serving Chicago students, we are incredibly proud of the historic academic progress that has taken root in our district. However, there remains an unacceptable difference in achievement outcomes for our students of color, English Language Learners, and diverse learners, and our new strategic plan will focus on promoting equity and narrowing the opportunity gap for students most in need. Following an extensive engagement process, we incorporated feedback from families and educators into the new five-year vision. This vision builds on the core commitments that remain at the heart of who we are: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Driving academic progress will remain the primary focus of our work, and it will be rooted in longterm fiscal stability and a culture and climate that respects and values the contributions of all stakeholders. LaTanya D. McDade The ambitious goals outlined in the five-year vision were developed in partnership with the University of Chicago’s Education Lab. Through a rigorous, data-informed goal-setting process and individualized success metrics tailored for each school community, the Vision will offer schools a clear roadmap to success while helping the district meet our collective goals by 2024. Achieving the goals set forth in this vision will take a commitment from all of us — students, families, educators, and supporters of Chicago Public Schools. It will require examining every inequity, mining every resource, and engaging every community until students in all corners of our city have access to the high-quality education they deserve. We are committed to providing a high-quality education for all children, regardless of their race, zip code, ability, or country of origin. We are inspired every day by the talent and tenacity of our students, and by the families and supporters who are working so diligently to meet their needs and help them reach their full potential. You are valued partners on this journey. We hope you will embrace the new CPS vision and join us on the road to success. Sincerely, Janice K. Jackson, EdD LaTanya D. McDade Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Chief Education Officer CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 3 INTRODUCTION Chicago Public Schools is truly a district on the rise. The last five years have been an unprecedented success for CPS, and during that time, our district has emerged as a beacon of what is achievable for large urban school districts across the country. Our students are making historic academic progress according to leading education researchers at Stanford University and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). A Stanford study found that CPS students learn at a faster rate between third and eighth grade than 96 percent of school districts in the country; the equivalent of learning six years of content in five years of school.1 And, a recent study from UIC found that CPS students outperform their Illinois peers in every demographic group.2 Across the board, our students are performing at a higher level. Our high school graduation rate is at an all-time high, driven by our Latinx and African American students, and is improving four times faster than the national graduation rate. That progress was made even as we strengthened our graduation requirements, and it is far from the only indicator of our success. Freshman OnTrack, early college and career credentials, college scholarships, NWEA scores — all are climbing and reaching record levels for the district. CPS is on the Rise In 2018, the College Board named CPS the Advanced Placement (AP) District of the Year for expanding access to rigorous AP courses while also improving performance for every demographic subgroup. The last five years have catalyzed tremendous progress; we must now redouble our efforts to ensure that every CPS student graduates ready for college, career, and life. To that end, we will build on the momentum of the last five years and ensure the success of all students, particularly those who most need our support. To prepare our students for success in a global economy, we are elevating instruction in every content area to emphasize deeper reasoning and creative problem-solving. We are also creating safer and more supportive schools for all of our students, including students of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. Some students and schools will require a deeper investment of our resources. Equity demands that we make investments to ensure all students have equal opportunity to succeed. To carry out our commitment, we will forge deeper partnerships with our communities and empower them to set the course for their neighborhood schools. This plan outlines our commitment to continued academic progress and equitable access to world-class educational programs for students across the city. It was created with input from thousands of students, parents, principals, teachers, community members, and business, nonprofit, university, and philanthropic partners. In 2016, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced our commitment to equity would start with pre-kindergarten, the most formative time in a child’s education. CPS will ensure that every four-year-old in the city of Chicago, regardless of income, will have access to quality, full-day pre-kindergarten instruction, an investment research has proven repeatedly to be the highest impact investment we can make to support academic success.3 We are also supporting our neighborhood schools to recruit a highly-qualified teacher for every classroom. In 2016, we designated 50 Opportunity Schools to receive additional support with teacher recruitment, new teacher mentoring, and professional learning for experienced teachers to become schoolwide instructional leaders. All of our students deserve to learn from quality educators who are invested in their success, and CPS is committed to helping all of our schools make that a reality. As we invest more in our neighborhood schools, we will also support parents in choosing schools that best meet their children’s needs. GoCPS, our new school application process, simplifies their experience and provides more equitable access to school options. CPS boasts 646 different schools, 373 of which are Level 1 and Level 1+ in performance, and over 300 have enriching curricular programs, such as International Baccalaureate (IB), Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), Fine and Performing Arts, Magnet, and Classical. In the next five years, Chicago parents will have even more quality programs to choose from to suit the unique learning experience they wish to have for their children. We must also support high schools as they work to build the academic momentum our young people need to excel in college, postsecondary training, and professional life. We are providing the opportunity for more students of color to earn college credit in rigorous AP courses and strongly encouraging them to enroll. We are also expanding access to Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment programs that allow CPS high school students to earn college credit through a partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago. In 2017, we established the Learn.Plan.Succeed. initiative to ensure that every student graduates with a wellthought-out plan for the future. School counselors have been trained to offer expert guidance to students on college and career planning beginning in middle school. As a district, we are committed to providing our staff, parents, and students the support they need to ensure every graduate finishes high school with a personalized plan for success. In 2018, CPS released the first Annual Regional Analysis, a common set of facts that provided parents with detailed information on school achievement and programs in their neighborhood. Each year, we will hold regional meetings so communities can reflect on current data and discuss what they envision for their schools. And to truly empower school communities to act on that data, we launched an Request for Proposal process to allow school communities to apply for high-quality programs that support their vision for “ On pretty much every measure you can think of, the schools have improved not only for students overall but for every demographic subgroup.” their schools. These programs include IB, fine arts, world language, and STEM, and will be awarded each year. In 2019, we re-launched the Children First Fund: the district’s foundation. For years, Chicago’s business, philanthropic, higher education, health, and cultural institutions have invested in CPS schools and enriching experiences for our students. In the next five years, CPS will reciprocate the generosity of these partners by establishing the Children First Fund to be a singular liaison for partners, streamlining processes, maximizing partners’ impact, and increasing students’ access to realworld learning experiences. These are just a few of the ways in which we will pursue educational equity over the next five years. We have risen far as a district, but to rise higher, we must lift every student and school up with us. The pursuit of equity is an investment in children’s potential. That potential must be allowed to shine. “We cannot have a system that allows some people to feel that they can access it with ease, while others feel like it’s too complicated and choose to disengage.” Janice K. Jackson, EdD - Sean Reardon, Stanford University Simplifying the CPS Application Process With the roll out of GoCPS in 2018, all families can learn, research, explore, and apply to nearly every CPS school and program through one online platform. Designed to be simpler, more transparent, and more equitable, GoCPS makes it easier for Chicago’s families and students to choose schools that best meet their needs. The Chicago Community Trust was an integral partner in supporting the promotion of the new system and ensuring Chicago families were familiar with the changes. Access to education is central to the district’s mission of preparing students for success in college, career, and civic life. GoCPS removes complicated barriers that used to exist and significantly simplified the application process for students, parents, and families. CEO of Chicago Public Schools CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 5 CPS At-A-Glance INTRODUCTION Chicago Public School students are making historic academic progress. By holding true to the guiding principles of our Five-Year Vision: academic progress, financial stability, equity, and integrity, we will continue to ensure every CPS student in every neighborhood receives a high-quality education. 90% 80% Freshman OnTrack Rate 87.4% 82.6% 88.7% 89.4% The data contained in the CPS At-A-Glance demonstrates why Chicago has become a national leader in urban education and this historic academic progress shows that the investments we’re making in schools are paying off. Below is a snapshot of landmark progress that we have made since Mayor Emanuel took office in 2011. 90% 84.1% 79.8% Graduation Rate 80% 74.5% 70% 77.5% 78.2% 2017 2018 73.5% 69% 69.9% 70% 66.3% 62.5% 60% 60% 50% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 50% 59.3% 56.9% 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Average PSAT 10 Composite Score Average SAT Composite Score 896 903 956 951 2018 2017 2017 2018 Student Demographics 76.6% 14.1% 18.7% Economically Disadvantaged Students Students with IEPs English Language Learners Student Makeup & Enrollment 4.1% 36.6% 10.5% Student Racial Makeup 46.7% Hispanic* 59.1% Asian African American White 1.2% Multi-Racial .5% Native American, Alaskan, Hawaiian, Pacific Islander .3% Not Available Elementary (1-8) Pre-kindergarten 213,651 17,668 4.9% Student Enrollment Total: 361,314 6.7% Kindergarten 24,128 29.3% Secondary (9-12) 105,867 *As a district, CPS has begun using the more inclusive term Latinx to respectfully recognize the diverse heritage and gender identities of our students and families. CPS demographic data has historically been collected based on using the designation Hispanic. Once our systems for collecting demographic data change, we will reflect the designation Latinx instead of Hispanic in reporting CPS demographic data. 50% Early College and Career Credentials $1.5b 46.6% Scholarship Dollars Earned $1.33b $1.24b $1.2b 45% $1.16b 43.4% $957m $900m $789m 40.0% 40% $600m 36.0% $400m 35% $300m $267m 31.2% 30% 2014 2015 2016 2017 $0 2018 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) 65% At or Above Attainment for Reading 65% At or Above Attainment for Math 61.4%6 61.4% 60% 60% 59.1% 55.9% 55% 54.6% 55% 54.0% 56.6% 52.2% 51.5% 50% 50% 45% 45.6% 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 45% 2018 48.6% 45.1% 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Number of Schools Awarded Certifications Creative Schools Certification 333 377 434 417 2013 2015 2017 2018 (Strong or excelling in the Arts) Supportive Schools Certification 18 335 447 2015 2017 2018 Safe Passage 160 1,350 80,000 20 9% Safe Passage schools Safe Passage workers Students Served Partnerships with community organizations Reduction in crime on Safe Passage routes since 2017 CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 7 Academic Program Expansion INTRODUCTION CPS’ remarkable financial turnaround has positioned the district to expand educational opportunities throughout the city by investing $32 million as part of the largest one-time academic program expansion in CPS history. Through this unprecedented commitment to expanding high-quality academics, nearly 17,000 students at 32 schools will have access to new high-quality programs in response to overwhelming community support. STEM/STEAM: International Baccalaureate: 36 18,000 Nearly 18,000 elementary and high school students will engage in modern STEM and STEAM programming at 36 schools to prepare them to thrive in a technologydriven world. +300 300 students will be enrolled in the inagural class of the new Englewood STEM High School. +6,100 +11 New programs will be created at 11 schools serving over 6,100 students and creating five new K-12 STEM neighborhood schools. Chicago Military Academy will be the first Early College STEM HS in the Bronzeville/ South Lakefront area. Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) / Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math (STEAM) “ To learn about improving urban public schools, we should study Chicago. Yes, Chicago.” - The Washington Post 19,000 62 More than 19,000 students will have access to proven International Baccalaureate programs at the 62 schools that make up the largest network of IB schools in North America. +1,900 +7 Seven new programs will be established, serving approximately 1,900 students and creating three new K-12 IB neighborhood schools. The new IB program at Clark HS will be the city’s first IB high school on the West Side (over 1,000 letters of demand submitted). Dual Language: 41 +4 Students will receive instruction in two languages through Dual Language programs at 41 schools that allow students to expand their cultural understanding and develop literacy and fluency in two languages. New programs will be created at four schools. New programs at Salazar ES and Roosevelt HS will be the first Dual Language programs in the Central Area and Northwest Side (HS) regions. Fine and Performing Arts: 41,000 World Language: Nearly 41,000 students at 66 schools will benefit from comprehensive arts instruction that integrates arts throughout the school day. +3,000 31 66 Students will be able to specialize in a foreign language and build their oral, written, and cultural knowledge at 31 World Language schools. New programs will be created at two schools. Gifted: +6 New programs will be created at six schools, serving a total of more than 3,000 students. New programs at Collins HS and Till ES will be the first Fine & Performing Arts Magnet Cluster programs in the West Side and Bronzeville/South Lakefront regions. 4,600 Personalized Learning: +2 Students at 118 schools will engage in teacherdriven Personalized Learning instruction that tailors learning to the unique needs of each child. New programs will be created at two schools. 22 More than 4,600 students will be able to engage in accelerated coursework through Gifted programs at 22 schools. CPS also has seven Academic Centers hosted in high schools across the city. +270 118 +2 +1 McPherson is receiving a Gifted program that will support nearly 270 students after its K-8 program is established. CPS Has 8 of Top 10 Highest Ranked Illinois High Schools 1. Payton College Preparatory High School 2. Northside College Preparatory High School 3. Lane Technical High School 4. Phoenix Military Academy High School 5. Jones College Prep High School 6. Young Magnet High School 7. Adlai E Stevenson High School 8. Proviso Math and Science Academy 9. Lincoln Park High School 10. Brooks College Prep Academy High School According to US News and World Report CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 9 Creating a Vision for CPS INTRODUCTION Across Chicago, we met with students, parents, teachers, leaders, partners, and community members to learn about their vision for the future of CPS. Those ideas and insights are reflected in this plan and will guide us over the next five years. Below are the top three ideas each group expressed for shaping the school district they envision: one that is equitable, inclusive, supportive, responsive, and makes us all proud. STUDENTS WANT • More student representation in school and district planning and decision-making • Opportunities to express their own viewpoints and feel supported and engaged by teachers, principals, and the district • Their needs placed before everything else Over 2,000 students engaged through Student Voice Committees completing surveys and focus groups PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WANT • An increase in direct communication from district leadership, such as through more community town hall meetings • A clearer understanding of how schools are rated and how school programming and budget decisions are made • More opportunities to learn how to support students in high school selection, college and career options, and transitioning into life after high school graduation Over 2,100 engaged through surveys in English and Spanish and focus groups PHILANTHROPIC, BUSINESS, HIGHER EDUCATION, HEALTH, CULTURAL, AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS WANT • A clearly defined role in supporting CPS to achieve its vision to maximize impact and properly steward resources • A better understanding of equity issues and how they can support equity goals • A role in educating CPS students and families on the many pathways possible after graduating high school Over 150 engaged through focus groups and partner meetings “I hope one day CPS will be an engaging and intellectual space to learn, think critically, and disrupt paradigms of identity.” CPS STUDENT PRINCIPALS WANT EDUCATORS WANT • Acknowledgement and celebration of school efforts and achievements • A stronger emphasis on engaging families, communities, and external partners in the school • More support to attract and develop highlyqualified teachers, especially those with expertise in areas of high need • More opportunities for teachers to develop their leadership skills and pursue clearer pathways to teacher leader and administrative roles • Greater emphasis on life and professional skills for students • Equity in the distribution of school programs, such as fine arts, STEM, International Baccalaureate, and world language Over 500 engaged through surveys and focus groups Over 5,200 engaged through surveys and focus groups, including over 3,200 teachers and over 1,900 other schoolbased educators WE ALL WANT • Every school to be one of high-quality and opportunity • A shared belief in communities as the bedrock for school success • A shared excitement and pride in being a part of CPS CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 11 INTRODUCTION Vision, Mission, and Commitments Our Vision Success Starts Here Our Mission To provide a high-quality public education for every child, in every neighborhood, that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. Commitments To fulfill our mission, we make these three commitments to our students, their families, and to all Chicagoans: Academic Progress In young people, a high-quality education develops not only strong academic skills, but also a love of learning, the ability to work with others, the motivation to take initiative, the experience to solve problems creatively, the knowledge to live healthy lives, and the desire to become active citizens in their communities. We will design instruction and learning environments that provide for individual needs and help prepare all of our students for a successful adulthood. Financial Stability Fulfilling our promise to provide a highquality education requires that we remain on sound financial footing and serve as good stewards of public and philanthropic funds. We will advocate with the wider Chicago community for fair school funding from the state so all of Chicago’s children receive the educational resources they need and deserve. Integrity We respect our students and families, and the diverse communities in which they live, and honor them as partners in our shared mission. We will earn their trust by communicating openly and consistently acting on community feedback. Snapshot of Core Values and Goals Core Values As a district, we will work to ensure that the following core values are adhered to in all of our planning and practices: StudentCentered Whole Child Equity Academic Excellence Community Partnership Continuous Learning We place students at the center of everything we do. We support our students so they are healthy, safe, engaged, and academically challenged. We eliminate barriers to success and ensure equitable opportunities for all students. We provide diverse curriculum and programs with high academic standards to prepare students for future success. We rely on families, communities, and partners in every neighborhood to shape and support our shared mission. We promote an environment of continuous learning throughout CPS for students, teachers, leaders, and district staff. EARLY CHILDHOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 65% 70% HIGH SCHOOL Five-Year Goals In order to fulfill our Vision, CPS is striving to achieve the following goals. 2nd grade students will be at or above national attainment for reading. Students will be at or above national attainment for reading. 90% 90% Freshmen will be on track to graduate high school. Students will graduate high school within five years. 50% Increase in the number of incoming kindergarteners meeting benchmarks across all developmental domains. 65% 70% 50% 78% 2nd grade students will be at or above national attainment for math. Students will be at or above national attainment for math. Students will meet college readiness benchmarks on the SAT. Graduates will enroll in college. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 13 Our Commitment to Equity Every child will have a fair chance to thrive only when those who need the most from us receive it. We do not believe there is an achievement gap, rather it is a gap of opportunity. We define equity as championing the individual cultures, talents, abilities, languages, and interests of each student by ensuring they receive the necessary opportunities and resources to meet their unique needs and aspirations. CPS has much work to do to eliminate the achievement differences among students, including those of different races, ethnicities, family income levels, gender identities, and learning paths. In particular, we must raise achievement for African American and Latinx students. And we must also close achievement differences for schools in our city’s most underserved neighborhoods. CPS will reduce disparities in opportunity to improve academic outcomes across the district, particularly by devoting greater attention to the needs of African American and Latino males. In September 2018, CPS launched an Office of Equity, “ Equity recognizes that every student deserves a quality educational experience no matter their backgrounds while also providing the conditions, goals, and resources for success.” - Dr. Maurice R. Swinney Chief Equity Officer which will work hand-in-hand with every district office to ensure each undertaking, from capital improvements to curriculum design, is pursued with equity as a goal. This is the City of Chicago’s first office devoted solely to equity in education. African American, Latino, and other young men of color will be the focus of our most intensive efforts. We are committed to providing our students of color with the resources they need to be successful. We will measure our success by their high school graduation rate, college enrollment, and other measures of academic success. By elevating the outcomes of these two priority groups, we will raise achievement for the entire district. Our actions for African American, Latino, and other young men of color over the next five years will include increased: • timely, effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for early literacy • orientation support opportunities like Freshman Connection for rising ninth graders • access to AP and IB coursework in high school to build a path for college success As a result of these actions, we expect to see increases in literacy attainment, Freshmen OnTrack, and students meeting college readiness benchmarks. We will launch an equity plan for the district that is informed both by academic research and feedback from students, families, and their school communities. The Office of Equity will continue its listening tour in the spring of 2019 with school leaders, teachers, and families to inform CPS’ Equity Framework, the living roadmap that will establish the direction of equity within the district. CPS’ Equity Framework will address primary drivers of equity across four areas: organizations and structures, policy and advocacy, adults, and students. We know that to truly address the inequities, it takes a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach. We have started a top-to-bottom policy review to ensure our policies align with our values. It means we must align our resources and investments to support the changes we are driving. And, it means our decisions need to reflect equity through and through. A multi-faceted approach will ensure our African American, Latino, and other young men of color will have equitable access and opportunity across the district — and we are prepared to do just that. We will not rest in our efforts until all of our students—regardless of gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, immigration status, or family background— have the same opportunity to reach their potential and contribute their talents to our great city and the world. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 15 Academic Progress A global economy offers unprecedented opportunity for young people who are prepared to seize it. We will send our graduates into the world prepared to think deeply, solve problems with ingenuity, communicate clearly, and skillfully collaborate with others from diverse backgrounds. We also want them to be civically engaged and ready to change their world for the better. At the same time, we must double down on our efforts to ensure that every child has an equitable chance to succeed and contribute. This requires honing in on what matters most: preparing our educators to teach and lead, and providing schools with equitable resources. We must also ensure that every school has systems in place to support the learning, personal growth, health, and safety of every student. Our commitment to our students doesn’t end with high school graduation. We are committed to sending every CPS graduate into the world with a clear plan for their future. We are also working with local colleges and universities to help more of our students succeed in higher education. Our plan for academic progress encompasses all education levels, beginning with pre-kindergarten enrollment and ending with college completion. High-Quality, Rigorous Instruction Classroom instruction will challenge, support, and inspire. Our high expectations for students will be coupled with attention to their unique needs. To serve students well, schools will be equipped with high-quality curriculum, lessons, assessments, and intervention systems. FIVE-YEAR GOALS 50% 65% 65% 70% Increase the number of incoming kindergarten students meeting readiness benchmarks across all developmental domains. 2nd grade students will be at or above national attainment for reading.* 2nd grade students will be at or above national attainment for math.* Students will be at or above national attainment for reading.* 70% 65% 65% Students will be at or above national attainment for math.* Students will attain national average growth for reading.* Students will attain national average growth for math.* *As measured by NWEA MAP Strategies to Meet the Five-Year Goals ambitious plan created by the City of Chicago, full-day pre-kindergarten will soon be available to all four-yearolds across the city, regardless of family income. STRATEGIES Provide universal full-day prekindergarten. Research has shown that students who participate in full-day pre-kindergarten outperform their peers on social-emotional, cognitive, literacy, math, and physical development measures.4 Under an To promote enrollment throughout the city, family engagement coordinators will visit schools and community organizations in highneed areas to inform parents of the opportunities available to their children and assist with the application process. Children most in need will be served first. By 2024, we will serve every fouryear-old applying to enroll in pre- kindergarten. These programs will be high-quality and designed to get children off to a strong start. The literacy curriculum will include phonics instruction, children’s literature, and ample time for writing. Principals at schools with new prekindergartens will receive training on how to support high-quality early childhood instruction. Over the next five years, we will provide ongoing professional learning for pre-kindergarten teachers with classroom visits and feedback. By 2024, all pre-kindergarten students and parents will have access to an array of services for children, such CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 17 COMMITMENT #1 Academic Progress as connections to mental health providers and parent workshops on topics such as child development. Support common, high-quality assessments for early literacy and math. Currently, schools have a range of options to choose from for K-2 assessments that help them know and understand student progress. The assessments they select vary from school to school, often times making it difficult for families who transfer schools and for data-based strategies to be developed to support student learning. To ensure that students are making strong academic gains from the earliest grades, CPS will support the use of a common, high-quality K-2 assessment for literacy and math. Teachers will assess children one-onone at intervals throughout the year. As a result, every school will have access to consistent and meaningful data to guide teacher practice. The data will also inform future district initiatives aimed at better supporting our youngest learners. Strengthen every school’s system for providing educational equity. Gone are the days of the school house with desks in rows and students receiving the High-Quality, Rigorous Instruction same instruction and level of (or lack of) support. Every child comes to CPS with unique needs, strengths, and areas for support, and it is our mission to provide them with what they need to thrive. The CPS Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) is an organized and holistic approach to ensuring that every child’s unique academic, social-emotional, and health needs are met. Through MTSS, schools first ensure all students are receiving what they need: high-quality classroom instruction, which includes small group work tailored to their learning level. For those needing more intensive help, a team of teachers, administrators, and specialists identify how to best support students with additional services, such as extra reading lessons, tutoring, mentoring, small group counseling, or therapy. Through partnerships with hospitals and other agencies, teachers are also trained to identify and support children who have experienced trauma. Over the next five years, we will continue to provide training and guidance to schools to improve the quality of instruction for all students. By 2024, all CPS schools will have a strong support system in place. Establish school interventions to prevent chronic absence and truancy. Consistent attendance is vital to academic success, especially for our most vulnerable students. Schools must be organized to intervene swiftly and effectively with students who are chronically absent. We have made it easier for schools to identify these students with an online attendance dashboard which is updated daily. Over the next five years, we will ensure that every CPS school uses its data as part of a strong truancy prevention system. The CPS Office of Student Support and Engagement will provide professional development to individual school leadership teams, as needed, on designing appropriate interventions for students at risk of truancy, better supporting them in the classroom, and engaging their families to overcome barriers to school attendance. Better Access to Mental Health and Trauma Training Through our partnership with Lurie Children’s Center for Childhood Resilience (CCR), CPS students now have increased access to mental and behavioral health services. CCR has delivered training and assistance to over 2,300 educators and school staff, and is building a sustainable, multi-tiered system of behavioral health supports for all CPS schools. Traumatic exposure and chronic stress can have a detrimental impact on students’ academic achievement and emotional development. Participants in CCR’s trauma training program learn to identify the symptoms of trauma, recognize students’ mental health needs, and implement trauma-informed strategies and practices. CCR’s train-the-trainer model will help build the internal capacity of schools to sustain these efforts. A Multi-Pronged Approach to Elevating High Schools From strengthening graduation requirements to expanding high-quality programs and streamlining the high school application process, CPS is taking transformational steps to better support high schools in all neighborhoods. The district’s High School Strategy is founded on three primary levers: equity in access, excellence, and advocacy. To address equity in access to all school options and academic programs, the district created GoCPS to help ensure the school search, application, and offer process is clear and easy to use. To strive toward excellence, CPS has increased the number of high school students taking college-level coursework, such as Advance Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB), as well as the number of students earning the Seal of Biliteracy. And to promote advocacy, we have forged strong partnership with groups like Mikva Challenge, which supports our students in becoming active participants in their schools and society at large. Through these three levers of change, CPS is creating a well-rounded approach to supporting and elevating high schools across the district. By 2024, we will reduce the percentage of students with nine or more days of unexcused absence from 26 percent to 22 percent. We will also reduce the percentage of students with 18 or more days of unexcused absences from 18 percent to 15 percent. Design a rigorous Pre-K-12 curriculum that is uniquely Chicago’s. All CPS students deserve a curriculum that is aligned to mandated standards, accommodates their individual learning style, is inclusive of students from all backgrounds, and challenges them to reach their fullest potential. In the next three years, CPS will launch a digital Pre-K-12 curriculum uniquely designed for Chicago’s students. This new resource will be available to any school or teacher to use at their discretion. Lessons will be designed to help students engage in active exploration with peers while also providing activities that allow for independent, selfpaced learning. Students and their families will be able to access these activities digitally for further learning from home. The curriculum will be inclusive, reflecting the rich cultural diversity of our students, and combine rigor and support with strategies for addressing diverse learning needs, including those of English learners and students with disabilities. Content areas will include math, science, computer science, English/ language arts, social science, visual and performing arts, two world languages, and physical education. Curriculum, lessons, and assessments will be tightly aligned to ensure that students are taught to high standards and assessed on what they are taught. Teachers can then use this data to decide where students need acceleration or extra support. The curriculum will come with a wealth of classroom activities for teachers to select from and tailor to students’ needs and interests. With expertly-designed lessons and learning activities in hand, teachers will have more time to focus on individual students. By 2022, CPS teachers will have instructional resources at their fingertips that they can draw on to challenge and support every student. Create student assessment systems to guide teaching. Schools that make good use of student data get better results.5 Over the next five years, we will guide every CPS school to implement an assessment plan that provides educators with greater insight into student performance throughout the school year to better respond to the needs of students. The plan includes the use of authentic assessments that measure what is truly important in student learning, regular teacher meetings to analyze and respond to student work, and goal-setting conversations that allow each student to chart his/ her own path to success in college, career, and civic life. Collecting, analyzing, and responding to highquality information about student learning helps schools serve all students well. Strengthen supports for English learners. In a rapidly-changing global economy, we celebrate students and families who speak multiple languages. To support students learning English as their second language, CPS will invest in improved instruction and resources to ensure English language acquisition is not a barrier to their academic success. To improve bilingual education, we are conducting school visits, consulting with principals on how to improve program quality, and providing ongoing professional learning for bilingual education teachers to improve instruction. At schools needing extra support, specialists are providing classroom observation CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 19 COMMITMENT #1 Academic Progress and feedback. Over the next five years, we will strengthen bilingual education so that our students develop strong literacy skills in both English and their native language while learning the same rigorous core academic content as all CPS students. Increase the number of schools with dual language programs. Dual language programs in Chicago immerse children from English and Spanish-speaking backgrounds in an academic program delivered in both languages. Research finds that dual language programs raise academic achievement for students of all language backgrounds.6 Intense exposure to academic content in two languages is also a pathway to earning the prestigious CPS Seal of Biliteracy in high school, which certifies that a student is prepared for collegelevel coursework in two languages. More than 4,500 CPS students have earned this recognition since 2015. CPS currently has 27 Spanish dual language programs and will expand programming annually to include other languages, such as Mandarin and Arabic, based on both need and demand from students and families. High-Quality, Rigorous Instruction Innovate strategies that promote deeper, self-paced learning. Across the country, forwardthinking districts are finding new ways of allowing students to learn deeply at their own pace. In 2017, CPS embraced the opportunity to participate in a state pilot program for “competencybased education,” an approach to learning that emphasizes the mastery of academic and personal skills and, as needed, provides extra time to learn course content or opportunities for acceleration. Students are also taught personal and professional skills necessary for academic and career success—such as teamwork, time management, and personal assessment—and they are evaluated on their progress. Instead of studying, taking assessments, and moving on, students are encouraged to resubmit work until they demonstrate mastery of course content. To accommodate additional time for mastery, the 11 high schools participating in the pilot were allowed to redesign their class schedules so that educators could set aside time to offer students additional assistance or enrichment. The pilot schools include selective enrollment, neighborhood, and specialty schools, and by the 20232024 school year, the district will have evaluated this pilot, identified promising practices, and be ready to support other CPS schools in selecting and adopting those practices that will best serve their students. Support more schools to adopt “Personalized Learning.” Years ago, teachers marched students through the same curriculum at the same pace, leaving some behind and others unchallenged. Today, skilled teachers know how to meet a variety of learning needs with small group lessons and individual assignments. Personalized learning goes even further in customizing instruction and allows students to take more responsibility for their own learning, building the kind of self-direction and reflection needed to succeed in the modern workplace and in life. To date, 120 CPS schools have adopted personalized learning. In a personalized learning classroom, teachers tailor the curriculum to meet each student’s needs, strengths, and interests. While all students are ultimately working toward the same goals, they have a voice in choosing their path and are able to work at their own level and pace. In a classroom, you might see students working at “centers” around the room, alone or with peers, on a variety of literacy activities. You might see other students collaborating on a chemistry experiment they selected, discussing how to solve a complex “real-world” math problem, or interpreting and dramatizing their favorite scene from a Shakespeare play—all while the teacher circulates, coaches, and instructs. In some personalized learning settings, both Making Learning Personal No two students learn the same way. CPS’ Personalized Learning Initiative allows educators to teach every student as an individual and according to their specific needs. Personalized learning provides teachers with new pedagogical methods that allow them to respond to the learning needs of each individual student without compromising the progress of the class at large. The initiative also outfits classrooms with with adaptive technology and flexible furniture arrangements to create environments conducive to learning. Thanks to our partnerships with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and LEAP Innovations, an additional 35 CPS schools will receive support to redesign their school toward more personalized approaches. More than 100 CPS schools will receive support to provide social-emotional learning integration, one-onone instructional coaching, and professional development for teachers. teachers and students use online tools and assessments so that progress is easily monitored and instruction becomes more targeted to meet learner needs. We will continue working with several key partner organizations, such as Institute for Personalized Learning and LEAP Innovations, to support professional learning for the educators who are leading the charge. Cohorts of schools who work with our partners undergo professional development and receive support from educational technology partners as they begin personalized learning implementation. As a district, in addition to connecting schools with external partners, we envision developing a district personalized learning framework to create common language and foster common practices across schools that work with the various partners. We also envision creating more district-run programs that allow for access to rigorous, highquality professional learning on best practices in personalized learning. Expand opportunities for civic learning. Now with nearly all high schools stronger with a Student Voice Committee and a unique and rigorous participatory civics course, CPS has grown to be the national model district for school-based civic learning and student civic engagement. To ensure all our youth are informed, effective, and active citizens, we will expand civic learning proven practices throughout the K-12 curriculum and school day. For instance, we will train teachers and principals on how to build democratic cultures where students play a role in school decision-making. We are providing K-8 lesson plans centered on community topics that students can discuss, research, debate, and act upon. A new civics curriculum for middle school students will launch in 2020, modeled after our nationally-recognized Participate Civics curriculum for high school. To give students real experience with civic leadership, a revised high school service learning requirement will take effect in the 2019-2020 school year. Through service learning, students will complete projects that integrate real-world learning with classroom content and promote citizenship and active community engagement as they work to solve community issues. Civic Engagement Starts Early Democracy requires participation, and through the Robert R. McCormick Foundation’s generous support, CPS students in middle school and high school classrooms have opportunities to exercise their voice and become civically engaged through Student Voice Committees. The McCormick Foundation partners with CPS’ Department of Social Science and Civic Engagement to offer professional development opportunities for teachers, and they support community partners to deliver applied-learning opportunities for student civic engagement. CPS now offers a nationallyregarded civics curriculum with interactive lessons that encourage productive dialogue about current social and public issues and improved digital literacy to generate informed and engaged citizens. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 21 COMMITMENT #1 Academic Progress Elevating Instruction Efforts are underway to strengthen instruction in every major subject area. Students are learning to think deeply about challenging content and to solve problems creatively, just as they will in their future careers. Improving instruction district-wide is part of our commitment to equity. ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS Children’s reading ability by third grade strongly predicts their later school success, including how likely they are to graduate high school on time.7 To ensure that every child has strong literacy skills by third grade, CPS launched an initiative in the 2016-2017 school year to improve the quality of literacy instruction from pre-kindergarten through second grade. The initiative supported coordinated curriculum and instructional planning for teaching teams in more than 100 schools and has demonstrated early evidence of success in raising reading achievement. In 2019-2020, the early literacy initiative, CPS P-3, will expand to pre-kindergarten through third grade classrooms districtwide. Through CPS P-3, teachers will learn how to create literacy instruction that is engaging, challenging, and supportive. Students will receive small group instruction tailored to their High-Quality, Rigorous Instruction needs, engage in deep discussions about high-quality, culturally diverse children’s literature, and have ample time for writing and independent reading. In addition, schools will work with families to support smooth transitions from pre-kindergarten to kindergarten and will strengthen engagement with families around early literacy. By 2024, every CPS elementary school will have an early literacy program aligned to the P-3 initiative. At all grade levels, we will work over the next five years to strengthen English language arts instruction to promote deeper thinking, more in-depth writing and research, and more challenging and relevant content. Students in kindergarten through 12th grade will read culturally-diverse contemporary texts that feature big ideas and rich content. Classrooms will be characterized by extensive discussion and collaboration. Students will also write extensively for a variety of purposes, research real-world issues, and propose solutions to problems that matter to them. To be literate in today’s world, young people must also learn to evaluate media, interpret visual images, and decipher the social and political messages that surround us. MATHEMATICS At CPS schools, students are learning to think like mathematicians. Rather than being led stepby-step through an equation on the board, students are challenged to solve a real-world scenario through math. They are not told how to solve it, and instead must work to figure out a strategy of their own. Research shows that students learn math concepts more deeply when they grapple with a novel problem rather than follow a series of steps.8 This approach aligns with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. Within five years, problem-solving will be at the heart of math instruction at every CPS school. Over the next five years, we will also increase the availability of high school algebra for 8th-graders across the city. Completing high school algebra in 8th grade enables students to enroll in calculus as high school seniors. About 215 CPS elementary schools already have a high school algebra course. Within five years, we will ensure that every CPS elementary school has at least one algebra class taught by a credentialed teacher. CPS covers the cost of tuition for 8th grade teachers to earn that credential. By the 2023-2024 school year, we will increase the number of 8th-graders successfully completing high school algebra each year from 3,800 to 6,000. SCIENCE At 250 CPS elementary schools that adopted the Amplify Science curriculum this school year, students are thinking and debating like real scientists. Every lesson involves observing a scientific phenomenon and investigating the reasons behind it. In kindergarten, children learn about physics concepts such as force and motion by experimenting with a pinball machine they build with cardboard, balls, and rubber bands. Middle school students learn about the human metabolism by manipulating enzyme levels in the digestive system through a computer simulation. Over the next five years, all CPS elementary schools will use a high-quality science curriculum and provide daily science lessons to K-8 students. Exciting developments in science learning are also underway at CPS high schools. New graduation requirements are in effect for the class of 2022: All students will take year-long courses in biology, chemistry, and physics that are more rigorous than electives previously offered and will better prepare them for college coursework and careers. For this course sequence, the district has developed a nationally-recognized science curriculum that engages students with investigations and team projects. To support the new curriculum, over the next three years, CPS will invest $75 million in state-of-the-art science labs at 82 high schools. SOCIAL SCIENCE Students need the intellectual power to recognize societal problems; ask good questions and investigate them in order to draw their own conclusions; consider solutions and consequences; and act upon what they learn in ways that promote the common good. They also need to understand how governments and economic systems have adapted to a constantly changing world and how individuals and groups have informed and influenced these systems. As part of the initiative to create an aligned Pre-K-12 curriculum, CPS will include the development of a new K-12 social science curriculum, aligned to the new Illinois Social Science Standards, that teaches students to be critical thinkers and communicators who know how to analyze the past and its impact on the present and take meaningful action for the greater good. Students will learn content by investigating big important questions about the past and present day society, such as, “who has power in our democracy and how did they get it?” And, “what is my power and how can I use it?” In pursuit of answers, they will analyze primary sources, discuss and deliberate current events and issues, write for real-world audiences, such as through a blog or news editorial, or even role-play a community meeting to learn about the democratic process. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 23 COMMITMENT #1 Academic Progress FINANCIAL EDUCATION Teaching our young people to make sound financial decisions will set them on the path toward a financially-stable adulthood. To underscore its importance, in 2017, CPS shifted its consumer education graduation requirement to financial education in order to ensure students are graduating with a deeper understanding of financial wellness. Within the next five years, we will launch a financial education initiative for grades K-8, which includes a framework for age appropriate classroom instruction, curriculum, teacher training, and experiential learning opportunities for real-life application. Additionally, we will create parallel learning opportunities for parents through workshops and access to financial resources that promote economic security for families. The goal is to equip our students and families with the knowledge, skills, habits, and tools that promote their long-term financial health and wellness. The initiative will be supported by a partnership with local financial institutions and universities. ARTS EDUCATION CPS students are unleashing their creative powers as the new Illinois Arts Learning Standards make their debut in 2019. Rather than follow prescribed steps to create an art project, students are introduced to a creative process that can be applied to all areas of the arts curriculum—music, drama, dance, and visual and media arts. While learning and practicing new artistic techniques, students are also guided to brainstorm and play to discover many possibilities for what they might create. After producing their artwork or performance, stu- dents engage in reflection, such as considering why they made certain choices. They also make connections, such as considering how their choices compared to those of classmates or well-known artists. To support CPS arts teachers in adopting the new standards, exemplary arts teachers are opening their classrooms as demonstration sites that colleagues from other schools can visit. Over the next three years, we will make demonstration site visits available to all 1,500 CPS arts teachers. HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION The new CPS high school health curriculum has students learning important health content while also practicing skills that will keep them healthy. These skills include making informed decisions, judging the reliability of online health content, and advocating for themselves in the face of peer pressure. Instruction is designed to be active, so students learn content and practice skills through role-playing, small group discussion, writing, and other activities. CPS high schools were invited to adopt the curriculum beginning in fall 2018, and Pre-K-8 schools will be able to adopt a similar one beginning in the 2019-2020 school year. Arts in Every Classroom Exposure to the arts leads to higher student engagement and academic performance and decreases student drop-out rates and behavioral issues. CPS has worked closely with numerous educational, cultural, and philanthropic institutions to ensure more students have access to a world-class arts education, making the arts a core subject at CPS. Driven by a strategic partnership with Ingenuity, Inc., CPS created the first-ever CPS Arts Education Plan, which was designed to build capacity, add arts partners, create a design curriculum, and institute policy measures that emphasize the arts. CPS has increased instructional time and ensured that graduation requirements also recognize dance and theater. By collaborating with external partners to develop a data infrastructure to enable informed decision making and programmatic improvements, CPS will ensure a quality arts education for every student. In 2017, SocialWorks joined the cause to support arts education in 20 CPS schools. Through the New Chance Fund, investments at the school-level support an enhanced visual and performing arts curriculum, community partnerships, teacher training, and additional arts resources. High-Quality, Rigorous Instruction Computer Science for All Preparing Students for 21st Century Workforce For over five years, partners like Google and the CME Group Foundation have generously supported the CPS Computer Science for ALL (CS4ALL) initiative, providing innovative computer science education in more than 85 high schools across Chicago. CS4ALL is designed to provide students with 21st century skills—from teaching foundational computer science skills in elementary schools to expanding computer science classes in high schools. Beginning with the class of 2020, computer science will be a graduation requirement, ensuring all CPS graduates are proficient in this 21st century content and skill. Through the CS4All program, CPS is empowering students with the skills to be competitive in tomorrow’s workforce. CPS’ pioneering efforts as the first school district to make computer science a graduation requirement has inspired districts across the country, and several large, urban districts have since replicated this computer science curriculum to great success. For physical education, we are launching a new curriculum aligned to national standards for “physical literacy,” which means having the skills and confidence to pursue a wide variety of physical activities that lead to healthy development. Beginning in pre-kindergarten, students will develop not only motor skills and movement patterns but an interest in physical education as a path to enjoyment, self-expression, health, and social engagement. We launched the Pre-K-2 curriculum in 2018 and will launch one for grades 3-5 in 2019. A curriculum for grades 6-12 will be in place by 2024. COMPUTER SCIENCE Our Computer Science for All (CS4All) curriculum has made the district a national leader in K-12 computer science education. Learning com- puter science skills through projects such as programming robots, or creating an app to address a community issue, teaches students the kind of critical thinking and creative problem-solving today’s employers demand. It can also open up exciting career possibilities, especially for those in groups underrepresented in the computer science field, while helping to diversify the Chicago technology industry. CPS recently committed to becoming the first district in the nation to require one credit of computer science for high school graduation, and other urban districts followed our lead. In the next five years, 75 percent of elementary schools will have adopted computer science curriculum, all CPS high schools will offer an introductory computer science course, 80 percent of high schools will offer at least one intermediate course, and 40 percent will offer a course for college credit in computer science. WORLD LANGUAGE In a global society, fluency in more than one language deepens cultural understanding and broadens career opportunities. CPS students who graduate high school prepared for college-level coursework in English and another world language (either a second language or their native language) are eligible to earn a CPS “Seal of Biliteracy” on their high school transcripts. The seal certifies for colleges and employers a student’s mastery of two or more languages. Between 2015 and 2018, we increased the number of students earning this certification from 92 to nearly 2,000. Yet many students do not have the opportunity to achieve biliteracy in high school because they lack a strong world language foundation in elementary school. This is especially true for African American students. To increase the diversity of students earning a Seal of Biliteracy, CPS will expand world language programs in the West Side and the South Side of the city through the Academic Program Request for Proposal, which will ensure equity in program placement and course offerings. (See Integrity section for an overview of the Academic Program Request for Proposal process.) CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 25 COMMITMENT #1 Academic Progress Supporting Student Success in High School and Beyond Setting our high school students on a path toward a rewarding future requires us to provide them with both greater academic rigor and more support. We will provide students across the city with more equitable access to IB, AP, and college-level coursework while in high school and bolster African American and Latinx enrollment in those courses and programs. We will also find innovative ways to support our most vulnerable students and improve high school completion. And we will work together with colleges and universities to better support their postsecondary success. FIVE-YEAR GOALS 90% Freshmen will be on track to graduate high school. 50% 60% Students will meet college readiness benchmarks on the SAT. Graduates will earn an Early College and Career Credential. 90% 78% Students will graduate high school within five years. Graduates will enroll in college. High-Quality, Rigorous Instruction STRATEGIES Ensure every CPS graduate has a postsecondary plan. Thousands of young adults in Chicago are out of school and work, and this is especially true of young African American and Latino men. As a district, we have long believed that our obligation to students extends beyond their time in our classrooms. Through our Learn.Plan. Succeed. initiative, we are making a bold commitment to ensure every CPS student completes a postsecondary plan prior to graduation. Whether it be a plan to attend college, enlist in the military, enroll in an apprenticeship or job training program, participate in a gap year program, or pursue employment, we are committed to ensuring every student completes high school having been exposed to their full suite of options. To assist students in meeting this goal, all middle and high school counselors are training for a college and career advising credential. An online career and education planning tool will help students explore career options and allow counselors to track their progress toward completion of a plan. Every sophomore and junior will receive an individualized report twice a year to help them monitor their own progress toward graduation and identify the next steps needed to plan for postsecondary success based on their unique interests and aspirations. As a matter of equity, we are guiding counselors to provide the most intensive planning support to students with GPAs below 3.0 and African American and Latino males, who are underrepresented in higher education. Provide students with on-the-job learning. Internships and apprenticeships in high school build valuable skills and confidence that can lead to better future employment. Students in our Career and Technical Education programs already have access to 1,600 paid summer internships. Over the next five years, we will recruit more employers to provide internships that better match our students’ career interests, and we will partner with the City Colleges of Chicago to create an apprenticeship program so students can get a head start on college coursework and paid work in their chosen field while still in high school. We need the help of our business and philanthropic communities to increase the number of apprenticeships offered to our students and challenge our partners to consider how they can contribute. Increase equity of opportunity for college credit. Succeeding in rigorous coursework is a powerful predictor of future success: earning college credits in high school can build students’ confidence, preparation, and motivation to pursue a college degree. Since high school students can earn college credits at little or no cost to families, it can also greatly reduce the expense of higher education. As a matter of equity, we will continue to dramatically increase the number of African American, Latinx, and under-represented students who enroll in college credit-bearing courses. Early College STEM programs prepare students for employment in fast-growing fields such as computer programming and health science. Students earn college credits and industry certifications from the City Colleges of Chicago and learn from industry professionals through internships and mentoring. Since the first Early College STEM programs launched in 2012, the number of participating high schools has grown from five to eight and now serves over 6,000 students annually. Our five-year goal is to increase STEM-career-focused options and raise total program enrollment to more than 8,000 students. Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment programs providestudents the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit simultaneously in a variety of subject areas, helping them save money on a college education and providing exposure to college-level coursework while still in high school. Through a partnership with 12 colleges and universities, Dual Credit courses are available at 73 high schools. Qualifying CPS juniors and/or seniors may take advantage of Dual Enrollment courses available at participating colleges and universities. In the 2017-2018 school year, more than 5,000 CPS students enrolled in over 12,000 available college courses. By school year 2023-2024, 100 high schools will offer dual credit and enroll more than 6,000 students in 15,000 available college courses. At least 800 students will graduate high school in 2024 with at least a full semester of college credit. Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs allow students to earn college credit in high school. We will create more equitable access to these programs for African American and Latinx students by increasing enrollment for these priority groups. CPS is already a national leader in this effort. In 2017, we were named AP District of the Year by the College Board for increasing access to AP and raising student performance on exams in all subgroups. In the 2017-2018 school year, CPS partnered with Equal Opportunity Schools, a national nonprofit, to encourage underrepresented students at six high school to enroll in AP and IB classes. In addition, we now provide all high schools with data that compares their rate of AP course enrollment and AP exam success by subgroup to the district average for those subgroups. We also provide high schools with rosters of students from each subgroup who are prepared to succeed in AP courses and should be encouraged to enroll. In the 2017-2018 school year, a total of 24,300 CPS students across 130 high schools were enrolled in AP classes. Over the next five years, we will increase AP enrollment by 10 percent. Getting Ready for Careers in STEM Jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) are projected to grow by 10 percent in Illinois over the next decade. To prepare students for these shifts in the workforce, CPS has established nine Early College STEM Schools where students have access to college-level course work and real-world learning experiences. Each school is paired with one of the City Colleges of Chicago and a major technology company, and offers a curriculum focused on developing the skills graduates need for high-demand STEM jobs. Cisco, Dell, IBM, Microsoft, Rush University Medical Center, Salesforce, and Verizon partner with Early College STEM Schools to provide mentorship by STEM professionals, work-based learning, internships, and other immersive experiences. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 27 COMMITMENT #1 Academic Progress This will be accomplished by identifying and encouraging underrepresented students to enroll in these rigorous, college-level courses. We will also increase the number of AP Capstone programs, which engage students in a two-year program to develop college-level research, writing, and oral presentation skills, from 12 to 30. By the 2023-2024 school year, the percentage of AP students scoring a 3 or better on one or more AP exams will increase from 50.5 percent to 60 percent. Over the next five years, we will increase the number of CPS elementary schools and high schools offering IB programs from 84 to 108. We will also open new high school IB programs and increase enrollment in existing ones. To better prepare more students to enroll in IB courses, we will increase the number of IB Primary Years and IB Middle Years programs in feeder elementary schools. Schools that want to offer IB programs can now apply to adopt them, and we will ensure that underserved areas of the city receive priority. By 2023-2024, every community area will have a high school with an IB program. Strengthen Supports for Students in Options Schools. Our most vulnerable older students have often faced significant barriers to learning and life success, and as a matter of equity, we must find better ways to support them. CPS has 41 Options schools and programs serving 7,500 youth aged 14 to 21 who have returned to school after dropping out, were significantly behind in credits needed for graduation or who face other significant challenges to completing high school. Through a partnership with the University of Chicago Education Lab, researchers will work with schools to assess student needs and develop strategies for increasing supports to improve their academic achievement and social-emotional learning. Strategies piloted in the 20192020 school year will inform new approaches to meeting the needs of Options school students by 2021. Hold ourselves accountable to student success beyond high school. The best evidence of our success as a school district is our graduates’ success in college, career, and civic life. An analysis by the Consortium on Chicago School Research finds that the percentage of CPS ninth-graders projected to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years of high school graduation has more than doubled over the last decade, from 9 percent in 2006 to 19 percent in 2017.9 Over the next five years, we will create a new system for reporting the rate at which students graduate from two or four-year colleges or enter the workforce, job training, an apprenticeship, or the military. The data will tell us how students from every racial and ethnic group, gender, school and neighborhood in our city fare beyond high school. This analysis will help us design new programs in partnership with other city High-Quality, Rigorous Instruction agencies, workforce developers, universities, businesses, and nonprofits to better support the success of our students before and after high school graduation. Bolster collaboration between CPS and City Colleges of Chicago to improve college completion and credential attainment. Among CPS students who enroll in college, there remain hurdles to graduation. Nearly 25 percent of CPS graduates that went to a four-year college ended up returning to Chicago and transferring into the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC). We are working with CCC to analyze student data and create a joint strategy for increasing the rate at which CPS graduates successfully complete a two-year college program at CCC, and for students who choose, to transfer to a four-year university after CCC. The strategy will include strengthening preparation for college-level coursework to reduce the number of students in need of remedial classes and provide students greater support to navigate the college enrollment process. By June 2019, we will establish a set of strategies, informed by student, educator, faculty, and community experiences, to guide the work of both CPS and CCC over the next three years. By 2024, we will have a joint strategy and infrastructure in place to prepare, transition, and support our graduates to successfully complete a postsecondary education. Talented and Empowered Educators We will recruit, develop, support, and retain high-quality educators and leaders. FIVE-YEAR GOALS Teacher Recruitment and Development 3,000 Promote teacher retention at Opportunity Schools so it is on par with the district average. Hire an additional 3,000 African American and Latinx teachers by 2024. 9% STRATEGIES Increase the percentage of CPS employees who report high levels of engagement at work. Retain highly-effective school leaders while capping the principal departure rate at 9%. ACH TE CHICAGO Teach and Inspire a New Generation The effectiveness of a classroom teacher is the most influential in-school factor impacting student learning. CPS aspires to hiring and retaining the best educators, with a commitment to developing and supporting the careers of CPS teachers and principals. With support from the Crown Family and The Joyce Foundation, CPS launched Teach Chicago to develop and diversify its teacher workforce Teach Chicago will provide intensive support to school leaders in Opportunity Schools, knowing that great principals and skilled talent recruitment and support are critical factors in talent retention, and ultimately, high-performing schools. Support teacher recruitment and retention at high-need schools. Nothing is more important to student achievement than an effective teacher in every classroom, but some schools face challenges in attracting and keeping the teachers they need. In 2016, we designated 50 schools with high rates of teacher turnover and vacancies as Opportunity Schools. To help these schools thrive, we are recruiting talented teachers and coaching principals on strategies for recruiting and retaining top talent. Since 2016, we have reduced teacher vacancy rates at Opportunity Schools by a third and raised new teacher retention by 10 percent. However, teacher turnover and vacancy rates are still about twice the district average. By school year 2023-2024, we will double the number of Opportunity Schools to 100 and further decrease their vacancy and turnover rates so that they equal the district average. Expand teacher residency programs. In partnership with local university education programs, we are strategically partnering with higher education institutions to grow a teaching workforce tailored to students’ needs. In 2017, we launched programs with university partners to train new teachers in early childhood, bilingual, and special education— areas in which shortages of trained teachers exist. Resident teachers complete a master’s degree at a partner university while training in a paid, full-school-year apprenticeship under an experienced CPS mentor teacher. The next year, they begin their teaching careers in CPS well-prepared to serve all learners. By school year 2023-2024, we will increase the number of teaching residents from 26 to at least 100 annually. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 29 COMMITMENT #1 Academic Progress Talented and Empowered Educators Inspire CPS students to become CPS teachers. The district’s workforce should reflect the communities we serve and the city we love. In Chicago and nationally, African American teachers have become a smaller share of the teaching workforce while the proportion of Latinx teachers has grown too slowly. To encourage more of our young people to enter teaching, we will launch a program at three diverse Chicago high schools in the 2019-2020 school year. Under this new initiative, students considering a teaching career can begin earning college credits in education coursework and gain hands-on experience working with children in daycare or community programs. Over the next five years, we will increase the number of participating high schools to at least eight. special education. At the same time, we also need more educators prepared to teach computer science, STEM, arts, and physical education. CPS will increase the number of teachers hired in these high-need subject areas from approximately 350 per year to 500 per year by 2023-2024. To achieve this, CPS will increase the number of partnerships with university and alternative education programs that specialize in certifying teachers in one or more of these shortage areas. Aspiring teachers in these programs will be recruited for student teaching opportunities and open positions. We will also make commitments to hiring the best of these teaching candidates early in the year so that schools are able to hire them in the spring and early summer. Expand teacher preparation partnerships and targeted recruiting. As in districts nationwide, CPS faces chronic teacher shortages in early childhood, bilingual, and Provide mentoring and induction for new teachers. Providing new teachers with training and mentoring in their first two years helps ensure high-quality instruction is happening; it also improves teacher retention. Beginning in 2017, CPS began offering monthly professional development and one-on-one mentoring sessions to all new teachers in the district. In the 2018-2019 school year, an additional 100 new teachers in Opportunity Schools also received mentoring from a colleague at their school. Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, we will provide school-based mentoring and induction to an additional 300 new teachers. Within five years, all new teachers will receive schoolbased induction and mentoring. Invest in teacher leadership that improves student learning. When experienced teachers work with their colleagues to improve teaching school-wide, student achievement rises, research has found.10 In 2018, we piloted the Empowered Schools program at seven schools to train outstanding teachers to coach their peers. These teachers are freed from some teaching duties to observe others and provide them with feedback and support to improve student learning. In the 2019-2020 school year, we will expand this practice to an additional 10 high-needs Opportunity Schools. Within five years, we will make this and similar teacher leadership models available to all CPS schools. Leadership Recruitment and Development Create clear pathways for leadership growth. We aim to be the employer of choice for talented people passionate about our mission. We know that means providing clear career paths for aspiring and current leaders and more support to help our team grow. That is why we will launch a new CPS Universal Leadership Framework, an innovation we believe can serve as a national model for providing clear and accessible expectations of what it means to be an effective CPS leader at every level. The framework will help current and future CPS leaders assess which skills they need to develop and move them forward in their careers. In summer 2019, we will launch a website for the framework that includes a list of opportunities for leadership development through the district or from external leadership programs. We believe this approach will increase employee satisfaction with CPS and that interest in working for the district will continue to grow. Maintain and strengthen our investment in school leadership. The New York Times recently wrote: “There is no better place to see the difference that principals can make than Chicago.”11 To ensure our schools continue to grow and reach new heights, we will continue to lead the country in empowering “ The district will continue to support and invest in our students to build upon our historic academic progress. These positive trends speak to the tireless work and dedication of our principals and educators.” - LaTanya D. McDade Chief Education Officer Chicago Public Schools school leaders. Since 2011, CPS has partnered with 10 university preparation programs through the Chicago Leadership Collaborative to offer year-long residencies to aspiring principals to work and learn under the mentorship of an experienced principal. Over the next five years, we will build on the success of the collaborative by creating residencies to prepare approximately five outstanding assistant principals annually to lead high-needs schools with anticipated principal vacancies. Residents will spend a year learning alongside successful mentor principals at schools facing similar challenges as those they will eventually lead. And, because 70 percent of CPS principals rise from the ranks of assistant principals, we have created an Aspiring Assistant Principals program so the highest-performing teacher leaders who are credentialed in school administration can join a series of workshops where they assess their existing skills against the expectations of the assistant principal role and create a plan for professional growth to move into these positions. Preparing tomorrow’s leaders is critical to sustaining thriving schools and is a powerful tool for creating educational equity. Refine the principal eligibility system. Research tells us that about 25 percent of a school’s contribution to student achievement can be attributed to the principal.12 To ensure we have a pool of high-quality candidates to lead our schools, CPS sets a high bar for principal eligibility. Beyond state requirements, our aspiring principals must demonstrate proficiency on the Five CPS Principal Competencies, covering skills in areas such as improving instruction and motivating parent engagement. A rigorous assessment process has candidates demonstrate their competencies through essays, analyzing school case studies, interviews, and more. Minimize the impact of principal transitions on students. A successful school should not lose momentum when its principal departs. Even with stable principal retention rates, our scale means each year approximately 75 of our schools will experience a principal transition. National research tells us every one of those transitions comes at a cost — for student stability, for teacher retention, and often for academic performance.13 In partnership with Local School Councils (LSCs) and principals, CPS will support all school communities in creating plans for successful succession and managing transitions to minimize school-level disruptions. This approach will increase the number of successful transitions and will ensure that student learning continues even in the wake of leadership change. Mentor promising leaders to increase the diversity of district leadership. Diversity is one of our district’s greatest strengths, and our leadership should reflect the diversity of our city and the students we serve. Currently, African American and Latino male educators are underrepresented at the highest levels of CPS leadership. In 2018, we launched the Great Expectations Mentoring Program to provide professional development and mentoring for administrators and central office staff in these underrepresented groups. With the goal of creating a more diverse district leadership team, within the next five years, we will develop 150 aspiring African American and Latinx leaders for leadership roles in the district. Support for Our Principals Visionary principals are critical to developing a strong school culture, inspiring and supporting teachers, and advancing student achievement. CPS believes in investing in its principals, and welcomes many partners who have stepped up to provide supports for school leaders. Along with various philanthropic, business, and university partners, The Chicago Public Education Fund maintains and strengthens direct programs to support principals in more than 60 percent of Chicago schools. Efforts incubated by The Chicago Public Education Fund have contributed to a nationally-leading principal retention rate of over 80 percent. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 31 COMMITMENT Academic Progress #1 badge to identify themselves as an ally who students can turn to for support. As of 2018, over 50 schools had established a Gender and Sexuality Alliance club, and every school will have one within five years. By 2024, every school will also have at least two trained staff members who will identify themselves as Out Safe School allies. Safety and Support We will ensure the health and safety of every student. FIVE-YEAR GOALS 100% 100% 100% 10% Schools will earn the Supportive School Certification. Schools will earn the Safe School Certification. Schools will achieve Healthy CPS Certification. Suspensions and expulsions will continue to decline by 10% annually due to the use of restorative practices. STRATEGIES Expand the Safe Passage Program. Students can’t reach their potential if they have to spend their time, attention, and energy on the safety of their commute, and thanks to the city’s dedicated Safe Passage workers, they don’t have to. Since 2009, the Safe Passage program has hired community members to monitor walking routes for CPS students to and from school. Workers are trained to de-escalate conflicts and build relationships with young people so that they feel comfortable asking for assistance. Now serving over 75,000 students at 159 schools, Safe Passage has been shown to raise school attendance while deterring crime in the surrounding community. Over the next five years, we will increase the number of schools served to 170. Strengthen our comprehensive approach to school safety. A safe learning environment is essential for students to be able to focus on learning the skills they need for a successful education and future. Promoting student safety requires not only well-designed security and emergency plans but proactive Safety and Support strategies to prevent bullying and build positive relationships between students and school staff. Over the next five years, we will offer guidance and training to every CPS school to create a comprehensive approach to school safety that includes staff training and social-emotional learning for students to help them manage their own behavior. All schools will participate in a school safety audit to ensure they meet necessary physical safety standards and qualify as CPS Safe Schools. Ensure that youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities are safe and supported. Students of all sexual orientation, gender identities, and gender expressions deserve to feel valued in their school community. To better support them, the district supports all of our schools in conducting a gender and sexuality awareness training for staff that emphasizes creating a safe and supportive environment and protecting the rights of transgender students. Every school has at least one trained faculty or staff member who wears an Out for Safe Schools Create a comprehensive system to prevent sexual violence, harassment, and discrimination. Nothing is more important to us at CPS than the safety and well-being of our children. In 2018, CPS launched the Office of Student Protections and Title IX to prevent and respond to allegations of sexual harassment, abuse, violence, and discrimination by coordinating the district’s response to all incidents involving CPS students. This office conducts investigations, provides advocacy and support to affected students, educates school communities, monitors policy compliance, and manages public reporting. The office also operates a hotline that provides school leaders with immediate and expert advice on how to address allegations of sexual misconduct. Support school cultures that enhance learning. Students learn best when they feel safe, supported, and valued. The CPS School Climate Standards were developed in 2014 to define for schools what the elements of a healthy school climate include, such as promoting physical safety, build trusting relationships, and allowing children to focus fully on their learning. Over the next five years, we will raise the percentage of schools completing a school climate survey, which assesses practices that build strong working relationships among staff, from 67 percent to 100 percent. As needed, schools will receive guidance on practices such as effective discipline and how to support children’s social and emotional development. By 2024, all CPS schools will have earned a Supportive School Certification, and 60 percent will have achieved “established” or “exemplary” ratings. “ Chicago students were improving faster than students in any other major school district in the country.” Support schools in promoting student health. Healthy students are better able to focus on learning. To guide schools toward a comprehensive approach to promoting student health, CPS created the Healthy School Indicator in 2016. Schools that meet rigorous criteria in four areas of student health (nutritious food and daily physical activity, health services, health education, and supporting students with chronic conditions) earn badges that appear on their school report card. Parents are then able to see whether their schools are carrying out health-promoting practices. For schools that need support to improve, the CPS Office of Student Health and Wellness can guide them to develop action plans. We will provide supports so that within five years, all schools are able to earn the four badges needed to achieve Healthy CPS certification. Increase access to student health services. CPS is a national leader in providing school-based health services. Our district has 34 schoolbased health centers and the nation’s largest school-based vision and dental care programs. Annually, more than 200,000 students receive health services through CPS schools. Vision and dental vans visit schools to provide care to children in need at no cost to families, including eyeglasses and dental sealant. Schoolbased health centers also provide immunizations and primary care. Yet many children need more specialized and affordable care than is available in their school or community. Over the next five years, we will open more school-based health centers as funding permits and identify dental partners who can deliver affordable and high-quality care. Ensure that eligible families receive public benefits. Our students need good nutrition and medical care to stay healthy and ready to learn, but many of our families do not receive critical public benefits they are eligible for, such as Medicaid and food assistance, due to the complex enrollment process. To ensure families get the help they need, CPS opened regional sites for public benefits enrollment at 21 schools beginning in 2017. School staff refer parents to these sites and staff also visit schools to enroll parents. Within two years, CPS has raised the public benefit participation rate of eligible families from 67 percent to 81 percent. Within the next five years, we - New York Times will ensure that at least 90 percent of eligible families are enrolled and maintain their benefits. Create a Student Bill of Rights. When young people know their rights, they are better able to advocate for themselves. In the fall of 2019, we will release a Student Bill of Rights that outlines student protections and freedoms, based on existing district policy. These rights will include policies for fair discipline, quality instruction, freedom from harassment, access to health, nutrition and personal care, and the right to speak and organize freely. Enhance support to newly immigrated students. Students immigrating to Chicago often encounter obstacles in enrolling and transitioning to their new school. To support them, we established a Newcomer Center to ensure they receive full credit for prior schooling, are placed at the appropriate grade level, and are enrolled in appropriate courses, including ESL classes. We also educate their parents on their right to request services for their children and connect them with our school Bilingual Advisory Councils and Citywide Multilingual Parent Committee. Refugee children often face even greater obstacles to learning due to past trauma and disruptions in their schooling. Through university partnerships, university students pursuing a master’s degree in social work offer counseling to refugee students at five schools and one-onone tutoring and mentorship at an additional 11 schools. Over the next five years, we will increase the number of university partners to provide support to more refugee students at additional schools. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 33 COMMITMENT #2 MONEY FOR OUR SCHOOLS 33¢ DIRECT SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS 63¢ DIRECTLY TO SCHOOLS Over the last three years, the district has made a remarkable financial turnaround, due in large part to the historic state education funding reform that our families, educators, and city leaders helped earn. While the district is on much stronger financial footing, there is still work to be done. We will continue to rely on your support to advocate for full state funding for our schools so the children of Chicago will be able to have the high-quality education they need and deserve. We are firmly committed to ensuring that every dollar we spend goes as far as possible to serve our students. To this end, we invest 96 cents of every dollar in our students: 63 cents of every dollar goes to costs like classroom teachers and instructional materials, and 33 cents per dollar is spent on direct support to schools through citywide services, including nurses and custodians. We will continue to operate as efficiently as possible so that every dollar possible is directed toward the classroom. 4¢ FOR OTHER DISTRICT SCHOOL CHARTER SCHOOL ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL CONTRACT SCHOOL CITY WIDE CENTRAL OFFICE & NETWORK 50¢ 11¢ 1¢ 1¢ 33¢ 4¢ Financial Equity We will build a stronger financial future to better support our students and schools. FIVE-YEAR GOALS Evaluate funding models and identify opportunities to increase equity with an emphasis on supporting underserved populations. Secure full education funding from the state. Strategies to Meet the Five-Year Goals STRATEGIES equity, we must continue to work with our partners at the state level to ensure education is fully funded and districts like CPS receive all of the resources they deserve. With your help, we will work toward the full state funding our students deserve. Advocate for equitable funding for CPS. Thanks to the advocacy of our families, educators, and city leaders, Illinois passed historic education funding reform in 2017 which helps ensure our students will receive the resources they deserve. While the state has made a large step toward Maximize efficiency of public dollars. To serve our students well, we must get the most from every taxpayer dollar. Over the next five years, we will continue to seek funding to finance operating and capital needs as well as create administrative efficiencies. At the same time, we will identify philanthropic investment to supplement public funding and support innovative programs. Provide equitable funding to CPS schools. We must ensure all students and schools have the resources they need to succeed, which means investing more where it is needed most. We cannot allow a student’s life circumstances to determine whether or not they will access a high-quality education. In 2018, the district invested $26 million to fund a total of 160 social worker positions at 160 schools and 94 special education CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 35 COMMITMENT #2 case managers to support 78 schools to help provide students with critical resources that will support their emotional and academic well-being, and allow teachers, counselors, and administrators to focus more of their time and energy on quality instruction and student supports. Over the next five years, we will carefully evaluate the needs of underserved populations to support continuous improvement in our budget approach and our commitment to having a funding model that serves all students well. Communicate clearly about district spending. Chicagoans can become stronger allies for fair school funding when they have a clear and concise understanding of how the district allocates money. In the 2017-2018 school year, we began to publish an annual Resident’s Guide to the Budget with an easy-to-understand breakdown of district spending as well as a Popular Annual Financial Report. We will update the guide to respond to frequently asked questions and feedback from parents and community members. Over the next five years, staff from the CPS Office of Budget and Grants Management will provide additional opportunities for parents to learn about district budgeting through Parent Universities. Support student learning with better budgetary planning. When schools know their budgets well in advance, they are better able to plan academic programming for the year ahead and secure the best teachers for their classrooms. Beginning in school year 2018-2019, CPS began allocating money to schools based on fall enrollment of the prior school year. Schools with rising enrollment can still receive additional money each fall but no longer have their allocations reduced. The Office of Budget and Grants Management is also providing guidance to principals as needed to help them better align their strategic plans and budgets. Financial Stability Operational Excellence Operational Excellence District services will operate efficiently and support student achievement. FIVE-YEAR GOALS Increase investment in modernization of school infrastructure to ensure: Every pre-kindergarten classroom offers a modern learning environment. Every school in the district has a 1-to-1 student to digital device ratio with internet bandwidth that will double 2018 levels. 37% CPS vendors will be Minorityand Women-Owned Businesses. 80% District’s energy usage comes from renewable energy sources. STRATEGIES Provide a classroom device for every student and teacher. Our students deserve modern technology at their fingertips to support their learning. Within the next five years, every student will be equipped with a device, such as a tablet or laptop, for digital learning in the classroom. These devices will be used at the direction of teachers and educators, who will also be provided a device with classroom management tools to enhance student learning and collaboration. To support that goal, we will also double the internet bandwidth at every one of our schools. This strategy directly addresses the digital divide to ensure that every student, regardless of income or access to technology at home, has the tools and resources needed to benefit from a 21st century education. Open more than 500 new pre-kindergarten classrooms. Early education is one of the best investments we can make, not just in a child’s future, but in the future of our City. As the district prepares to offer full-day pre-kindergarten for every four-yearold, we must dramatically expand the number of available early childhood classrooms in our schools. In order to meet this ambitious goal, we will identify the existing need in each community area, prioritize schools for pre-kindergarten expansion, and redesign classrooms for early learning. By 2023, more than 500 new pre-kindergarten classrooms will open to ensure every child has access to the high-quality early childhood education they deserve. Reduce school utility costs with renewable energy. Increasing our reliance on renewable energy will save the district money and help protect the environment. In addition to contracting with renewable energy providers, we will install solar panels at schools to reduce long-term energy costs. School staff and students will be educated on strategies to reduce energy consumption and outdated equipment will be replaced with energy efficient systems. By 2023, 80 percent of the district’s energy usage will come from renewable energy sources, and we will be on track to reach the city’s goal of full reliance on renewable energy by 2025. Improve vendor services to schools. CPS and its schools need to make the best use of public funds by purchasing from vendors who offer the highest-quality services. In the 2018-2019 school year, we launched an online vendor rating and review site for the district. Schools and district offices are able to rate the services they receive and read vendor reviews prior to making purchasing decisions. Over time, this will help encourage stronger vendor performance and allow schools to make more informed purchases. In addition to ensuring we receive the highest quality services, we want to leverage our purchasing power to work with diverse business owners. At CPS, we know that our diversity is our greatest asset, and we are committed to the continued success of minority- and women-owned businesses. They offer valuable perspectives and expertise that can greatly benefit our schools, and through intentional outreach, building relationships, and transparent RFP processes, we want minority and women-owned businesses to play a critical role in improving CPS. Our goal is to have at least 30 percent of business come from minority-owned enterprises and 7 percent of business come from women-owned enterprises. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 37 COMMITMENT #3 Collective Impact We honor the trust We will work together with students, families, educators, families place in us and community partners to support student success. when they enroll FIVE-YEAR GOALS their children in CPS schools. In return, we will strive to communicate openly 83% 92% and honestly and to face our challenges with a commitment to Parents report that they Parents report that there improve. We recognize have opportunities to are many different ways participate in making they can be involved that we cannot do decisions that affect with the school. the whole school this work alone. We community. Increase the percentage will continually seek of partners who report to engage our school they feel engaged with CPS. communities and partners. Working together, we can better serve our students and help each one to thrive. Strategies to Meet the Five-Year Goals STRATEGIES Strengthen Parent Universities. Parents are their children’s most important teachers. CPS operates 14 regional Parent Universities to help families further support their children’s success. Launched in 2015, our Parent Universities offer workshops for parents on new district initiatives, social and emotional skill development, digital media literacy, and planning for postsecondary success. Our Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services (ODLSS) also provides monthly workshops for parents of students with disabilities to help them understand their rights and their children’s educational needs. Parent Universities also offer GED and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes through a partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago and workshops on topics such as financial literacy, career development, and even robotics or theater. We find that parents who further their education or explore new interests inspire the same enthusiasm for learning in their children. Over the next five years, we will recruit even more partners, including nonprofits and universities, to offer additional learning opportunities to parents in every region of the city. We will also raise participation from approximately 3,000 to 10,000 parents annually. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 39 COMMITMENT Integrity #3 Develop parents as district leaders. We need the ideas and energy of our parents to help improve our schools and district. Our Parent Leadership Institute develops the skills of parents who want to become advocates for children’s learning in their schools and district-wide. Through a rigorous eight-week training program at regional sites, parents learn to support their children’s academic and personal growth at home and at school, including best practices for communicating effectively with school leaders and staff. They also learn how to organize and mobilize other parents to support school and district goals. These parents then serve as ambassadors for our Parent Universities, recruiting more parents to participate in classes and workshops. By partnering with parent ambassadors, we can more equitably reach and engage all parents in the district. They are also encouraged to serve as district leaders through parent councils such as the CPS Parent Advisory Council, Parent Board of Governors, Chicago Multilingual Parent Council, Parent Advisory Council for Special Education, and many others. We will collaborate with internal departments and network leadership to create a pipeline of parent candidates to more than double the number of Parent Leadership Institute graduates from 30 to 70 annually by the 2023-2024 school year. Expand community afterschool and summer programs. We are committed to keeping students safe and ensuring they are learning when schools are not in session. From debate to chess to science fairs and more, CPS and its many partners infuse schools with additional programming outside of school time. Students have the opportunity to flex their creativity, follow their passions, and develop critical lifelong skills through a variety of clubs, competitions, and engagements. In the next five years, we will increase the pool of Out-of-School Time providers to ensure greater equity in access and range of options for all students. Encouraging Participation in Sports Youth sports offer a range of benefits for students, from lessons in leadership and teamwork to general self-confidence that continues off the field and into the classroom. Through committed partnerships with BMO Harris Bank, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Chicago Bulls, and with additional support from the Chicago Fire, the Chicago Red Stars, Good Sports, Global Giving, Uber, Target, Jr. NBA, and World Sport Chicago, CPS established CPS SCORE! (Sports Can Open Roads to Excellence), a public-private partnership that offers no-cut after-school sports programming to all CPS elementary school students. The program includes afterschool practices and Saturday games hosted at neighborhood-hub high schools, all necessary equipment, uniforms, coaches, and officials to all schools who choose to participate. To date, more than 40,000 students have participated in CPS SCORE! providing them a safe and fun venue to develop their skills and confidence. Collective Impact We will also integrate social and emotional learning skills into more Out-of-School Time programs so students’ needs are being served both in and out of the classroom. To make sure the highest quality offerings are available to students, we will conduct Youth Program Quality Assessment visits. Many faith-based organizations partner with the district to run Safe Haven sites, which provide learning and recreation to children in neighborhoods that need these services most. CPS provides a curriculum for social-emotional learning, and children receive tutoring, recreation, and enrichment such as educational field trips. We will expand the number of Safe Haven programs from 30 to 75 by the 2023-2024 school year. For those interested in sports and team building, CPS SCORE! was launched in 2017 as a no-cut sports program for fifth through eighth graders that brings communities together for a safe and fun way to play sports. In the next five years, CPS will expand CPS SCORE! options to be more inclusive of a wider variety of sports, such as golf and tennis, to increase exposure and offerings for our students. Through expanded offerings and increased outreach, we aim to increase student participation in SCORE! by 10 percent each year. Knowing the important role that sports and athletics play within our high schools, the Office of Sports Administration will build a robust data dashboard to assess the participation and performance of sports programming to better understand student access and retention across offerings. This will help us better support students so that every student athlete is positioned to take advantage of any scholarships or awards that are offered at the collegiate level. Additionally, we look to provide a more holistic approach to our student-athletes interaction within the sports by introducing them to different industries related to athletics, such as personal training or team management, so they can envision future career paths. Strengthen Local School Council recruitment. The voice of a strong Local School Council (LSC) is essential to two of the most important aspects of a school’s quality — its leader and its budget. Yet, some LSCs face challenges in recruiting and retaining members. The CPS Office of Local School Council Relations brings awareness for LSC elections, enlists recruitment partners such as elected officials, and trains principals on recruitment strategies. Over the next five years, we will pursue new strategies to strengthen recruitment. To identify which schools need the most support in filling vacancies, we will upgrade our online LSC database so that principals can indicate when a member resigns or is no longer active. Using that data, we will focus our support on schools with multiple vacancies. To better advertise LSC elections, we will increase our social media presence and identify more partners, such as faith-based and community organizations, that can assist with advertising and provide forums for recruitment. Within five years, we will have 85 percent of our LSC vacancies filled. Engage students as education leaders. Our students are a powerful force for school improvement, and we need their expertise and energy. Student Voice Committees first launched in five CPS high schools in 2013 and are now established at 45 elementary schools and 85 high schools. These committees collabo- rate with administrators on researching and proposing solutions to school challenges. Student Voice Committees differ from student councils in that they are not elected, all students are encouraged to join, and school leaders work to recruit students so that the group reflects the school’s rich diversity. Over the next five years, we will train principals on more ways to amplify student voice, such as allowing students to join instructional leadership teams in observing and discussing classroom instruction. By the 2023-2024 school year, every CPS school will have a Student Voice Committee. CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 41 COMMITMENT Integrity #3 Transparency Transparency We will be open and honest with students, families, educators, and community partners to allow them to engage in our work. FIVE-YEAR GOALS 80% 85% 85% Parents feel CPS is moving in the right direction. Parents feel the children in their community have access to quality education through CPS. Parents feel their child(ren) are prepared for many types of opportunities after graduating high school. STRATEGIES Provide parents with clear and timely information. It’s important that parents and families are able to receive important updates from the district in a timely manner. The district has improved its digital communications platforms to ensure district news is easily accessible to parents. We have also begun proactively communicating and engaging parents through our social media channels. In addition to digital communications, letters from the district to parents are distributed through their schools and translated into Spanish as needed. Within the next five years, we will translate districtwide, parent-facing communication into the five major languages in Chicago: Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Mandarin, and Urdu. We will also build a districtwide database of parent email addresses so that we can provide parents with even more timely information. Redesign Parent Portal and the CPS website. The more effectively we communicate with parents, the better they can support their children’s academic progress. The CPS Parent Portal gives parents online access to their child’s attendance, assignments, and grades. In April 2019, we will debut an improved mobile-friendly site that provides more complete school records, such as the high school credits earned toward each graduation requirement. Parents will also be able to see which school fees they owe and pay them online with a credit card. And by fall 2019 school year, we will launch a new CPS website that makes information more easily accessible to parents and the Chicago community. Provide communities with important data about their schools. To chart the best future for our schools, we need the insights and expertise of our diverse communities. In 2017, CPS launched an initiative to help Chicago communities understand the educational landscape in their neighborhoods and begin a dialogue about investments in their schools. Starting in 2018, CPS released an Annual Regional Analysis, a report that describes school quality, enrollment patterns, school options, and program offerings by region. The new report promotes greater equity in engagement as it provides a transparent and streamlined way to review important data trends across communities. CPS will begin producing these analyses on an annual basis and hold regional workshops across the sixteen regions outlined in the report to help community members examine the data and determine the best path forward for their schools. Through these workshops, CPS strives to ensure that community voice is an integral part of district decisionmaking and that communities can be equitably heard. Provide schools more voice in selecting academic programs. Schools and their communities know best what their young people need. In October 2018, CPS invited schools to submit proposals for adopting new academic programs including World Language, STEM/STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math), International Baccalaureate (IB), Magnet, Gifted, Dual Language, and Fine and Performing Arts programs. Proposals will be accepted based on school readiness and ensuring an equitable distribution of high-quality academic programs throughout the city. The request for proposals will occur annually and the rationale for decisions will be reported publicly so that school communities have a full understanding of the process. Spread the best practices among CPS schools. Teachers and principals throughout our city have a wealth of knowledge and ideas for overcoming barriers to student learning. Beginning next school year, CPS will identify the practices leading to success throughout our system of schools—including neighborhood schools, charter schools, and specialty schools—and will facilitate the sharing of knowledge between schools and networks. We will arrange for school leaders and teachers to visit schools facing similar challenges to their own so they can learn about practices that lead to high student performance. We will support those schools interested in deepening their learning by providing high-quality professional learning experiences to help them carry out their plans. “There’s a role for every organization and every Chicagoan to engage with CPS and support our schools and students. Through the generosity of its people, we can turn Chicago into the world’s biggest classroom by connecting our students to resources and experiences that will prepare each for success in college, career, and civic life.” Francie Schnipke Richards Executive Director / Children First Fund Children First Fund: Invest with Impact The CPS story is full of partners that have helped make our district one of the strongest in the country. Every day, students benefit from the Chicago’s institutional generosity: through philanthropic investments in nonprofit service providers, through corporations providing internships and work-based experiences, through health care institutions providing free health screenings for families, through the research community seeking to answer problems of practice in the field, and through the cultural institutions opening its doors to students and educators to bring learning from the classroom to life. CPS recognizes the resources, talent and experiences our partners provide to our students every day. The new Children First Fund is our investment back in you! In conjunction with the Five-Year Vision, we are officially relaunching the Children First Fund to promote the continued growth and success of Chicago Public Schools through philanthropy and public-private partnerships. We will maximize the impact of CPS’ partnerships by improving data to inform investments and aligning Chicago’s generosity to the advancement of the CPS Vision. The new Children First Fund is designed to be a singular liaison between CPS and its partners, including foundations, corporations, higher education, hospitals, and cultural institutions. The Children First Fund will be a hub for partners to learn more about the work CPS is doing, the work that still needs to be done, and how partners can help. CFF maximizes the impact of CPS partnerships by matching resources to areas of greatest need. As an information hub, we will facilitate connections between CPS and its community of partners, including businesses, foundations, and individuals. Children First Fund is committed to: • Being a trusted, independent foundation to ensure fidelity of investments and implementation. • Identifying and communicating CPS’s most urgent needs to partners. • Co-developing meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships. • Publicly reporting on and celebrating partners’ impact on CPS students. We are continually investing in Chicago’s students, and we welcome all Chicagoans to join us. From systems-level investments, in-kind donations to employee engagement and professional mentorship opportunities, every contribution can make an impact. Look for the CFF logo throughout to see opportunities for partner and donor engagement. For more information about how the Children First Fund is working to advance the CPS Five-Year Vision, visit our website at ChildrenFirstFund.org, where you can also find opportunities to get involved at any level, from small dollar giving and in-kind donations to employee engagement and ongoing partnerships. Get in touch with us at contactus@childrenfirstfund.org CPS FIVE-YEAR VISION 43 Thank You Thank You! We Appreciate Your Support We thank everyone for their valuable contributions to the creation of the CPS Vision framework and report. Thank you to the parents, students, teachers, principals, and partners who offered guidance and input for the Five-Year Vision through surveys, focus groups, community sessions, and other meetings. Your engagement in our schools and powerful work in the district have helped shape the CPS Vision. We engaged over 10,000 people, including 2,000 students, 2,100 parents, 5,200 teachers and schoolbased educators, 500 principals and 150 partners from the philanthropic, business, higher education, health, cultural, and community organizations. We also want to acknowledge the Education Lab at the University of Chicago for its support in helping us develop the academic goals for the Five-Year Vision. Lastly, we would especially like to thank The Crown Family for their support of the development of the CPS Five-Year Vision, and all the members of the Chicago Board of Education for their leadership and dedication to the city and its school children. Chicago Board of Education Members Frank M. Clark Members Jaime Guzman Mark F. Furlong Austan D. Goolsbee Alejandra Garza Mahalia Hines President Vice President Gail D. Ward NOTES 1 Sean F. Reardon & Rebecca Hinze-Pifer, Test Score Growth Among Chicago Public School Students, 2009-2014, Stanford, CA: Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis, 2017, https://cepa.stanford.edu/content/test-score-growth-among-chicago-public-school-students-2009-2014 2 Paul Zavitkovsky & Steven Tozer, Upstate/Downstate: Changing Patterns of Achievement, Demographics and School Effectiveness in Illinois Public Schools, Chicago, IL: The Center for Urban Education Leadership, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2017, http://urbanedleadership.org/whatwe-do/research/upstate-downstate-report/ 3 Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach & Lauren Bauer, “The Long-Term Impact of the Headstart Program,” Washington, DC: Brookings Institute, 2016, https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-long-term-impact-of-the-head-start-program/ 4 Allison Atteberry, Daphna Bassok, & Vivian C. Wong, “The Effects of Full-day Pre-kindergarten: Experimental Evidence of Impacts on Children’s School Readiness,” Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia, EdPolicyWorks. 2018, https://curry.virginia.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/epw/64_Effects_Full_Day_Prekindergarten.pdf 5 What Works Clearinghouse, Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making, Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, 2009, https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/dddm_ pg_092909.pdf 6 Jennifer L. Steele, et al., “Dual Language Programs Raise Student Achievement in English,” Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation, 2017, https:// www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9903.html 7 Donald J. Hernandez, How Third-Grade Reading Skills and Poverty Influence High School Graduation, Baltimore, MD: The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2011, https://www.fcd-us.org/double-jeopardy-how-third-grade-reading-skills-and-poverty-influence-high-school-graduation/ 8 “Why is Teaching With Problem Solving Important to Student Learning,” Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2010, https://www.nctm.org/uploadedFiles/Research_and_Advocacy/research_brief_and_clips/Research_brief_14_-_Problem_Solving.pdf 9 Jenny Nagaoka & Alex Seeskin, The Educational Attainment of Chicago Public School Students: 2017, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, 2018, https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/educational-attainment-chicago-public-schools-students-2017 10 Jennifer D. Pierce & Virginia Buysee, Effective Coaching: Improving Teacher Practice & Outcomes for All Learners, San Francisco, CA: West Ed National Center for Systemic Improvement, 2014, https://www.air.org/sites/default/files/NCSI_Effective-Coaching-Brief-508.pdf 11 David Leonhardt, “Want to Fix Schools? Go to the Principal’s Office,” New York Times, March 10, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/ opinion/sunday/want-to-fix-schools-go-to-the-principals-office.html 12 Kenneth Leithwood et al., How Leadership Influences Student Learning, New York, NY: The Wallace Foundation, 2014, p. 21, https://www. wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/Documents/How-Leadership-Influences-Student-Learning.pdf 13 Edwards Wesley et al., “Policy Brief 2018 – 4: Impact of Principal Turnover,” Charlottesville, VA: University Council for Educational Administration, 2018, http://3fl71l2qoj4l3y6ep2tqpwra.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Policy-Brief-2018-%E2%80%93-4-Impact-ofPrincipal-Turnover.pdf ?tat-Hm: ?um ?Nth32$- Fun?cw 1 .3: Our Vision CPS VISION 45 Get other important information about the Five-Year Vision at www.cps.edu/vision 42 W. Madison Street Chicago, IL 60602 773-553-1000 www.cps.edu @chicagopublicschools @ChiPubSchools @ChiPubSchools