Educator Development
Through initiatives such as Teach Chicago and Lead with CPS, the District strives to recruit, retain, support, and develop exceptional and diverse talent at all levels of the District. CFF is committed to programs such as the Summer Leadership Institute and the Teacher Advisory Council, allowing educators and school leaders space for collaboration, professional learning, and to provide feedback to District leaders.
Teach Chicago
Teacher Residencies and Teach Chicago Tomorrow
Teach Chicago is CPS’ comprehensive strategy to build the highest-quality teaching force in the nation with educators who reflect the diversity of CPS students and our city. Some of the most promising candidates for those roles are CPS graduates, as demonstrated by two innovative teacher preparation programs: CPS Teacher Residencies and Teach Chicago Tomorrow.
In 2018, the District launched Teacher Residency programs in partnership with local universities in areas with critical shortages of licensed teachers in the workforce. Since then, the program has grown from a cohort of 24 in SY19 to 225 in SY25. 76% of the current CPS Teacher Residency cohort are educators of color. Over the past two years, approximately two-thirds of the cohort have been CPS parents or graduates (and many are both). Because more than two-thirds of CPS students come from economically disadvantaged households, this group is likely to face financial barriers to program participation. To address this, CPS plans to continue offering its Graduates and Parents (GAP) Scholarship to financially support these Teacher Residents.
Teach Chicago Tomorrow supports enrollment and persistence of graduating CPS seniors pursuing a Bachelor’s degree and career in teaching. Through intentional career pathway design that puts students’ needs first and extensive wraparound supports, Teach Chicago Tomorrow helps to ensure that more young Chicagoans who aspire to a teaching career can achieve that dream.
Funding needs for these two programs include scholarship and emergency assistance funding for materials, supplies, and technology for teacher residents, as well as other convening and program costs for the Teach Chicago Tomorrow initiative.
Advancing Leaders of Color
GEM Fellows and United Black Male Educators
Several initiatives across the District are designed to support leaders of color, including the Great Expectations Mentoring (GEM) and United Black Male Educators (UBME) programs. GEM is designed to help Black male and Latinx CPS educational leaders advance to the next stage of their careers. Through a cohort model, GEM fellows work closely with District leaders to develop leadership skills, deepen their understanding of equity, and connect with GEM mentors and other innovators to transform their work in education.
GEM blends professional learning and personal development content including keynote speakers, text-based discussions, consultancy protocols, collaborative and individual projects, and a Capstone project. The development of the Black Student Success Plan—a Success 2029 priority—grew out of a GEM Fellow’s Capstone project.
UBME is a group of school and District Black male leaders who aim to further develop a leadership pipeline for Black men in the District. Their inaugural “Educate, Empower, Elevate” conference in Summer 2024 invited Black male students in grades 7-12 to participate, with a goal of bolstering outcomes for Black male students, including college enrollment rates.
Funding needs for both programs include meeting costs and stipends.
Developing Exceptional Leaders
Lead with CPS and Summer Leadership Institute
To support effective educators and leaders and promote employee retention, it is imperative that all District employees have opportunities to grow and develop. Philanthropy can support two featured examples for District and school leaders:
- Through Lead with CPS, in partnership with the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government (CEG), CPS District leaders (directors and chiefs) can apply to attend a seminar series designed specifically for CPS, modeled after the Civic Leadership Academy, CEG’s flagship leadership development and training program for local government and non-profit leaders. This year, over 60% of participants were Black and/or Latinx.
- The CPS annual Summer Leadership Institute is an opportunity for school administrators—all approximately 1,000 principals and APs—to ground themselves in the goals, practices, and initiatives of the upcoming school year. The program is designed for principals by principals, and is a three-day, in-person experience.
These robust development opportunities not only build District and school leaders’ capacity to excel in their current roles, but also cultivate a stronger, more diverse pool of future executive leaders for the District.
Teacher Advisory Council
The CPS Teacher Advisory Council serves as a forum for direct communication and collaboration between teachers and the CPS Chief Executive Office and Chief Education Officer. The Teacher Advisory Council’s 40-50 selected members reflect the diversity of backgrounds and experiences of teachers across the District. They represent their school communities in monthly meetings with District leadership, discussing the issues most critical to teachers. Council members collaborate in developing creative, evidence-based solutions to challenges across the District. To ensure the council’s continued success, philanthropic support is needed to provide stipends to cover educators’ extended time, as well as other monthly meeting costs.
