Governance

As the city's first contract school, we serve a dual mission as a neighborhood elementary school and CPS's first school-based teacher preparation program for aspiring teachers. In lieu of a Local School Council, The Academy for Urban School Leadership serves as our governing board. The goal of the CPS-AUSL collaboration is to improve student achievement in Chicago Public Schools by attracting, training, and retaining Chicago's next generation of exceptional teachers and school leaders.

Our Student Preparation Mission

Our mission is to work collaboratively with students, parents, and the wider community to create a lifelong learning environment through modeling and implementing an authentic, engaging, and innovative curriculum that nurtures and empowers the whole child. As a teacher-training Academy we will show that when consistently provided with highly proficient, concerned, and dedicated teachers, all students regardless of their economic or social background can achieve significant levels of affective and cognitive success in school and lifelong practices. 

Our Teacher Preparation Mission

All Chicago Academy teachers serve as mentors in an on-site teacher preparation program. At the core of the teacher preparation program is a twelve month leadership development and teacher preparation program for aspiring teachers that includes graduate-level coursework and a ten month Teaching Residency. In pairs, Residents are matched with an accomplished Chicago Academy Mentor Teacher with whom they will collaborate, plan, and engage in reflective dialogue daily. Residents will experience a real school year in its entirety. They will build a repertoire of core teaching practices with a strong focus on critical thinking, problem-solving and decision making. Residents will also participate in weekly grade level and vertical grade level team meetings, student study team meetings and teacher learning teams. The Mentor Resident Coach (MRC) will work closely with both Mentor Teachers and Residents to ensure that each Resident is developing the proficiencies of an effective teacher. 

AUSL graduates will not only have the skills, experience, and support needed to make an impact on the educational lives of children, but they will also be entering a community of like-minded educators who are committed to teaching where excellence is needed most. Namely, turnaround schools throughout Chicago CPS. 

Chicago Academy Teachers

All Chicago Academy teachers are employees of the Chicago Board of Education with rights prescribed in the Board of Education/Chicago Teachers Union Agreement.  Our teaching positions are for the traditional 10 month school year. However, most of our mentor classroom teachers have an 8 hour work day from 7:45-4:00 with additional salary compensation. Students attend daily from 8:20-2:15.  After-school hours are set aside for preparation and professional development.