More than 1400 volunteers take part in annual Principal for a Day event

Mayor Daley urges more Chicagoans to get involved in supporting schools

More than 1400 volunteers from the Chicago civic and corporate community today took part in the annual “Principal for a Day” program aimed at broadening support for the Chicago Public Schools.

“We have made great progress in our school system because of the commitment of business and community groups, not-for-profits and faith-based groups, teachers, administrators and parents to giving our young people the chance to achieve their full potential in life,” Daley said at a news conference held at Orr Academy High School, 730 N. Pulaski Rd., highlighting the annual event.

At the news conference, Daley and Chicago Public Schools officials said the Chicago Public Education Fund has committed to a goal of raising $25 million for innovative programs designed to improve the city’s schools, bringing to $50 million the total amount the Fund has raised for CPS.

“An organization such as the Chicago Public Education Fund serves as a model for others to follow,” he said.

“Principal for a Day” has been one of the city’s most successful programs for broadening support for the school system, the Mayor said.

It was started in 1998 in an effort to encourage the civic and corporate community of the Chicago area to adopt and support individual schools by doing such things as sponsoring book clubs, organizing field trips, supplying computers, building science labs and awarding college scholarships.

Through the program, many organizations and individuals have established long-term partnerships with Chicago schools, which was the goal. The first year, the program had 677 volunteers. Now that number is more than 1400.

“Because of the hard work and cooperative spirit of many partners, we have taken the Chicago Public School system from the worst in the nation to the national leader for urban school reform,” Daley said.

At a luncheon today, CPS honored five organizations that participate in “Principal for a Day” with Outstanding School Partnership Awards.

They are:

Partner: EXPRESS Stores – Michael Weis, CEO
School: Bateman Elementary School – Carl Dasko, Principal
Express has worked to support Bateman students in a variety of ways, including donating gifts for approximately 50 needy students and their families, organizing an after-school modeling program and supporting a reading program.
Partner: Eli’s Cheesecake Company – Marc Schulman, CEO
School: Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences – William Hook, Principal
Provides internships and job shadowing experiences, helping to secure funds for students to attend an entrepreneurship conference, and arranging for visits from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the Undersecretary of the United Nations.
Partner: Chicago Board Options Exchange – William Brodsky, Chairman & CEO
School: Drake Elementary School – Yvonne Jones, Principal
For the past six years, the Chicago Board Options Exchange has donated $10,000 per year to Drake Elementary to support student achievement, funding improvements in the school library and expanded access to technology for students.
Partner: Alcan Packaging, Chicago Office – Nicole Harris, Communications Coordinator
School: Fuller Elementary School – Dr. Patricia Kennedy, Principal
Organized back-to-school supply drive, outfitting each student with a year’s worth of supplies. Over 50 employees from Alcan also spent a day volunteering alongside students at the Chicago Food Depository, showing the importance of community service.
Partner: Ensemble Español – Dame Libby Komaiko, Founder & Artistic Director
School: Kilmer Elementary School – Miguel Trujillo, Principal
For the past 15 years the dance ensemble has performed at the school, offered free tickets for students, parents and staff to attend off-site performances, held free after-school dance classes at Kilmer and awarded scholarships for students to study dance.

The newest Public Education Fund effort – called “Fund III” – aims to improve how Chicago public schools work for students. The money will be used to fund a variety of innovative programs that will help further improve the management of schools and the performance of principals and teachers.

The program has four strategic priorities, according to the Fund:

Promote management innovation: Seed the nation’s best school managers and local leaders to run groups of schools in Chicago with an initial emphasis on chronically underperforming schools.
Differentiate compensation: Drive student achievement by differentiating compensation for principals and teachers based on student performance, job responsibilities and objective measures of job skills and knowledge.
Attract and develop the best talent: Identify and cultivate high-potential teachers and school leaders to assume high-need leadership roles.
Use objective and relevant data: Maximize measurement tools to inform decision-making and improve principal and teacher performance.

The Chicago Public Education Fund is a venture philanthropy that has created sustainable, continuous improvement in Chicago public schools. Funds I and II—announced in 2000 and 2004, respectively—raised $25 million collectively and have accomplished measurable results, including raising the quality of talent in Chicago schools. Specifically, The Fund has been a key driver for:

“Fund III will build off of the momentum we have built in our first two funds,” said Janet Knupp, founding president and chief executive officer of The Fund, who served as Principal for a Day at Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy, 1840 W. Ohio St.

“Fundamentally, we still bet on quality talent as the highest leverage point for moving the needle of achievement for Chicago’s students,” she said.

Mayor Daley said “Principal for a Day” caps what has been another very good week for the Chicago Public Schools.

On October 23, it was announced that Baxter International has made a contribution of $5 million to support CPS science programs. On October 28, CPS reported on how it has expanded the teaching of algebra in elementary schools through a partnership with three local universities and how with its Chicago Math and Science Initiative it is transforming the teaching and learning of math and science with more instructional time, better materials and more support for teachers.

And yesterday, CPS addressed its commitment to Early Childhood Education by announcing the expansion of pre-kindergarten opportunities for another 1,500 children.

The mayor encouraged all Chicago residents and businesses to get involved with supporting the school system through “Principal for a Day.”

For more information, visit www.chicagopfad.org .