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Accountability Redesign

Stakeholder Engagement

A Brief History

 Stakeholder Conversations

Prior to the launch of the accountability redesign initiative’s current phase in February 2021, the district began holding small-group conversations with key CPS stakeholder groups such as parent advisory councils (PACs), Local School Council (LSC) members, and Community Action Councils (CACs). These key stakeholder groups are updated on a monthly to bimonthly basis to ensure they are informed about the work of the advisory group.

 Town Hall Meetings

In March 2021, the district held five town hall meetings to listen to stakeholders and provide a space and time to be heard by the district; to strengthen trust between the district and stakeholders; and to understand how stakeholders want to be engaged throughout the accountability redesign process. A report of the key trends and themes from the town hall meetings are posted below under Stakeholder Engagement Findings.

 Focus Groups, June 2021

In June 2021, the district’s partners at Kids First Chicago held 20 focus groups with a total of 161 participants, facilitated by a third-party facilitator using predetermined questions. The objectives of the focus groups were to understand how diverse stakeholders have experienced the current SQRP policy and its impact on school improvement; to understand the consequences and benefits of SQRP on stakeholders’ schools; and to understand how diverse stakeholders across CPS define quality in public schools in terms of both inputs and outputs. A report of the key trends and themes from the focus groups are posted below under Stakeholder Engagement Findings.

 Community-Wide Survey

The SEDT designed and administered a city-wide survey from November 29th 2021 to January 18th 2022. This survey received over 8,000 respondents from parents, teachers, students, and other stakeholder groups. The objectives of this survey were to learn what key stakeholders from across Chicago would like measured and included in the new accountability system as well as their knowledge and feelings about the old SQRP system. Survey findings can be found below.

 Focus Groups, June 2022

In June 2022, the district's partners at Kids First Chicago held 17 focus groups with a total of 145 participants, facilitated by a third-party facilitator using predetermined questions. The objective of these focus groups were to take the findings received from the community wide survey and get a deeper understanding from stakeholders about the results. The findings from these focus groups can be found below.

What is the Stakeholder Engagement Design Team?

Recognizing that stakeholders with different identities, perspectives, and backgrounds will bring invaluable knowledge, talents, and insights to the design of a new accountability policy, CPS has established a Stakeholder Engagement Design Team (SEDT), centered in equity and always in service of students. The SEDT brings diverse expertise and perspectives into shared consideration for the co-creation of an equitable, human-centered stakeholder engagement plan.

Stakeholder Engagement Goals

The SEDT will lead the stakeholder engagement process and produce stakeholder recommendations for CPS and the Advisory Group to use in redesigning the district’s school accountability policy.

Inform Activities

Inform general plan for engagement & communication with stakeholder groups, then engage in participatory analysis of stakeholder engagement data and identify trends to be shared with advisory group.

Support Local Plans

Design and implement local and stakeholder-specific engagement activities to ensure stakeholders most impacted serve as collaborators in policy design.

Design Innovation

Support the development of informational content to be shared with stakeholders creatively throughout the engagement process.

 

Members of the Stakeholder Engagement Design Team

Kids First Chicago

  • Natalie Neris, Chief of Community Engagement, Kids First Chicago
  • Ana Mosqueda, Project Manager, Kids First Chicago
  • Hal Woods, Chief of Policy, Kids First Chicago

Researchers & Academics

  • Matthew E. Sweeney, MA, Senior Research Specialist, Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement, University of Illinois - Chicago
  • Paul Zavitkvosky, CUEL Developer (Continuous Improvement and Leader Development) and Policy Advocate, Center for Urban Education Leadership, UIC
  • Diana A Burnett, PhD, Senior Research Consultant
  • Kristin Moody, PhD, Senior Research Consultant

Parents

  • Lilia Guevara, Parent Advisory Board, Parent, García Acero HS
  • Brenda Rivera, Parent Advisory Board, Inter-American Elementary Magnet School, Network 5 Parent University Coordinator at Roberto Clemente HS
  • Areulia Davis Shakur, North Lawndale Community Action Council, North Lawndale College Prep HS
  • Karla Vanessa Espinoza, Parent, Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy, CPS School Funding Working Group, CPS SQRP Planning Team, CPS SQRP 3.0 Technical Advisory and Steering Committee (TASC), CPS SQRP 3.0 Design Committee, SQRP 3.0 Advisory Group, CPS Accountability Advisory Group

Principals, Teachers, & CPS Staff

  • Alahrie Aziz-Sims, Principal, Bogan High School
  • Gerald Morrow, Principal, Dunbar Vocational Career Academy
  • Ryan Belville, Principal, McAuliffe Elementary School
  • Macquline King, Principal, Mary E. Courtenay Elementary Language Arts Center
  • Melissa Sweazy, Founding Principal, Acero - Santiago Charter School, CPS
  • Shayna Boyd, Teacher, 7th/8th grade ELA and Social Science teacher at Ashburn Elementary
  • Maria Munoz, Family and Community Engagement in Education Specialist, Chicago Public Schools | Network 8, 15 & 16
  • Ellen Rosenfeld, Family and Community Engagement Manager, CPS
  • Adrienne Garner, Community Engagement Team Leader, CPS

Community Based Organizations

  • Astrid Suarez, Director of Education, Enlace Chicago
  • Jessica Cañas, Assistant Director of Education, Enlace Chicago
  • Maria Velazquez, Executive Director, Telpochcalli Community Education Project
  • Nastassia Ballard, Payton Parent Fellow, Stand for Children 
  • Jazmin Ocampo, Manager, Citywide Youth Council, Mikva Challenge
  • Lindsay Semph, Past educator, Managing Director of External Affairs, E4E-Chicago

CTU

  • Pavlyn Jankov, Researcher, Chicago Teachers Union
  • Paula Barajas, Special Education Teacher & English as a Second Language Teacher

Contact

If you have questions or wish to provide feedback, please email us at schoolmeasurement@cps.edu.