Chicago Public Schools Welcomes 57 New Principals for the 2022-23 School Year

CHICAGO – As Chicago Public Schools (CPS) celebrates Principal Appreciation Month, it celebrates 57 new school leaders serving schools across the District. In addition to ongoing professional development, CPS provides new principals with direct peer support via mentor principals who know the ins and outs of one the most challenging jobs in education.

Through the District’s Department of Principal Quality  mentor principals form supportive relationships assisting new principals in adjusting to their new role and sharpening their skills as instructional leaders while identifying and avoiding significant school issues that could act as barriers to improvement. Mentors, all part of the department’s New Principal Institute, provide feedback on all aspects of new principals’ professional growth. 

“Principals are the backbone of our school communities and any supports they receive over time is guaranteed to have a positive impact on our students,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “We know that pairing our first-year principals with mentors improves their experience as they celebrate successes and navigate challenging times. Together that support helps our teachers and students thrive and become key members of our global community.”

Educational studies show that when a principal is supported with professional guidance, their outlook has a positive effect on their school communities. Alternatively, studies also show new principals cite stress and subsequent burnout, which can also deter other educators from stepping into the role.

To counter those realities, CPS, with help from a grant from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), pairs all new principals with leadership and social-emotional mentors who provide them with the guidance and support needed to lead their school communities. The resource has been especially important in recent years as new principals navigate their new position amid a global pandemic and social unrest.

CPS principal mentors include Lori Zaimi, principal at Peirce Elementary School in Edgewater for the last eight years and a 23-year veteran of the District. Principal Zaimi has mentored new principals for the past several years and is supporting three new principals this year. She talks through everything from time management to school improvement work with her mentees, and often serves as a collaborator, or simply a sounding board.

“We want to keep and retain principals,” said Principal Zaimi. “Principals need champions and they need cheerleaders because the work can be very isolating. There’s not two principals in any one building. We want to create that network to talk to others, to walk through technical and adaptive issues that we face so that we can support our teams and provide the very best education for our students.”

More than 60 percent of CPS-staffed principals are Black and Latino and the District is continuing efforts to ensure that District students see themselves in the teachers and leaders standing before them. District leadership development programs, the Teacher Residency Program and Teach Chicago Tomorrow are among long-term initiatives that aim to ensure a pipeline of teachers and school leaders of color. 

After graduating from Roosevelt University, Horace Mann Elementary School Principal Karon Purkett was told by a member of her church that she should apply for a teaching job at Mann Elementary.

She didn’t get that first job, but fast forward a few years, she is now in her first year as principal receiving guidance from her principal mentor.

“I worked as an instructional support leader in Network 12 previously so I had a built-in support system – I had folks to lean on,” said Purkett, a graduate of William H. Ryder Math & Science Specialty Elementary School and John M. Harlan Community Academy High School.

 “This is a tough job and I’m receiving the support I need,” Purkett said. “I’m able to contact someone when I need guidance.” 

Elizabeth Mourtokokis, the new principal at Northside Learning Center, often leans on her mentor, Kusan Thomas, the principal at Ray Graham Training Center. They meet once a week to discuss their experiences as principals who lead high schools that educate students with disabilities. 

“I never have to explain what I’m going through because she anticipates my questions as someone who works in special education,” said Mourtokokis, who moved into the principal role after four years as Northside’s assistant principal. “Our partnership is great.”

The District’s School Year 2022-23 first-year principals are as follows:

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