Teach For America places corps members in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and charter schools across the city. This year, 15 corps members were successfully placed in districts within Gary, Indiana (25 miles south of downtown). In our first-ever placement of pre-k teachers, the region has recognized a high-need for teachers at the early childhood level. With the expected increase of our region’s corps, we will continue to meet the early childhood education needs of the district.
Over the past two decades, our school district has engaged in a series of reforms. The School Reform Act of 1988 established Local School Councils (LSC), comprised of parents, community members, teachers, and principals, which are ultimately responsible for principal selection, school budget approval, and the development and implementation of the School Improvement Plan. This significant decentralization of power was intended to help parents and community members gain formal authority over their neighborhood schools.
In 1995, the wave of reforms continued when Mayor Richard M. Daley was given broad control of the school system and the freedom to appoint a Reform Board of Trustees as well as a CEO of schools. This series of reforms included efforts to establish formal measures of accountability for schools, end the practice of social promotion, authorize 15 Chicago charter schools, and to reconstitute many under-performing schools.
Today, the sentiment of reform persists. Under Mayor Daley's leadership, CPS has launched Renaissance 2010, an ambitious and controversial effort to alter the management of 100 low-performing schools.
Teach For America alumni living in Chicago are active in all aspects of schools and school reform. They are teaching, founding new schools, running traditional schools, serving as administrators and school board members, and leading businesses and nonprofit organizations. More than 200 alumni work as teachers for CPS. Eighteen alumni are leading as school principals and 14 are working in CPS district offices.
The Ethnic Breakdown, Free/Reduced-Price Lunch, and Placement information refers to the Chicago region’s current placement landscape, which now includes only Chicago. For information about Gary and North Chicago schools, districts to which we expect to expand, please use the school district links below.
| School Districts: |
|---|
| Chicago Public Schools |
| Gary Public Schools |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Student Population Chicago Public Schools |
|---|
| 48.6% African-American |
| 8.1% Caucasian |
| 37.6% Latino/Hispanic |
| 3.2% Asian/Pacific Islander |
| 0.1% Native American |
| 2.4% Other |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Student Population Gary Public Schools |
|---|
| 63% African-American |
| 2% Caucasian |
| 35% Latino/Hispanic |
| 3.2% Asian/Pacific Islander |
| 0.2% Native American |
| N/A Other |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Chicago |
|---|
| 36% African-American |
| 31% Caucasian |
| 26% Latino/Hispanic |
| 4% Asian-American |
| <1% Native American |
| 2% Other |
| Percentage of Students Qualifying for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch |
|---|
| 85% Chicago 92% Gary |
| Placements |
|---|
| 46% elementary |
| 45% secondary |
| 9% pre-k |
| 94% teach at a school with another corps member or alumnus |
| Pre-K-12 grade level placements |
Our corps members
Placement regions
Corps and Alumni
