Chicago

The simple truth is that we are defaulting on the promise of equal opportunity for far too many kids in Chicago and Northwest Indiana. In low-income neighborhoods of Chicago, only about 25% of third graders are able to read at grade level. This means that most students in these schools are reading picture books in the third grade. In nearby suburban Wilmette, however, 92% of third graders are meeting or exceeding grade level standards and are reading chapter books. Fast forward to young adulthood and low-income children in our schools have only a 6% chance of attending and graduating from a four-year college.

We are systematically failing to educate the vast majority of children in our city, particularly the children who rely most on our school system to give them the support and development they need to become empowered and productive members of society. We have a patchwork of systems, policies, and practices that is woefully misaligned to the goal of increasing student achievement. This threatens the long term competiveness of our city.

Our vision in Chicago is to be the catalyst for system-wide change by providing a corps of phenomenal teachers who then become leaders at all levels of the system. Today, there are over 500 corps members, more than 850 alumni teachers, 60 alumni principals, and 49 alumni assistant principals working to make this happen. By 2015, we aim to create seismic change in an Inspire Zone of seven contiguous Chicago communities—a zone that is bigger than the Washington, D.C. Public Schools. Through a focused influx of corps members and alumni, we will reach critical mass in the Near West Side, East/West Garfield Park, North/ South Lawndale, Archer Heights, Brighton Park, Gage Park, and Englewood.  At the same time, we will leverage partners to create a bold, aggressive, and comprehensive reform effort.  Our ultimate goal is to grow the number of schools that are transforming students' lives in our city.