Get to Know OneGoal
OneGoal is the country’s only teacher-led college persistence initiative. By identifying and supporting effective teachers to lead high-need students to strong academic outcomes, OneGoal seeks to make college possible for all, regardless of geography or family income.
The program begins by recruiting exceptional teachers committed to putting their students on a path to college. Throughout their junior and senior years, those students (OneGoal Fellows) then receive a comprehensive system of supports and resources designed to prepare them to apply, enroll, and graduate. To date:
· Of the OneGoal Fellows who enroll in college, 84 percent are persisting in college and making progress toward graduation.
· Fellows have enrolled at Illinois Institute of Technology, the Univ. of Wisconsin, the Univ. of Illinois, Morehouse College, Connecticut College, Pomona College and others.
OneGoal began its Chicago work in one South Side high school in 2003. Today, the organization partners with 50 teachers in 23 high schools to serve nearly 1,300 students city-wide.
Region Timeline
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Mayor Harold Washington initiates first round of Chicago education reforms by decentralizing control of Chicago schools through creation of Local School Councils (LSCs). Each principal is now accountable to an LSC.
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Secretary of Education Bill Bennett describes Chicago as the worst school system in America. Jonathan Kozol illuminates the stark inequalities in school experience of students in his book Savage Inequalities.
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A second wave of reform comes when CEO Paul Vallas takes over the school system and attempts to re-centralize and standardize operations by introducing greater transparency, accountability, and a new emphasis on standardized testing.
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A third wave of reform begins with arrival of CEO Arne Duncan. The Duncan administration tries to effect greater accountability by introducing more transparency in the form of school-by-school achievement data.
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Rob Huberman assumes control of a large, effectively de-centralized Chicago Public School system as CEO of CPS. The system includes 670 schools: roughly 450 traditional elementary schools, 150 traditional high schools, and 67 charter schools.
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Jean-Claude Brizard is appointed as CEO of CPS under Chicago mayor-elect, Rahm Emanuel.
Overheard
