chicago’s school leaders 2020-21 overview

Chicago’s School Leaders 2020-21 Overview

A snapshot of Chicago’s public schools and the talented educators who lead them.

MARCH 2021

646 principals lead in Chicago’s public schools.

District-operated schools operate under the authority of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and are staffed by CPS employees. The district school total includes 31 schools operated by The Academy of Urban School Leadership (AUSL). Principals in district schools are hired by Local School Councils, CPS or AUSL.

Charter schools are public schools managed by independent operators authorized by CPS. They are staffed by employees of the charter school or management organization. The charter total includes seven contract schools; these are similar to charter schools. Charter principals are hired by charter boards or management organizations.

Options schools include programs such as Alternative Learning Opportunity Programs (ALOP) and SAFE schools where students receive credits for their studies through alternative educational placements. These schools and programs are charter- or contract-operated.

These leaders serve over 340,000 students across three types of schools:

514 principals lead in district-operated schools.

98 principals lead in charter or contract schools.

34 principals lead Options high schools.

In every school, principals play an essential role. They attract and retain great teachers, create a welcoming environment for students and families, and enable academic success. National research suggests that a top principal produces between two and seven months of additional student learning in one academic year. Chicago’s principals are particularly important, with unique authorities and responsibilities compared to principals in other districts. Given the challenges students have faced in 2020-21, principals are more important than ever.

District Charter Other

514 98 34

ES HS ES HS ES HS

412

34

4454

95

419

2 | CHICAGO PRINCIPALS OVERVIEW

514 98 34

514 principals lead in district-operated schools.

In recent years, the average principal tenure has increased, from 5.5 years in fall 2018 to 6.4 years in fall 2020, even as the average age of principals has decreased slightly, from 50 in fall 2018 to 49 in fall 2020. These trends are consistent with success in both retention and pipeline work: District principals are able to start their leadership careers earlier and stay in-role longer.

GENDER RACE/ETHNICITY

AGE(2020 Average: 48.7 years)

TENURE(2020 Average: 6.4 years)

2018 2019 2020

31

69

31

69

33

67

0%

100%

FemaleMale

2018 2019 2020

44

35

0%

100%

45

34

6.67

45

33

2018 2019 20200%

100%

2018 2019 202010

44

0%

100%

37

9

11

46

35

8

12

47

33

8

Black White MultiLatinx Asian

25

24

22

18

11

21

24

23

19

13

18

20

22

21

19

16 16 18

Other

3 TheFundChicago.org@TheFundChicago

Facebook.com/TheFundChicago

Principal demographic data reflects principals in-role on October 1 2018, 2019 and 2020.

<2 Yrs 2-3 Yrs 4-5 Yrs 6-7 Yrs 7+ Yrs30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Assistant principals (APs) play a critical role in school leadership and in the principal pipelinein Chicago’s district-operated schools. APs are trusted by principals to take on importanttasks such as supporting curriculum implementation, developing teachers and managinginstructional leadership teams. APs also serve in charter schools, but data are not easily compiledfrom public information.

Most district-operated elementary schools have one AP. High schools are more likely to have 2 or more APs. Thus, while 83% of CPS principals lead in elementary schools, only 73% of APs work in elementary schools.

In recent years, as school budgets have expanded, the total number of schools without an AP has decreased and the total number of APs has increased. In 2020, 71 district-operated schools have no AP, a decrease from 88 in 2018.

ES HS ES HS ES HS

2018 2019 2020

The distribution of APs varies across school types

Total number of APs in district-operated schools:

ALL SCHOOLS

1 2 3 4 5

88

340

68

82 71

350

71

342

70

Number of

Schools

2018 2019 2020

60

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

1 2 3 4 5

73

303

41

67 59

314

43

309

39

2018 2019 2020

60

HIGH SCHOOLS

1 2 3 4 5

15

37

14

15 12

36

2831

14

2018 2019 2020

60

394

152 158

402415

152

12

33

27


546 560 567

Assistant principals support principals as leaders of their school communities.

567 assistant principals lead in district-operated schools.

As with principals, average AP tenure has increased incrementally, even as the average age of APs has decreased slightly. Districtwide, the majority of APs have been in their currentrole for five or fewer years. The average tenure in 2020 is 4.2 years, up from 3.8 years in 2018 and 4.0 years in 2019.

GENDER RACE/ETHNICITY

AGE(2020 Average: 44.3 years)

TENURE(2020 Average: 4.2 years)

2018 2019 2020

28

72

29

71

29

71

0%

100%

FemaleMale

2018 2019 2020

36

33

0%

100%

36

33

35

33

2018 2019 20200%

100%

<2 Yrs 2-3 Yrs

2018 2019 2020

250%

100%

46

25

29

45

22

31

45

21

4-5 Yrs 6-7 Yrs 7+ Yrs30-39 40-49 50-59 60+

Black White MultiLatinx Asian

39

24

1410

13

38

24

14

11

13

34

26

14

11

15

23 24 24

Other



20-29

AP demographic data reflects APs in-role on October 1 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Chicago’s principals impact every aspect of their school communities.

This is true every year, and especially now.

66Average number of

team members

14 to 334Range of

team sizes

“$6.4M

Average size of budget managed

$2.0M to $33.7MRange of

budgets managed

527Average number of students impacted

21 to 4,428Range of

students impacted

People look to you for clear and consistent information about what to expect. They expect you to project calm and confidence and ensure that in whatever school structure - remote learning, hybrid instruction or in-person instruction - their children receive the best possible education.””

Tyrese GrahamPrincipal, Uplift HS

Chicago principals have wide impact and possess considerable autonomy—especially when compared with principals in other cities. Principals directly hire and support the teachers and staff in their schools, and they engage families in a way that accelerates progress. They make decisions about their school budgets and schedules based on their unique community needs. On average, they impact over 500 students each year.


Principal turnover in district-operated schools has continued to decrease.Principal turnover is a concern for schools nationwide; nearly 25% of principals leave their schools each year. There is considerable evidence that principal turnover can generate instability, negative school culture and lower student achievement gains. In Chicago, principal turnover has been lower than the national average for several years.

71%as Network Chiefs or

Deputy Chiefs

Of the principals promoted internally...

29%as other Central or Network leadership

Principal retention has increased over the past few years.

There are many reasons principals leave their roles.

1: Snyder, Thomas D., Cristobal de Brey, and Sally A. Dillow. 2016. Digest of education statistics 2014 (NCES 2017-094). Washington, DC: Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics.2: Mascall, Blair & Leithwood, Kenneth. 2010. Investing in Leadership: The District’s Role in Managing Principal Turnover. Leadership and Policy in Schools. 9. 367-383.

1

2

Of the 193 principals who left their roles since 2017:

Retired

Resigned

Changed Schools

Promoted

Other role in CPS

21%

10%41%

11%

17%



Assistant principals are an important element of the school leadership pipeline.

The majority of today’s district

principals were APs immediately prior to

their current role.

The average district principal who

worked as an AP has 3.9 years of AP

experience.

The most common prior role for current

district APs is classroom teacher.

The AP role is a critical steppingstone for most school leaders. The vast majority of current principals in district-operated schools have AP experience, often immediately prior to their current role. In addition, the AP role is a common first formal leadership role for teachers.

< 2 Years

2-3 Years

4-5 Years

6-9 Years

Princpal (differentschool)

AP- Same school

AP- Differentschool

Resident Principal

Other School-based Role

Network/CentralOffice

Unknown/Other

Principal (different school)

AP (same school)

AP (different school)

Resident Principal

Other School-Based Role

Network/Central Office

Unknown/Other

<2 Years

2-3 Years

4-5 Years

6-9 Years


Teacher

Resident Principal

Network/CentralOffice

Other School-basedRole

Principal

Unknown/Other


Teacher

Resident Principal

Network/Central Office

Other School-Based Role

Principal

Unknown/Other

74(14%)

127(25%)

164(32%)

23(5%)

28(5%)

28(5%)

71(14%)

65(23%)

99(36%)

57(21%)

56(20%)

92(17%)

260(47%)

59(11%)

14(2%)

48(9%)


56(10%)

23(4%)

The share of APs leaving the district has been stable to decreasing.

Given the role of APs in the principal pipeline, it is relatively common for APs to be promoted to principal. In a typical year, 40 APs, or around 7% of APs in CPS-operated schools, are promoted to principal. At the same time, principal turnover can lead to AP turnover as well, as new principals may hire a new AP. As such, AP turnover is higher than principal turnover.

Over 90% of APs have remained within CPS in recent years.

APs most commonly leave their role to become a principal.

Of the 346 APs who have left their roles since December 2017:

Retired

Resigned

AP, Other School

AP, Citywide

Promoted (to principal)

Other role in CPS

8%

26%

15%29%

18%



92%in the same type

of school(ES or HS)

Of those APs promoted to principals since 2017:

63%in the same

Network

44%in the same

school

1: In a typical year, about 20 APs are temporarily assigned to a Citywide position. This category is for APs that spend more than two months in this position.

4%

1

2018 2019 20200%

100%

92 92

Resigned RetiredRemained in CPS

95

6 46 66122

About This ReportThe Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) is a nonprofit organization that improves public schools in Chicago by investing in the talented educators who lead them. We are a catalyst for accelerating student learning and a long-standing leader in identifying and scaling what works. For 20 years, we have worked with our partners in the education, nonprofit,civic, corporate and philanthropic communities to redefine what it means to lead in Chicago’s public schools. Each year, we assemble and share some basic statistics on Chicago’s school leaders – principals and assistant principals. Information on demographics, job history, experience, turnover and retention enables all of us to improve. The Fund and our partners regularly use these data to advance our work through pipeline, in-role support and retention efforts.

We thank Matt Lyons and the Chicago Public Schools Talent Office and Dr. Zipporah Hightower and the Chicago Public Schools Department of Principal Quality as well as members of The Chicago Principal Partnership’s Pipeline Partners Council and Partnership Advisory Council for their help and comments.

thefundchicago.org

@TheFundChicago

/TheFundChicago

chicago’s school leaders 2020-21 overview

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