Catalyst Caucus

Because CPS is currently in such a complex fiscal situation I think at this time there should be no appointment of a new Chief Education Officer before September. In my opinion any new Ed officer needs to be younger, by that I mean in their early 40s. The reason for this is that administrators who are within a few years of retirement may not be risk takers as the end is sort of in sight.

I believe the new Ed Officer should have experience both as a school level principal and have been superintendent of a smaller urban school district. I would like to see this person have a solid academic background with an emphasis in the teaching of reading. I would very much like to see someone who would provide a balance against concepts like performance management and non-educators who now play very major roles at CPS. But that may be unlikely. It seems the person should be either Hispanic or African American. I also believe the person appointed should be a woman.

I'd second Kristin's suggestion that the new Chief Education Officer, at the very least, be an educator. This may not sound very radical, but these days in Chicago, one never knows--does one?

Actually, I would take her motion one step further and get rid of the current CEO, position (Huberman's) entirely and place an educator at the very top of the system. The idea would be that the most important administrative decisions made at the leadership level, be made on the basis of educational priorities rather than machine political priorities or narrow corporate priorities (yes, I'm taking about you, Civic Committee).

That would indeed require a leader with deep knowledge and experience in the field. Kristin's suggestion of Linda Darling-Hammond, or a local educator of that ilk, is a great one.

If the system's top educator then needs to hire a business or organizational manager, someone with a successful track record in the business field and armed with the latest and best knowledge about organization and democratic management, they'd be free to do so. Hopefully they wouldn't hire a failed manager from another failed city department like the bankrupt and poorly run CTA.

Finally, the hiring of CPS' top educational leader shouldn't be done behind closed doors, on the basis of political expediency or by the Mayor's hand-picked inept school board. Neither should that person serve strictly at the pleasure of one man--Mayor Daley. The office of the Chief Education Officer should be freed up from and not a mere extension of City Hall, replete with all the same hiring scandals and corruption.

The next CPS Chief Education Officer should be an experienced educator with a passion for curriculum and instruction grounded in the liberal arts, sciences, and the creative use of the arts in education. This promotes critical thinking in an increasingly non-linear, complex, and challenging global environment. Unfortunately, many of our youth are leaving public schools with an inability to process critical thought. The strength of our democracy depends on critical and creative thought.

This Chief should have a concern for well educated teachers, not simply well-trained instructors. Systems must be put in place to immediately rid our public schools of teachers simply looking for a check (yes, those who've decided on a teaching career in their last year of college because, as I've heard, "I didn't know what to major in so I chose to teach... they have good pensions". There are thousands of teachers who face the challenges of their craft with gusto and from a place of internal motivation. They are constantly learning and enter the classroom with a love for the student, a love for their craft, and through their daily actions prove that love everyday. We need more of these folks teaching in Chicago!

Lastly, the new Chief of Education will proactively focus on improving school culture, community involvement, and parental engagement in our neighborhood schools. Teachers, administrators and school staff cannot educate our youth alone. Communities must be called on to actively promote education in neighborhoods through honor societies, social marketing campaigns, and weekend reading and math clubs. Learning should happen 24/7 and must be fun! The new Chief will challenge parents to become more involved and will back this up by ensuring the school acts as the center of community learning activities. All neighborhood schools should have an open door policy, not only from Monday - Friday, but Saturday and Sunday as well. Education is at the root of citizenship and an active neighborhood school can be the spark that renews our democracy in these very critical times.

The next Chief Education Officer should definitely have a strong background as an educator in urban, public schools. This person should have experience developing highly effective teachers and instructional leaders, as well as be willing to have some role in teacher preparation programs that feed into CPS, in efforts to help with the development and retention of teachers in the high-needs, hard-to-staff schools. In addition, this person should not only welcome community engagement but proactively seek out community organizations and other community groups in order to create strong partnerships between the organizations and CPS.