EDUCATION  AGENDA  
 
We  have  made  significant  progress  from  the  day  when  Chicago  was  considered  to  have  the  poorest  
performing  public  schools  in  the  nation.  But  we  still  have  far  to  go.  Rahm  knows  that  this  will  only  be  
achieved  when  we  have  the  best  possible  leadership  in  our  schools  and  our  classrooms,  and  the  
involvement  of  everyone  in  our  community  –  from  parents  to  business,  civic  and  community  leaders  –  to  
help  our  children  take  full  advantage  of  their  potential.  
 
Rahm's  education  agenda  is  guided  by  a  single  mission:  to  ensure  that  every  child  in  Chicago  has  access  to  
a  world-­‐class  learning  experience.  To  achieve  this,  he  has  put  forward  specific  proposals  around  three  
themes  –  empowering  principals  with  greater  autonomy  and  holding  them  accountable  for  their  school’s  
performance;  giving  teachers  the  resources  they  need  to  succeed  and  rewarding  them  for  excellence;  and  
providing  parents  with  more  information  about  their  child’s  education  so  that  they  can  be  more  actively  
involved.  
 
Access  to  a  high  quality  education  for  every  child  in  every  neighborhood  will  dramatically  increase  
Chicago's  vitality,  economic  development,  and  global  competitiveness.    
 
 
EMPOWER  PRINCIPALS  AND  HOLD  THEM  ACCOUNTABLE  
 
Principals  are  the  mayor  of  their  school  –  they  should  be  given  greater  autonomy  and  rewarded  for  their  
successes.  But  they  must  also  be  held  accountable.  Rahm  will  empower  principals  with  more  authority  to  
innovate  and  individualize  their  school's  academic  strategy  while  requiring  them  to  sign  a  performance  
contract  that  sets  clear  goals  and  holds  principals  and  staff  accountable  for  results.  
 
Give  leaders  greater  autonomy  to  innovate  in  their  school  
 
To  support  school  leaders,  Rahm  will  demand  a  complete  overhaul  of  the  policies  that  turn  principals  into  
administrative  compliance  officers  rather  than  giving  them  the  time  and  resources  they  need  to  lead  their  
school.  He  will  start  by  streamlining  and  eliminating  unnecessary  rules  that  get  in  the  way  of  improving  
teaching  and  learning.    He  will  task  the  new  CEO  with  shrinking  the  district  office  footprint  so  that  all  
available  resources  are  given  directly  to  schools.    A  smaller,  focused,  and  more  nimble  district  office  will  
be  dedicated  to  service,  support  and  accountability  –  not  control  and  compliance.    
 
Principals  that  demonstrate  results  will  receive  increased  autonomy  –  freedom  from  additional  district  
requirements  and  the  ability  to  personalize  their  use  of  time,  people  and  money.    Instead  of  receiving  
mandates  from  the  district  about  the  use  of  funds,  successful  principals  will  receive  greater  authority  to  
purchase  services  from  inside  or  outside  the  district,  or  invest  in  increased  support  for  students,  teachers  
and  parents.    

1  
  
Create  the  Chicago  Education  Innovation  Fund  
 
Rahm  worked  with  President  Obama  and  Secretary  of  Education  Arne  Duncan  on  the  federal  level  to  pass  
Race  to  the  Top,  which  sparked  a  revolution  in  education  policy  reform  around  the  country.  He  is  now  
proposing  Chicago's  own  innovation  fund  to  spur  reforms  in  practice  –  in  classrooms  and  schools  across  
Chicago.    
 
Using  private  capital  raised  from  local  businesses  and  the  philanthropic  community,  the  Chicago  
Education  Innovation  Fund  would  entice  schools  across  the  city  to  compete  to  achieve  the  most  –    
measured  by  their  ability  to  involve  parents,  train  and  support  teachers,  and  get  student  results  in  new  
and  innovative  ways.  
 
The  annual  cost  of  the  program  –  $50  million  –  would  be  funded  initially  through  private  investment.  Over  
time,  the  Innovation  Fund  will  be  underwritten  by  the  city  from  savings  found  in  the  CPS  budget.    Award  
recipients  will  be  recommended  and  ranked  by  an  independent  panel  of  Chicago  and  the  nation’s  top  
education  leaders  and  practitioners.  Awards  will  be  made  every  two  years,  beginning  in  the  2012-­‐13  
school  year.  
 
Broaden  the  impact  of  the  extraordinary  principals  within  the  district    
 
There  are  a  number  of  highly  effective  principals  already  within  CPS  and  Rahm  will  provide  them  the  
opportunity  to  manage  additional  schools,  ultimately  creating  a  network  of  schools  that  they  would  lead.  
Allowing  these  visionary,  passionate  educators  to  lead  additional  schools  is  a  cost-­‐effective  way  to  
broaden  their  reach  and  accelerate  student  learning  and  academic  growth  for  more  CPS  students.  
 
Require  a  performance  contract  for  all  public  schools  
 
Performance  contracts  have  proven  to  be  a  strong  accountability  mechanism  in  Chicago's  alternative  
public  schools  and  in  high  performing  systems  nationwide.  Schools  leaders  are  forced  to  meet  key  
performance  standards  or  risk  losing  control  of  their  schools.  As  traditional  public  school  leaders  receive  
greater  autonomy,  they  should  also  be  expected  to  meet  performance  benchmarks  and  innovate  in  their  
schools.  A  five-­‐year  contract  –  signed  between  the  principal  and  CPS  –  will  set  clear  expectations  and  
accountability.    Any  leadership  team  that  fails  to  live  up  to  the  terms  of  the  performance  contract  can  lose  
control  of  the  school.  The  school  could  then  be  closed,  turned  over  to  new  management,  or  have  its  
leadership  team  and  staff  replaced.  
 
Performance  contracts  will  cover  more  than  growth  in  standardized  test  scores.  Principals  will  be  
expected  to  meet  certain  standards  on  student  and  staff  attendance,  parent  involvement,  graduation  rates,  
fiscal  responsibility,  and  effective  school  organization.  
 
Cultivate  the  next  generation  of  leaders  
 
Chicago’s  kids  depend  on  exceptional  teachers  and  leaders.    With  a  deep  bench  of  diverse,  effective  and  
well-­‐supported  educators  focused  on  student  learning  and  performance,  Chicago  can  outperform  any  city  
in  the  world.    Rahm  supports  the  creation  of  a  Chicago  Leadership  Academy  to  identify,  recruit  and  
support  the  next  generation  of  leaders  for  Chicago  Public  Schools.    The  Leadership  Academy  will  be  a  new  
non-­‐profit  organization,  funded  by  both  philanthropic  and  district  investments,  and  charged  with  
delivering  a  minimum  of  50  new  principals  per  year.  
 
 
GIVE  TEACHERS  THE  RESOURCES  THEY  NEED  TO  THRIVE  

2  
  
Chicago's  kids  deserve  nothing  less  than  the  most  exceptional  teachers  in  the  country.  Rahm's  strategy  
begins  by  building  a  pipeline  of  highly-­‐effective  teachers,  providing  them  quality  support  throughout  their  
tenure,  and  creating  systems  in  every  school  to  incentivize  accountability  and  improve  performance.  
 
Double  the  number  of  teacher  training  academies  
 
There  are  currently  six  urban  teacher  residency  programs  in  Chicago.  They  combine  a  full  year  of  Master's  
Degree  level  university  course  work  with  a  full  year  of  progressively  responsible  teaching  under  the  
guidance  of  a  mentor  teacher.  After  their  year  of  training,  successful  graduates  are  employed  as  teachers  
in  one  of  Chicago's  schools,  where  they  receive  ongoing  coaching  and  support.  More  than  80  percent  of  the  
program’s  368  graduates  over  the  past  eight  years  are  still  teaching.  
 
Rahm  would  like  to  double  the  number  of  academies  and  allow  the  graduates  to  teach  in  any  Chicago  
public  school  –  traditional,  turnaround,  magnet  or  charter.  The  current  teacher-­‐training  program  
produces  50-­‐70  new  teachers  each  year,  at  a  cost  to  CPS  of  $3.5  million.    The  program  could  be  scaled  up  
over  two  years  to  produce  150  new  teachers  a  year,  at  a  cost  to  CPS  of  about  $10  million.    Training  
academies  would  also  have  capacity  to  re-­‐train  teachers  already  serving  in  Chicago  to  prepare  them  
specifically  for  making  a  difference  in  the  city’s  most  underperforming  schools.  The  program  would  be  
funded  with  savings  from  the  district's  professional  development  budget,  which  has  demonstrated  little  
evidence  of  effectiveness.    
 
  Academy  
Residents   CPS  contribution   Total  
contribution  
Current   65   $3.5  million   $2  million   $5.5  million  
Proposed   150   $10  million   $2  million   $12  million  
 
Incentives  for  highly-­accomplished  teachers  to  take  on  the  toughest  challenges  
 
Rahm  wants  to  create  real  incentives  for  highly  accomplished  teachers  to  work  in  schools  that  need  the  
most  help.  He  will  start  by  building  a  new  salary  scale  so  new  teachers  can  reach  top  compensation  in  
eight  years  if  they  are  the  best  of  the  best,  and  twelve  years  if  they  are  very  good.  Those  who  are  most  
effective  will  be  eligible  for  bonuses  if  they  transfer  to  a  low  performing  school  and  help  to  improve  it.  
 
Make  performance  matter  
 
In  Chicago's  schools,  layoffs  are  typically  done  by  seniority.  Rahm  will  change  that  policy  to  ensure  that  
those  who  are  laid  off  are  the  least  effective  teachers,  not  the  most  junior.  This  will  require  a  new  teacher  
evaluation  system  based  on  a  comprehensive  assessment  of  instructional  quality  and  student  
performance,  not  simply  results  from  one  annual  exam.  
 
 
ENGAGE  PARENTS  AND  EXPECT  INVOLVEMENT  
 
Study  after  study  shows  that  a  child's  best  chance  at  success  depends  on  an  engaged  parent  or  guardian.  
Rahm's  agenda  aims  to  keep  parents  better  informed  about  the  school  their  child  attends,  keeps  them  
updated  about  their  child's  progress,  and  helps  to  empower  then  to  play  a  more  significant  role  in  their  
child's  education.  In  return,  he  will  call  on  all  parents  to  commit  to  help  their  child  succeed  by  entering  
into  a    signed  agreement  with  their  child's  teacher  that  outlines  clear  expectations  for  how  they  will  help  
their  child  outside  of  the  classroom.  
   
A  report  card  for  every  school  

3  
  
Parents  deserve  a  report  card  that  grades  their  child's  school,  not  just  their  child's  work.  Every  Chicago  
Public  School  principal  currently  receives  a  report  card  with  a  top-­‐level  analysis  of  how  their  schools  are  
doing  and  whether  they  are  truly  organized  for  improvement.  Rahm  is  proposing  today  that  a  simplified  
version  of  these  report  cards  be  shared  with  parents  so  that  they  have  the  necessary  information  to  
participate  in  their  child's  education  and  push  for  higher  standards  in  their  local  school.  
 
The  report  card  will  include  letter  grades  that  rate  criteria  such  as  school  improvement  and  organization,  
school  safety,  student  attendance,  staff  attendance,  graduation  rate  and  entry  into  post  secondary  
education.  
 
 
Replace  Assistant  Principal  with  Director  of  Family  and  Community  Engagement  
 
The  principal  manages  the  inner-­‐workings  of  the  school  and  is  accountable  for  its  success.  Rahm  would  
like  the  second-­‐in-­‐command  to  be  charged  with  managing  the  outer-­‐workings  of  the  school:  the  
relationship  with  every  child's  parent.  He  will  replace  the  Assistant  Principal  role  with  a  Director  of  
Family  and  Community  Engagement.  The  individual  would  manage  all  extended  time  programming  
(extended  day,  week  and  year)  and  would  be  charged  with  parent  organizing,  training,  and  enlisting  
assets  of  parents  into  the  school.  The  traditional  duties  of  an  Assistant  Principal  –  discipline,  cafeteria  
supervision  and  overall  operations  –  would  be  distributed  among  staff.  
 
Parent-­teacher  agreement  
 
Each  day,  parents  trust  teachers  to  nurture  and  educate  their  children.  Teachers  should  also  expect  that  
parents  continue  to  provide  education  leadership  at  home.  Rahm  will  introduce  a  parent-­‐teacher  
agreement  to  be  signed  by  both  parties  at  the  beginning  of  the  school  year  and  monitored  by  the  school's  
Director  of  Family  and  Community  Engagement.  These  agreements,  which  are  prevalent  in  charter  and  
independent  schools,  build  clear  expectations  for  how  parents  should  provide  extended  educational  
opportunities  for  their  children  –  from  watching  less  television  to  reading  together  each  night.  
 
Parent  trigger  
 
For  schools  that  are  chronically  failing,  Rahm  wants  to  give  parents  the  legal  power  to  transform  their  
child's  school.  Under  this  model,  if  a  majority  of  parents  in  a  failing  school  sign  a  petition,  they  can  force  a  
transformation  of  the  school  –  either  by  inviting  a  new  school  operator  to  take  it  over,  by  forcing  certain  
administrative  changes,  or  by  shutting  it  down  outright.  This  plan  empowers  parents  to  take  ownership  
over  the  success  of  their  child's  school.  
 
 
PROVIDE  STUDENTS  EXTENDED  EDUCATIONAL  OPPORTUNITIES  
 
Give  students  more  learning  time  
 
Chicago  has  one  of  the  shortest  school  days  and  shortest  school  years  in  the  country.  Our  eighth  grade  
students  are  more  than  a  full  grade  level  behind  their  Boston  peers  in  math,  and  nearly  a  grade  behind  
their  Boston  peers  in  reading.  Part  of  the  reason  isn't  surprising:  Chicago  students  are  in  the  classroom  
one  hour  less  than  their  Boston  counterparts.  Until  learning  time  is  extended,  particularly  for  students  
that  need  it  most,  achievement  won't  dramatically  improve.  
 
Chicago's  teachers  are  committed  to  improving  student  outcomes  and  often  are  employed  by  CPS  in  
various  after  school  programs  throughout  the  school  year.  However,  the  current  contract  restricts  

4  
learning  time  and  puts  our  children  and  our  city  at  a  competitive  disadvantage.  Rahm  will  work  with  the  
teachers'  union  to  lengthen  the  learning  day  and  school  year  because  it's  the  right  investment  in  our  
children  and  our  city's  global  standing.  
 
Increased  learning  time  will  include  academic,  arts  and  sports  programs  beyond  the  traditional  school  day  
–  building  on  the  success  of  the  community  school  model  in  place  in  some  Chicago  schools  –  and  forging  
new,  creative  partnerships  with  community  and  civic  organizations  that  extend  the  school  day,  week  and  
year.  Given  the  cost-­‐effectiveness  of  technology,  we  must  also  include  on-­‐line  learning  during  after  school  
programs.  
 
Rahm  will  also  invest  a  portion  of  the  Chicago  Innovation  Fund  in  schools  with  the  best,  most  cost-­‐
effective  ideas  for  lengthening  the  school  day,  week  and  year.  
 
Put  a  price  on  the  cost  of  dropping  out  
 
Students  who  drop  out  of  school  should  face  consequences  that  force  them  to  reconsider  their  action.  
Rahm  will  push  for  a  law  that  immediately  revokes  the  drivers  license  of  any  student  who  drops  out  of  
high  school.  
 
A  curriculum  to  keep  Chicago  students  competitive  
 
Rahm  has  proposed  a  Chicago  Curriculum  Project  to  ensure  our  children  are  the  most  competitive  and  
college-­‐ready  in  the  nation.  Specifically,  this  public-­‐private  initiative  will  make  Chicago  the  first  city  to  
meet  the  new  federal  college-­‐  and  career-­‐ready  curriculum  standards.  These  standards  have  been  
developed  by  a  bipartisan  group  of  state  governors  and  chief  state  school  officers  to  provide  a  consistent,  
clear  understanding  of  what  students  are  expected  to  learn  while  giving  flexibility  to  teachers  to  
determine  how  best  to  help  students  meet  them.  Nearly  40  states  –  including  Illinois  –  have  adopted  the  
standards,  but  no  municipality  has  yet  to  integrate  the  standards  into  local  curriculum.  
   
The  Project  will  work  with  teachers,  administrators  and  parents  to  propose  and  assess  changes  to  the  
city's  curriculum  to  meet  these  new  standards,  will  pilot  in  several  public  and  alternative  schools,  and  will  
build  capacity  through  teacher  training.  
 
The  High  School  Challenge  
 
While  supporting  principals,  teachers  and  parents  will  improve  school  performance  throughout  the  city,  
Chicago  needs  to  invest  dedicated  effort,  ingenuity  and  resources  into  the  city’s  high  schools.    While  
improving  slightly  over  the  last  decade,  Chicago’s  drop  out  rates  remain  stubbornly  high  and  those  who  go  
on  to  college  often  don't  have  the  high  school  education  needed  to  succeed.  
 
Rahm  will  focus  first  on  turning  around  Chicago’s  dropout  factories  (and  their  feeder  schools),  which  
account  for  50%  of  Chicago  school  dropouts.    This  will  include  creating  new  school  options  for  families  –  
replicating  successful  neighborhood  high  schools,  magnet  schools,  developing  new  schools,  leveraging  
successful  turnaround  efforts  and  building  a  deeper  network  of  alternative  schools  for  students  who  do  
not  succeed  in  the  mainstream.      
 
Tackling  Chicago’s  toughest  schools  will  require  more  than  creating  new  school  options.  It  will  depend  on  
targeted  investments  in  increased  social  supports  for  children  with  the  greatest  barriers  to  academic  
learning  –  social  workers,  college  counselors,  and  staff  charged  with  intervening  and  supporting  students  
before  they  drop  out.      
 
And  it  will  depend  on  the  city  stepping  up.  Rahm  will  incent  community  based  organizations,  citywide  

5  
non-­‐profits,  universities,  commercial  companies  and  other  civic  institutions  to  bring  their  people  and  
programs  to  bear  to  support  particular  struggling  schools  by  providing  mentors,  tutors,  job  training,  
access  to  college  courses,  and  in  classroom  support  to  schools  that  need  it  most.  
 
 
A  RECORD  OF  PUTTING  OUR  CHILDREN  FIRST  
 
Rahm  has  always  believed  that  a  quality  education  serves  as  the  foundation  of  the  American  economy.  He  
has  worked  to  make  America’s  public  schools  the  best  in  the  world,  to  make  college  more  affordable,  and  
to  ensure  children  across  Chicago  have  access  to  innovating  learning  strategies  and  great  teachers.  
 
Led  efforts  to  promote  innovation  in  America’s  schools  
 
As  chief  of  staff  to  President  Obama,  Rahm  working  with  Secretary  of  Education  Arne  Duncan  to  create  
and  implement  the  new  Race  To  The  Top  challenge.  This  initiative  has  spurred  a  race  to  reform  America’s  
public  schools  so  that  every  child  has  access  to  a  complete  and  competitive  education.  Backed  by  a  $4.35  
billion  investment,  the  reforms  made  under  Race  to  the  Top  will  help  prepare  America’s  students  to  
graduate  ready  for  college  and  career  by  promoting  competition  among  states  to  have  the  most  innovative  
and  successful  schools  in  the  nation.  
 
Took  the  corporate  middle  man  out  of  the  student  lending  process  
 
Rahm  helped  lead  the  Obama  administration’s  effort  to  reform  the  student  lending  process  –  removing  the  
corporate  middle-­‐man  so  that  loans  could  be  made  directly  to  students  and  the  federal  government  could    
save  $80  billion  in  taxpayer  dollars.  Those  savings  were  then  reinvested  in  our  children  through  expanded  
Pell  grants  and  incentives  and  tax  credits  to  help  make  college  more  affordable.  
 
Invested  in  America’s  community  colleges  
 
Rahm  played  a  central  role  in  crafting  and  pushing  the  Obama  administration's  American  Graduation  
Initiative,  a  strategy  designed  to  boost  graduation  rates,  improve  facilities  and  develop  new  technology  at  
community  colleges.  The  program  will  create  an  additional  5  million  community  college  graduates  by  
2020  and  new  initiatives  to  teach  Americans  the  skills  they  will  need  to  compete  with  workers  from  other  
nations.    
 
Expanded  teacher  training  opportunities  in  Chicago  public  schools  
 
In  2005,  Rahm  secured  $2  million  in  state  funding  for  a  teacher  training  academy  that  was  jointly  
implemented  by  the  Chicago  Public  Schools  and  the  Academy  for  Urban  School  Leadership.  This  particular  
program  serves  as  a  model  for  the  type  that  Rahm  has  proposed  to  double.  
 
Fought  for  Chicago’s  public  schools  
 
As  a  congressman  representing  Chicago’s  north  and  west  sides,  Rahm  fought  for  additional  funding  for  the  
Chicago  Public  School  system.    He  helped  secure  a  new  gifted  program  at  a  local  elementary  school  and  
secured  a  $1.2  million  juvenile  justice  grant  for  CPS.  
 
Made  college  more  accessible  and  affordable  
 
After  meeting  a  parent  who  said  that  they  weren’t  able  to  complete  the  lengthy  and  confusing  FAFSA  
student  loan  form,  Rahm  introduced  the  College  Made  EZ  Act  to  create  a  simpler  application  for  college  
aid.  He  had  the  honor  of  watching  the  bill  then  get  implemented  under  President  Obama.  

6  
  
Rahm  also  introduced  the  Universal  Higher  Education  and  Lifetime  Learning  Act  to  strengthen  and  
simplify  the  three  existing  tax  breaks  students  currently  use  to  help  pay  for  higher  education:  the  Hope  
Scholarship,  the  Lifetime  Learning  Credit,  and  the  deduction  for  tuition  and  fees.    
 
Pushed  for  expanded  school  choice  
 
Seeing  the  success  of  charter  schools  in  Chicago,  Rahm  introduced  the  Pell  Grants  for  Kids  Act  to  expand  
opportunities  for  students  in  low-­‐performing  schools  to  switch  to  a  charter  school.  His  legislation  would  
have  authorized  $300  million  to  create  new  charter  schools  and  expand  existing  charter  schools  to  
accommodate  more  students.    

7