INNOVATIVE EDUCATOR NETWORK

Summer Design Program

About the Innovative Educator Network In the summer of 2013, The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) launched the Innovative Educator Network (The Network) and partnered with 2Revolutions to engage educator teams in the inaugural Summer Design Program. The Network unites high-performing educators willing to re-think the way they use talent, technology and time to transform student learning Citywide. The Summer Design Program exposes participants to the most innovative approaches nationwide, guides them through a hands-on design process and connects them with local and national experts to help refine, implement and evaluate their ideas. At the completion of the Summer Design Program, The Fund will award implementation grants to the most promising innovations and teams. During the 2013-2014 school year, The Fund will report publicly on the impact of the work and will engage The Network and our partners Citywide in championing and scaling the innovations that most rapidly accelerate student learning in classrooms and schools across Chicago. About The Fund The Fund is a nonprofit organization working to build a critical mass of great public schools in Chicago by investing in talented principals and enabling effective educator teams to reinvent classroom learning. The Fund serves as a catalyst for accelerating transformational learning and life outcomes for students in all of Chicago’s charter and district public schools. Learn more at www.TheFundChicago.org. About 2Revolutions 2Revolutions is an education design lab that designs, launches and supports Future of Learning models and catalyzes the conditions within which they can thrive. Leveraging InspireED, a new online social learning and collaborative design platform, 2Revolutions partners with teams of educators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, funders, researchers and others to build and continually refine the new models and systems America’s students and families need. Learn more at www.2revolutions.net. About Our Partners The Fund thanks Todd Kern and Adam Rubin from 2Revolutions, Aylon Samouha from New Schools for Chicago and Furman Brown from Generation Schools for their leadership in planning and executing The Summer Design Program. We also thank the talented experts who supported The Network teams as they refined their ideas: Joe Ableidinger, Public Impact Meridith Bruozas, Chicago Public Schools Sandra Carlson, Gray Elementary School Rebecca Centioli, KIPP Chicago Jin-Soo Huh, KIPP Chicago Greg Klein, Rogers Family Foundation Chris Liang-Vergara, FirstLine Schools Paolo Lorenzoni, IDEO Matt Lyons, Chicago Public Schools Kate Mazurek, KIPP Create

Laura Meili, Chicago Public Schools Micki O’Neil, Foundations College Preparatory Beth Purvis, Chicago International Charter School Jonathan Skolnick, Independent Consultant Sarah Slavin, Teach Plus; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation Elizabeth Spenko, IDEO Carrie Stewart, Afton Partners Amy Cole Vreeland, TrueSchool Studio Melissa Zaikos, Intrinsic Schools

In addition, we thank the Social Enterprise Initiative at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for hosting the Summer Design Program. Finally, we sincerely thank our partners at Chicago Public Schools, The Office of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and New Schools for Chicago for their continued partnership around Educator Innovation in the City of Chicago.

About the Teams Sixteen talented educator teams participated in the inaugural Summer Design Program, which exposed them to the most innovative approaches nationwide, guided them through a hands-on design process and connected them with local and national experts to help them develop and refine their innovations. These teams are diverse in their geographic locations, school type and student demographics, but they share a common desire to re-think the way they use talent, technology and time to raise expectations around what is possible for students and schools Citywide.

Carl Schurz High School Large neighborhood high school in Old Irving Park • District public school 2,600 students • 91% low income • 80% Hispanic students

Schurz is a large neighborhood high school with four Fund-supported National Board Certified teachers. Its motto, “A Block Long and a World Wide,” reflects the school’s rich diversity, as it offers award-winning Academies in Finance and Automotive Technology, Fine and Performing Arts and World Language/Global Studies. Exciting new learning opportunities include Engineering, Digital Media and an International Baccalaureate Academy to open in the fall of 2013. Schurz fosters a new school culture of innovation and exploration: hosting Chicago’s only Mini Maker Faire, a FIRST Robotics team and a new partnership with Columbia College focused on arts- and technology-integrated after-school programming. Additionally, Chicago Public Schools recently showcased Schurz as one of three Technology Spotlight programs in the District. Seeking growth in the use and integration of technology, Schurz’s team used the Summer Design Program to design a differentiated, technology-focused professional development program for its teachers. The team will evaluate the project’s impact through semi-annual inventories of teacher technology aptitude, innovative project-based student learning, student attendance rates, GPA and surveys.

Team: Daniel Kramer, Principal; Andrea Gamache, Instructional Technology Coordinator; Lori Kunc, Technology and Media Studies Chair; Christina Pei, Outside Partner (University of Chicago and Maker Faire) Cesar E. Chávez Multicultural Academic Center Neighborhood elementary school in Back of the Yards • District public school 950 students • 99% low income • 95% Hispanic students

As part of the Additional Learning Opportunities (ALO) pilot, Chávez implemented expanded-day programming for all students, keeping its doors open 90 minutes longer than traditional Chicago Public Schools and leveraging technology to provide students with more personalized learning during that time. Additionally, all Chávez students participate in daily digital learning. Barton Dassinger, who is a graduate of The Fund-seeded UIC Urban Education Leadership program, leads the Chávez team. Their team used the Summer Design Program to create more time for individualized learning, using after-school programming and technology to execute a blended-learning supplement to the regular school day. Chávez will use both NWEA MAP assessment growth and the REACH teacher evaluation framework to measure the project’s success. The Chávez team also hopes to leverage their work to scale blended learning in Chicago Public Schools with a Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) grant.

Team: Barton Dassinger, Principal; Christopher Brekke, Mathematics and History Teacher; Nathanael Ortega, 3rd Grade Teacher; Patrick Quinn, Technology Teacher

Chicago Academy High School (CAHS) Small college prep high school in Portage Park • District public school, AUSL Network member 534 students • 83% low income • 54% Hispanic students; 21% White students As part of the Fund-seeded Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) Network, CAHS prepares students for success in college and career, while serving as a resident teacher training academy for aspiring public high school teachers. CAHS used the Summer Design Program to solve challenges related to intrinsic motivation and learning by giving students, parents and staff easy access to key student statistics, such as GPA, ACT and college application information. CAHS will provide this through a technology platform and mentorship program that encourages goal-setting, progress-monitoring and celebration of key milestones. CAHS will evaluate the project’s impact through student surveys measuring awareness of their educational progress, as well as through long-term educational outcomes, including graduation rate and college matriculation.

Team: Sherita King, Assistant Principal; Michael Nick, Instructional Coach CICS – West Belden Charter elementary school in Belmont Cragin • Charter public school, operated by Distinctive Schools 480 students • 91% low income • 91% Hispanic students CICS-West Belden is part of the Chicago International Charter School network and is one of the top-rated charter schools in Chicago. CICS-West Belden delivers a rigorous academic curriculum that promotes critical-thinking skills and offers a range of programs, including an extensive after-school program that provides enrichment in the arts and athletics. The CICS-West Belden team used the Summer Design Program to rethink professional development within its school to include virtual instruction and collaboration for teachers. Professional development will address teacher ability to use technology to more effectively differentiate instruction for students. CICS-West Belden will evaluate the project’s impact through NWEA MAP assessment performance, as well as pre- and post-observation consultations with teachers involved in the pilot.

Team: Scott Frauenheim, Principal; Keith Palz, Director of STEM; Amanda Rychel, Director of Instructional Design and Strategy; April Shaw, Director of School Support Operations Frank L. Gillespie Elementary School Neighborhood elementary school in Chatham • District public school 550 students • 91% low income • 98% African American students

Gillespie is a Technology Magnet Cluster school that integrates technology throughout the curriculum. The school is one of 300 SMART Showcase Schools worldwide and the only Chicago Public School with this distinction. The school boasts SMART Boards in every classroom, two new state-of-the-art computer labs, three classroom laptop carts and 150 iPads. Gillespie’s team used the Summer Design Program to address student-engagement challenges and increase sixth grade content mastery by challenging students to film instructional videos about select mathematics concepts and sharing these videos with their peers and teachers. The team will measure the program’s impact through NWEA MAP assessment performance and teacher, student and parent survey data.

Team: Michelle Renee Willis, Principal; Veronica Austin, Technology Integration Specialist; Rhonda Butler, Data Specialist; Katrinka Kerr, Curriculum Coordinator; Rhonda Parks, 6th Grade Language Arts Teacher; Jennifer Peponis, 6th Grade Mathematics/Science Teacher

Global Citizens Experience (GCE) / CICS Partnership between a private high school on the Near North Side and a Charter Management Organization 40 students • 35% low income • 42% White students; 32% African American students

GCE designs purpose-driven guiding questions and investigative processes for problem-based courses with a global essence and local context; then they integrate open-source resources – subject matter experts and adaptive technologies. The curriculum is structured and delivered through blended-learning, and purpose and rigor are verified through a quadruple-anchor alignment process (CCSS, IB, MDGs and AAPGA). Learning pathways result, offering students the opportunity to fall in love with learning, develop their unique strengths and interests, ratchet up their endurance and tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. GCE’s team used the Summer Design Program to ambitiously refine its curriculum and assessments in a meaningful way for students, and the team aligned its curriculum to multiple sets of standards, ensuring it is scalable and sustainable. GCE will measure this innovation’s impact through the quality of student deliverables, as well as more common metrics, such as college acceptance, college merit-based financial aid and ACT scores.

Team: Eric Davis, Principal; Anny Chou, GCE STEM Instructor; Maris Goodman, Design Strategist; Carlos Leite, Curriculum Chair John C. Coonley Elementary School Regional gifted center in North Center • District public school 777 students • 27% low income • 56% White students; 27% Hispanic students

Coonley strives to serve as the premier neighborhood school in the North Center community by encouraging its students to become scholars who reflect on their academic achievements, are motivated toward postsecondary opportunities, seek new challenges and provide service to their community. Coonley’s team used the Summer Design Program to address its students’ tremendous opportunity to grow in their ability to interact with and understand informational text. Coonley will restructure science classes at each grade level to provide multimedia journaling opportunities to students, giving them better access to nonfiction informational text and building writing skills in the content area of science. Coonley will use student and teacher surveys, Accelerated Reader and NWEA MAP assessment performance to assess this innovation’s impact.

Team: Gregory Zurawski, Principal; Mary Gallery, 3rd Grade Teacher; Patrick Kraft, 4th Grade Teacher; Jennifer Lewin, Upper Grade Science Teacher; Jennifer Schultz, 6th Grade Teacher John Charles Haines Elementary School Neighborhood elementary school in Chinatown • District public school 630 students • 87% low income • 86% Asian students

Haines offers a student-centered learning environment that emphasizes reading, mathematics, science, technology, shared leadership and ongoing professional development. Haines students successfully participated in numerous academic competitions, earning Rush Medical Center’s Cornelius Forster Award, and three Haines teachers achieved Fund-supported National Board Certification. The Haines team used the Summer Design Program to address the diverse skills and abilities within its student population. Haines designed a program to differentiate instruction for its students by employing technology that offers every student personalized curricula.

Haines will pilot a problem-based learning unit that utilizes student-created learning plans and online digital content in two seventh grade classrooms. Haines will measure this innovation’s impact through pre- and post-unit assessments, student surveys and time-on-task observations. If compelled by the results, Haines will launch the program across all middle school grades.

Team: Ginger Lumpkin, Principal; Christine Mason, Middle School Science/Mathematics Teacher; Vivian Suen, Middle School Mathematics/Science Teacher; Ricky Tang, Technology Lead Teacher Lyman A. Budlong Elementary School Neighborhood elementary school in Lincoln Square • District public school 850 students • 71% low income • 45% Hispanic students; 27% White students

Budlong is a neighborhood elementary school whose principal, Naomi Nakayama, serves on The Fund’s Educator Advisory Committee. Budlong worked to increase student access to technology as part of the Mathematics/Science/Technology Magnet Cluster Program, and Budlong was selected to represent Chicago Public Schools at Technology Day in Springfield in 2011. Budlong used the Summer Design Program to develop an inquiry-based learning program that will allow fifth and sixth grade students to authentically explore self-selected subject matter. Budlong will use this program to improve literacy scores, as measured by NWEA MAP assessment performance. If students experience significant growth due to this program, the team will expand the pilot to include two additional grade levels.

Team: Naomi Nakayama, Principal; Luisana Argueta, Intermediate Specialist; Samantha Germino, Design; Raquel Hallm, Early Childhood Coordinator; Artemis Kolovos, Diverse Learning Coordinator; Amanda Schwinn, Technology Coordinator Namaste Charter Elementary School Charter elementary school in McKinley Park • Charter public school 490 students • 84% low income • 81% Hispanic students

Namaste centers its educational philosophy on the belief that children who are healthy and active perform better in the classroom. Namaste innovates through differentiated instruction, physical education, healthy food programs and dual-language immersion. Namaste recognizes that school connectedness is a key indicator of student success, and the team used the Summer Design Program to create the Partners Achieving Lasting Support (PALS) program, wherein every student and staff member participates in one-on-one mentoring sessions. Namaste believes this will increase connectedness between the school’s students and adults and ultimately lead to better student outcomes. One group of 15 to 20 seventh grade students will participate in this program, and Namaste will compare survey results, GPA, attendance and discipline data between these students and a control group consisting of the remaining seventh graders. Mentors in the pilot phase will be non-classroom-based personnel. If compelled by the data, Namaste will launch the program schoolwide.

Team: Allison Slade, Principal; Vanessa Acuna, Student Success Advocate; Veronica Acuna, Director of Special Education; John Paul Arellano, Elementary Instructional Leader; Kecia Clark, Middle School Instructional Leader; Kristin Soroko, 1st Grade Teacher

National Teachers Academy (NTA) Neighborhood elementary school in the South Loop • District public school, AUSL Network member 590 students • 91% low income • 96% African American students

As part of the Fund-seeded Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) Network, NTA is a uniquely designed neighborhood school that unites teachers, students and parents with educators, universities and the community. NTA functions as a training academy for high-quality teachers, and its own teachers are committed to constant improvement as well—many teachers are leading the field in technology innovation and sharing their best practices with a global audience. NTA’s team used the Summer Design Program to design a technology-centered professional development program for its teachers that will aid in closing the achievement gap within the school. To accomplish this, NTA will leverage the talent of technology master teachers to develop a blended-learning, transformative professional development process. The teachers will go through a process consisting of the collaborative planning, execution, coaching, data collection, redesign, execution, coaching, data collection and final reflection. Teachers will then memorialize and share their work through the school’s online platform, thereby growing shared collective knowledge of technology innovation best practices. NTA will measure the proposed innovation’s impact through pre- and post-innovation teacher surveys, teacher observation and evaluation scores and NWEA MAP assessment growth.

Team: Isaac Castelaz, Principal; Sherly Chavarria, Teacher; Anita Huffman, Director of Student Learning; Autumn Laidler, Teacher; Jamila Leonard, Teacher Ole A. Thorp Elementary Scholastic Academy Magnet elementary school in Portage Park • District public school 845 students • 50% low income • 41% Hispanic students; 30% White students

Thorp Scholastic Academy is a magnet school drawing students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Thorp offers an advanced mathematics and science program, as well as a comprehensive gifted program. Its partners include higher education institutions such as the University of Chicago, DePaul University, Purdue University and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Thorp’s team used the Summer Design Program to design the Leveraged Learning Library (L3). L3 will offer an accessible tutorial library of mathematics concepts, created by students for students. L3 overcomes limited technological resources and teacher time with the talent of students through collaborative problem-solving projects. Gifted and talented mathematics students in Thorp's Accelerated Mathematics Program will initially pilot L3. The pilot group will develop videos and extensive quality-control protocols, refining L3 into a viable and scalable learning tool for Thorp and other schools. Thorp will assess this innovation’s impact by analyzing historical NWEA MAP assessment growth data, frequently monitoring performance on pre- and post-assessments and regularly surveying student and teacher pilot groups.

Team: Efren Toledo, Principal; Katie Dare, Technology Coordinator; Linda Hunt, Mathematics Curriculum Coordinator; Susan Knudsen, 7th Grade Mathematics Teacher; Ami Thaker, 4th Grade Mathematics Teacher

Perspectives Charter Middle Academy Charter middle school in Auburn Gresham • Charter public school 330 students • 86% low income • 99% African American students

Located in the former Calumet High School building, Perspectives Middle Academy is one of three schools opened by Perspectives Charter Schools in 2007. Perspectives’ team used the Summer Design Program to create a new class which will be a technology learning lab. During the learning lab, students will work with their teachers to create individualized learning plans (ILPs). All students will develop ILPs and receive additional time to engage in remediation, reinforcement and enrichment in a daily learning lab, where their learning will focus on their areas of growth, as determined by their NWEA MAP assessment and A-Net performance data. Perspectives will evaluate the project’s impact by comparing NWEA MAP assessment performance pre- and post-innovation.

Team: Sauda Porter, Principal; Jamie Danzi, Teacher; Jaclyn Durr, Dean of Culture; Leanna Lantz, Instructional Leader; Rukvinder Nwosu, Special Education Instructional Leader; Chrissy Patitucci, Instructional Leader; Brittany Jackson, Teacher South Shore Fine Arts Academy Elementary school in South Shore • District public school; Welcoming School 500 students • 82% low income • 97% African American students

South Shore Fine Arts Academy continues to build on its model of high-quality instruction, fine arts embedded in the curriculum and extended-day programming. Its team used the Summer Design Program to test a hypothesis: its students are not meeting grade-level standards because too much instructional time is lost administering district- and school-mandated assessments. The team will shift this trend by using education software to integrate individualized instruction and assessment in one classroom at each grade level (Pre-K, Kindergarten and third grade). South Shore will evaluate the project’s impact by comparing standardized assessment performance between pilot and non-pilot classrooms.

Team: Melissa Mister, Principal; Susan Carle, 2nd Grade Teacher; Heather Duncan, Pre-K Teacher; Candice McCarty, Special Education Teacher; Tarsia Rhyne, Kindergarten Teacher Spencer Elementary Technology Academy Neighborhood technology academy in South Austin • District public school 930 students • 98% low income • 99% African American students

The Spencer team successfully leveraged a variety of innovations to move the school from a Level 3 (failing) school to a Level 2 (high-growth) school, recently ending an 11-year period of probationary status. In the 2012-2013 school year, Spencer participated in The Fund-supported New Classrooms pilot, implementing a nationally-recognized, technology-enabled customized mathematics program for middle school students, with promising academic results. Spencer’s team used the Summer Design Program to develop a blended-learning literacy curriculum for first and second grade students. To deliver this curriculum, Spencer’s team will create technology-enabled, small-group learning centers that deliver individualized academic support to students. Another aspect of the innovation will be a flexible student-learning block. This will allow students to receive individualized, teacher-led instruction, as well as serve as an incubation center for teachers to pilot best practices. Spencer will evaluate the project’s impact by comparing NWEA MAP assessment performance to historic averages, and it will expand the program to additional grades if results are promising.

Team: Shawn Jackson, Principal; Dwilette Brooks, 1st/2nd Grade Teacher; Tracey Howse, Lead Technology Teacher; Hollie Ware-Jaye, Assistant Principal; Claretha Washington, 1st Grade Teacher

Wildwood Elementary School World magnet elementary school in Edgebrook • District public school 420 students • 25% low income • 55% White students; 24% Hispanic students

Wildwood is a world magnet school authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years and Middle Years Programmes. In 2011 Wildwood developed MIRTL (Media, Inquiry, Research, Technology Library) to provide a framework for 21st Century interdisciplinary curriculum and instruction. The Wildwood team used the Summer Design Program to develop the “Digital Backpack” concept, where students use and manage media tools to make their thinking and learning visible and digital. The Wildwood prototype will target eighth graders’ application of the IB Middle Years Programme Design Cycle, a student-directed personal-learning project that applies every phase of the design process. The team further developed rubrics, prompts, protocols and provocations to better explore, understand and measure digital footprints left by students in their design and project work. The team will utilize Common Core speaking and listening standards to guide the assessment of these digital interactions and reflect with students about their thinking, decision-making, learning and impact. Wildwood believes its upper-grade students inhabit a digital universe with a unique lexicon, where speaking and listening occur differently than in-person. A better understanding of digital “conversations” will help the Wildwood team maximize student potential and enable more connected, meaningful learning.

Team: Mary Beth Cunat, Principal; Monica Balen, IB Coordinator; Georgia Melidis, Curriculum Chair; Catherine Tanner, Instructional Lead Teacher

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1. Lyman A. Budlong Elementary School 2. Cesar E. Chávez Multicultural Academic Center 3. Chicago Academy High School 4. Global Citizenship Experience / CICS 5. John C. Coonley Elementary School 6. CICS - West Belden 7. Frank L. Gillespie Elementary School 8. John Charles Haines Elementary School 9. Namaste Charter Elementary School 10. National Teachers Academy 11. Ole A. Thorp Elementary Scholastic Academy 12. Carl Schurz High School 13. South Shore Fine Arts Academy 14. Spencer Elementary Technology Academy 15. Wildwood Elementary School 16. Perspectives Charter Middle Academy