NEW PRINCIPAL PROGRAM Teach for America-Chicago and the Harvard Graduate School of Education have joined forces to recruit, train and place top Teach for America alumni as principals in some of CPS’ lowest-performing schools. The prospective principals will be recruited into a special master’s program at Harvard and then enter a one-year residency under the tutelage of a CPS principal. The program is expected to train 10 new principals a year. The Chicago Public Education Fund contributed $310,000 toward the program; the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation donated $115,000. CPS will pay the salary for fellows during their residency years. Jillian Kott, director of alumni support for Teach for America-Chicago, will coordinate the effort.
AT CLARK STREET Adeline Ray, formerly senior program coordinator for the district’s Community Schools Initiative, is now senior manager for the initiative, taking over from Tawa Jogunosimi, who has been named assistant to the mayor for education. … David Gilligan has been named chief officer for the Office of High Schools and High School Programs; Abigayil Joseph, has been named academic enhancement officer. Both previously served as interims in the posts.
NEW AREA OFFICERS The following administrators have been named to head area instructional offices: Jerryelyn Jones (ousted as principal at Curie High in a case that prompted Mayor Daley and top CPS officials to call for more central office control over principal hiring and firing by local school councils), Area 24; Norma Rodriguez, previously a high school curriculum and instructional officer, Area 22; Paul Zeitler, former principal at Sheridan Elementary, Area 19; Carolyn Epps, former principal at Canter Middle School, Area 13.
PRINCIPAL CONTRACTS The following interim principals have been awarded new principal contracts: Nadine Dillanado, Mayo; Richard Glass Jr., Gale; Shontae Higginbottom, Avalon Park; Kurt Jones, Libby; Derek Jordan, Powell; Odette Langer, Barry; Kenneth McNeal, Bogan; Richard Smith, Crane Tech; Renee Thomas, Woodson South; Rosa Valdez, Haugan; Henry West Jr., Clark; Krystal Reden Thomas, School of Technology at South Shore; and Ferdinand Wipachit, Phoenix Military Academy. The following principals have had their contracts renewed: Velma Cooksey, Wadsworth, and Angelica Herrera-Vest, Ortiz de Dominguez. Phillip Perry has been named interim principal at Curie.
TEACHING ENGLISH LEARNERS McGraw-Hill Education and Gather.com are sponsoring a video/essay contest to find the best instructional strategies for English-language learners. Teachers may submit a two-and-a-half-minute video or a 250- to 500-word essay at http://teach.gather.com demonstrating an effective teaching method. Deadline for submissions is Oct. 18. Teachers can vote for the finalists on that Web site. Two grand prize winners each will receive $1,500 to purchase classroom supplies. Two runners-up each will receive $500. Winners will be announced Nov. 14.
PARENTS’ RETREAT The 15th Annual Youth Guidance Parent Leadership Retreat is scheduled for Nov. 9-10 at Oak Brook Hills Marriott Resort. The conference is designed to help parent leaders increase parent participation in schools as a way to improve student learning. Registration is $325. For additional information, call (312) 253-4900 or visit www.youth-guidance.org.
BILINGUAL ED COUNCIL Miguel Llanas, a parent from Columbia Explorers, is the new president of the Chicago Multilingual Parents Council, which advises the district on the development, implementation and evaluation of its bilingual education programs. Other parent members and their schools are: Rosa Diaz, Greeley; Paula Sandoval, Falconer; Estela Portillo, Lowell; Marlen Paradelo, Yates; SanJuana Andrade, Cooper; Patricia Martinez, Carson; Maria Alicia Aguirre, Peck; Sandy Barbosa, Gallistel; Ramiro Aranda, Reilly; Roman Centeno, Zapata; Maria Perez, Holden. Community members are: Amina Taylor, Areas 1, 2 and 19; Maria del Carmen Casimiro, Areas 3, 4 and 6; Sau Yung Li, Areas 7, 8, 9 and 21; Maria Rosa Almazan and Jaqueline Alderete, Areas 10, 12, 13 and 22; Juvenal Duarte, Areas 11, 14, 15 and 23. CPS staff members on the council are: Jose Torres, area instructional officer, Area 14; Anna Pisula, bilingual teacher, Oriole Park; and Daniel Guzman, bilingual teacher, Zapata.
CHARTER CHANGES The Academy of Communications and Technology has moved from 4319 W. Washington St. to 2908 W. Washington St., where it is sharing space with Cather Elementary. … ASPIRA-Mirta Ramirez Computer Science High School Campus has moved from 2435 N. Western Ave. to 1711 N. California Ave. … Chicago International Charter-Ralph Ellison Campus has moved from 8001 S. Honore St. to 1547 W. 95th St. … The Choir Academy Charter School of Chicago has moved from 3737 S. Paulina St. to 3630 S. Wells St.