Our ongoing support of this leadership preparation program’s continuous improvement has led to the design/enactment of a university-based principal preparation program identified as “exemplary” by the University Council for Educational Administration. CUEL was nationally recognized for the quality of this continuous improvement work in 2018 when it received a Spotlight Award from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The program has been recognized for its program quality by an assortment of other national organizations such as the Council of Chief State School Officers and the George W. Bush Institute. In 2014-2017 UIC-led schools increased their CPS school quality rankings at all SQRP (district’s school performance rubric) levels more often than CPS schools over that 3-year period.
Leaders of Chicago Public Schools point to their ongoing investment in principal quality, including their preparation partnerships with institutions such as UIC, as a contributor to their district’s student growth trajectories that outpace 95% of the school districts across the US.