Chicago Teaching Fellows :: Making a difference in our city's classrooms.

Teaching in Chicago

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is the third largest public school system in the United States, serving over 400,000 children in more than 620 schools. Schools are grouped into area clusters and are overseen by Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan and the Office of Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Advances

This is a unique and exciting time to join Chicago Pubic Schools’ mission to ensure educational excellence for “Every Child, Every School”. CPS is making advances in urban education through initiatives like Renaissance 2010, which are designed to take teaching and learning to the next level. Last year, Chicago Public Schools marked the largest one-year jump in scores on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test since 1995. The district’s system wide composite for reading, math, and science on the ISAT rose to a new high of 62.5 percent of all students meeting or exceeding state standards- 15.2 percentage points higher than the previous all-time high of 47.3 percent. We are looking to continue this trend through our exciting programs and initiatives.

Challenges

While it is true that great strides have been made in providing students with a quality education here in Chicago, dedicated teachers are still needed to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed well into the future. Therefore, Fellows will teach in high-need schools throughout the city, where the need for highly qualified teachers is most critical. Teachers in these schools must be especially committed to overcoming the challenges they face in helping their students achieve. This program recognizes that reaching this goal is a serious undertaking, and we are seeking outstanding individuals who are as determined as we are to rise to meet this challenge – and be successful in our endeavor.

A Typical School Day

Although the hours can vary slightly, most school days are between six and seven hours long. A typical day may run from 8:30-2:45 for an elementary school or from 7:45-2:45 for a high school. Fellows should expect to spend time after school attending meetings, communicating with parents/guardians, grading papers, and planning lessons. The first year can be extremely challenging for most new teachers. Fellows should expect an intense effort – especially at the beginning of the year.