1. THE CHICAGO PUBLIC EDUCATION FUND
TRANSFORMING SCHOOLS,
ONE LEADER AT A TIME

3. Dear Friends,
As public education evolves to meet new college- and career-
readiness demands and the individual learning needs of
students, one constant remains: the strength and dedication
of our principals and teachers are essential to providing a
world-class education for all.
We all have a memorable educator who shaped our lives; a
teacher who unlocked our passions, a coach who encouraged
our big dreams, or a principal who invested in our future
and challenged us to reach our potential. Great educators
transform learning every day and change lives forever.
Since our inception in 2000, The Fund has invested in
thousands of transformational educators across Chicago,
collectively impacting more than 100,000 students. While
the impact of a great educator clearly goes beyond test
scores, it is worth noting that students served by a Fund-
supported educator featured in this book are more likely to
meet or exceed state standards, as compared to students in
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) overall.
To build on this past progress and capitalize on present
potential, we launched our fourth fund in late 2013. Fund 4 is
designed to more than double the number of highly-effective
principals in Chicago and grow our overall educator network
by more than 1,000 teachers and principals. To accomplish
these goals, we will invest $20M over the next four years
in organizations, programs and initiatives dedicated to
principal and school quality. We will partner with CPS, the
city, the nonprofit and charter communities, as well as other
funders to increase the number of great principals who are
placed in Chicago and the number who choose to stay.
We have a firm foundation to start. Through the Chicago
Leadership Collaborative (CLC), we have four of the strongest
principal training programs in the country – three of which
were seeded by The Fund. We have a mayor and a CPS CEO
who are committed to principal leadership as a key difference-
maker in school quality across Chicago.
What’s more, The Fund’s Innovative Educator Network and
Summer Design Program (SDP) target the best principal-
led teams to enable them to use time, technology and talent
to accelerate student learning. Through Breakthrough
Schools: Chicago – a local-national partnership between
LEAP Innovations, The Fund and Next Generation Learning
Challenges (NGLC) – we will establish examples that
innovation can transform and personalize learning
for students.
The Fund remains a champion for a simple idea – change in
education happens in schools, and our best schools are led
by great principals and their teacher teams. The result of
investing in great educators: an accelerated path to a diverse
set of transformational schools.
This book is more than a compilation of individual educator
profiles. It is the story of that simple idea as it is lived in
classrooms and schools citywide. Our teachers and principals
tell the story far better than I do. I invite you to celebrate their
triumphs and honor their legacies, as together we reflect on the
story of our past and create a vision for the high-quality public
schools of our future.
My best,
Heather Y. Anichini
President & CEO

4. Ginger Lumpkin is a Summer
Design Program participant
and Breakthrough Schools:
Chicago winner.
CONNECTION TO THE FUND
GINGER LUMPKIN
PRINCIPAL | JOHN C. HAINES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
Total Students
Low Income
Asian
African American
669
93.4%
84.5%
11.8%
LOCATION Haines
Ginger Lumpkin has been an urban educator
for more than 20 years. As a Chicago Public
Schools (CPS) graduate, teacher and
administrator, and the parent of a CPS student,
Ginger possesses a nuanced understanding
of the conditions needed to ensure school
success. After teaching humanities in CPS, she
joined Walter Payton College Preparatory
Academy in 2006 as an assistant principal. By
2012, Ginger was named principal of John C.
Haines Elementary.
After Ginger’s first year at Haines, she learned
of The Fund’s Summer Design Program (SDP).
She saw alignment with her own practices
of consistently using distributive leadership
and innovative methods to address issues
in schools. Sensing a great opportunity for
Haines, she assembled a team.
Under Ginger’s thoughtful leadership, the
Haines team used the SDP to design a program
to differentiate instruction for its students by
employing technology. As a result, teachers
delivered targeted instruction in small groups,
while other students were able to learn new
topics independently and engage in online
materials. After successfully implementing
this pilot in 2013, Ginger and her team saw
an opportunity to deliver a truly personalized
education for every student at Haines.
With support from The Fund, Haines
expanded the pilot created during the SDP
and submitted a winning application to
Breakthrough Schools: Chicago.
“I applied to Breakthrough Schools so
that, through shared leadership, we might
employ innovative ways to address student
achievement while making learning more
personal and individualized for our
students,” Ginger said. “We will make this
possible through the use of instructional
practices such as the rotational model, small
group work, whole-class instruction and
interdisciplinary, project-based learning.
Above all, I want students to find joy in
learning for the sake of learning.”
For Ginger, a focus on excellence, humanity
and advocacy for students has been, and
remains, at the foundation of her life’s work.
3

5. Salvador Perez is a National Board
Certified teacher and Fund Educator
Advisory Committee member.
SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
CONNECTION TO THE FUND
Total Students
Low Income
Hispanic
African American
792
90.9%
44.3%
9.7%
BooneLOCATION
TEACHER
SALVADORPEREZ
| DANIEL BOONE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
undertake the certification effort together and
work to improve whole schools.
“When you enter into the process of NBC,”
Salvador said, “then you understand that you
dare to become a better teacher. You learn
about best practices. You see your peers, your
mentors, modeling them for you, and they
provide the tools, the resources; all the things
you need to grow, to be better.”
When Salvador earned his NBC in Early
Childhood Education, with a concentration in
English as a New Language (ENL) and Bilingual
Education, he joined more than 2,000 CPS
teachers who achieved NBC and witnessed its
power to accelerate student outcomes. “You’re
able to transform the educational process to
create a greater impact on students’ academic
development,” Salvador said.
For the past 17 years, Salvador has refined his
instruction, championed his students, and
touched hundreds of lives at Boone. Today,
Salvador’s pursuit of educational excellence
continues; he is working toward his Doctorate
in Early Childhood Education. “This time and
space,” he said, “is my opportunity to nourish
the future of our society.”
Born in Mexico City, Salvador Perez
immigrated to the United States in his mid-
twenties in search of the “American Dream.”
He worked in several fields – picking tomatoes
in farming fields, building at construction sites
and laboring in factories. For nearly thirty
years, he has embarked on a journey to fulfill a
fierce thirst for knowledge that drives his life.
For Salvador, education was the means to
achieve his dreams. He earned multiple
degrees to support his ambitions, including
a Master’s Degree with a concentration on
Bilingual Special Education. Encouraged by
these accomplishments, Salvador sought an
opportunity to help him lead and advocate
for his students: National Board Certification
(NBC), the teaching profession’s only
national credential.
In Funds 1 and 2, The Fund seeded the
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) NBC program
to support a large, diverse population of CPS
teachers interested in pursuing NBC. This
comprehensive program recruited, supported
and prepared teachers as applicants and
mentors. The Fund collaborated with the
program to develop its unique component: a
focus on developing cohorts of teachers who
4

6. D’ANDRE WEAVER
PRINCIPAL | GWENDOLYN BROOKS COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMY
D’Andre Weaver is a Summer
Design Program participant and
Principal Fellow.
AsaproductofChicagoPublicSchools(CPS),
D’AndreWeaverunderstandsthechallengeshis
studentsfaceandthecriticalroleeducationplaysin
transformingyounglives.Hisownmothersacrificed
herhighereducationaspirations,insteadworkingto
supportherfamily.Facedwithasimilardecisionafter
graduatingfromMorganParkHighSchool,D’Andre
chosetoattendtheUniversityofIllinoisatUrbana-
Champaign,whereheearnedhisundergraduate
degreesinSecondaryEducationandEnglish.
“Mymotheralwaysencouragedmetogofurther
anddotherightthingsintermsofmyeducation,”
D’Andresaid.“Ineverystepofmylife,therewasa
teacherwhosupportedmeandlookedoutforme.
Andthatmeanstheworldtome.”
D’Andre’sultimategoalwastoreturntoChicago,
butheremainedinChampaignfornineyears.
Duringthattime,hetaughthighschoolEnglish,
developedtheAVIDprogram(AdvancementVia
IndividualDetermination),andledvariousdistrict-
levelinitiativesandprofessionaldevelopment
courses.D’Andrealsoearnedhisgraduatedegreein
EducationalLeadershipandservedasanassistant
principalforoneyear.
In2011,D’AndrereturnedtoChicago.Afteroneyear
astheAssistantPrincipalatWalterPaytonCollege
PreparatoryAcademy,hewasnamedPrincipalof
GwendolynBrooksCollegePreparatoryAcademy,
aLevel1selectiveenrollmenthighschool.Atthe
time,Brooksdidnothaveaccesstotechnologyand
Science,Technology,EngineeringandMath(STEM)
resources,resultinginthestudentslackingany
connectionandmotivationtoSTEMsubjects.
TheFund’s2014SummerDesignProgram(SDP)
changedthat.“Wewerereallylookingtosolvea
problemthat’severywhere-notevenjustinpublic
education-butintheSTEM-relatedfields,where
thereisanunderrepresentationofwomenand
minoritiesinthosecareers,”hesaid.
ThroughtheSDP,D’Andre’steamdevelopedabold
solution–thedissolutionofindividualmathand
sciencedepartmentsandthecreationofaunified
STEMdepartment,whereallteachersaredually
certifiedinmathandscience.Aspartofthisnew
STEMdepartment,D’Andre’steamcreatedan
integratedcurriculumthatemphasizestheuseof
mathandsciencetobuild,createandsolveproblems.
“I’mexcitedbecausethedepartmentwecreatedand
theteacherswewereabletohirecantrulybeleaders
inSTEMandotherplaces,”D’Andresaid.“Wewere
abletorecruitaverytalentedteam.”
CONNECTION TO THE FUND
SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
Total Students
Low Income
African American
Hispanic
790
74.1%
83.4%
14.2%
LOCATION Brooks
5

7. SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
Total Students
Low Income
White
Hispanic
428
21.0%
57.5%
19.9%
PRINCIPAL | WILDWOOD WORLD MAGNET SCHOOL
MARY BETH CUNAT
Mary Beth Cunat is a Summer
Design Program participant,
Breakthrough Schools: Chicago
winner and Principal Fellow, as well
as an alumna of the University of
Illinois at Chicago Urban Education
Leadership Program.
MaryBethCunat’spathtoschoolleadershipwas
farfromtraditional.“InmywildestdreamsInever
thoughtIwouldbeateacher,”shesaid.“ButItook
myfirsteducationcourseandIwashooked.”
AftergraduatingwithaBachelorofEducationdegree,
MaryBethspentherfirstyearteachinginthe
DominicanRepublic.ShethentaughtintheCatholic
schoolsystemandlaterChicagoPublicSchools(CPS).
WhileteachinginCPS,MaryBethearnedherfirst
master’sdegreefromAuroraUniversity.There,
shelearnedaboutadesignmodelthatemphasized
technology-infusionplanning.Onceagain,Mary
Bethwashooked.ShejoinedtheCPSCentralOffice,
whereshesupportedtechnologyintegrationinarea
schoolsandleddistrictwideprincipalprofessional
developmentprograms.
Afterearninghersecondmaster’sdegree,Mary
BethacceptedapositionasAssistantPrincipalat
AugustusH.BurleyElementarySchool,whereshe
servedformorethanthreeyears.Afterstartingher
doctoratecourseworkthroughtheFund-seeded
UniversityofIllinoisatChicago(UIC)Urban
EducationLeadershipProgram(UELP),Mary
Bethwasreadyfortheprincipalship.In2010,she
wasnamedPrincipalofWildwoodWorldMagnet
School,aLevel1school.
Wildwoodhadacultureofhighachievement,but
MaryBethrecognizedtheneedtomovebeyond
student-centeredtostudent-led.Sheknewthat
forstudentstooperateinaglobalizedworld,
theyneededtodrivetheirownlearning.The
SummerDesignProgram(SDP)offeredaunique
opportunitytoexplorethischallenge.
AftertheSDP,MaryBethandherteaminstituted
astrong,student-designedcurricularvisionat
Wildwood.Withflexiblespaceandinnovative
technology,studentsdesignself-ledprojectsand
areresponsibleforarticulatinghowtheirworld
alignswithnationalstandardsandthedemandsof
a21stcenturyinternationalcitizenship.
MaryBeth’sunconventionalapproachand
successfulimplementationsoonledtomore
opportunities.InApril2014,Wildwoodsubmitted
awinningapplicationtoBreakthroughSchools:
Chicago,apilotprograminwhicheducators
developandlaunchnext-generationschoolsthat
providepersonalizedlearning.“Ihavesomuch
gratitudeforTheFundandthisprogram,”Mary
Bethsaid.“TheSummerDesignProgramcreated
opportunitiesandconnectionsformeandmy
schoolthatwouldneverhaveexisted.”
WildwoodLOCATION
CONNECTION TO THE FUND
6

8. Scott Frauenheim is a Summer
Design Program participant
and Breakthrough Schools:
Chicago winner.
SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
Total Students
Low Income
Hispanic
African American
496
95.6%
91.1%
7.3%
Scott Frauenheim began his education career
in 2006 as a Physical Education teacher. After
teaching in both elementary and secondary
school settings, Scott wanted to extend his
impact beyond a single classroom. He gained
leadership experience, serving as Director of
Student Services and Dean of Students with
Distinctive Schools.
By 2012, Scott was named Director of CICS
West Belden. CICS West Belden is part of
the Chicago International Charter School
network and is one of the top-rated charter
schools in Chicago. Scott’s experience
working within schools around fundraising,
development and facilities highlighted the
value of partners, and he enthusiastically
led CICS West Belden through The Fund’s
Summer Design Program (SDP) in 2013.
Scott’s team used the SDP to rethink
professional development within the school to
include virtual instruction and collaboration
for teachers. The professional development
addressed teachers’ ability to use technology
to more effectively differentiate instruction
for students. It started as a small program, but
soon produced much more.
“The SDP has had a major impact on me and
the entire CICS West Belden community,”
Scott said. “My team has adopted the design-
thinking model and we put it into action for
every idea we have in our building. Our first
question for everything we do is this: Why are
we doing this, is there a problem, and how will
it affect students, teachers and families?”
Scott leveraged his experience with the SDP
to propose the adoption of a whole-school
blended model at CICS West Belden, and
his team submitted a winning application
to Breakthrough Schools: Chicago. Notably,
students will participate in three-hour
rotational labs, where they will learn through
digital and adaptive programs, collaborate
with peers, receive one-on-one tutoring from
teachers, and participate in small-group
instruction.
Thanks to the SDP, Scott is confident as he
undertakes this work. “I personally learned so
much about transformational leadership and
how to implement a schoolwide initiative with
a full-team approach,” he said. “I learned how
to think through the design process, which has
helped me focus my leadership on our school
needs for overall success.”
SCOTT FRAUENHEIM
PRINCIPAL | CICS WEST BELDEN
West BeldenLOCATION
CONNECTION TO THE FUND
7

9. SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
Total Students
Low Income
Hispanic
African American
1,082
93.3%
96.5%
1.6%
GERARDO ARRIAGA
PRINCIPAL | ENRICO TONTI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Gerardo Arriaga has been an educator for more
than 25 years. His passion for teaching began
in his native country, Mexico, where he worked
as a teacher before immigrating to the United
States. When he came to Chicago, he worked in
an elementary school as a teaching assistant. It
was a first step in his journey.
“I was lucky to find someone who supported
me,” Gerardo said. “The principal helped me get
my certification as a teacher here. And through
a process of effort, work and study, I became a
teacher in Chicago Public Schools.”
After earning his teaching degree from National-
Louis University, Gerardo taught reading,
math and technology to fourth, fifth and eighth
graders. Gerardo earned his master’s degree and
Type 75 certification from Northern Illinois
University and secured an Assistant Principal
position. In 2009, he was named Principal of
Tonti, a Level 1 district public school.
When Gerardo joined The Fund’s Educator
Advisory Committee (EAC) in 2013, he was
committed to bringing parents, educators,
community organizations and businesses
together to benefit the children of Chicago.
Through the EAC, Gerardo learned about The
Fund’s commitment to educator-led innovation.
He brought his teachers to The Fund’s Discover
Series workshops, and they joined the 2014
Summer Design Program (SDP) cohort.
Seeking to increase the percentage of students
at the “exceeding” level on the NWEA, Gerardo’s
team used the SDP to look for ways to challenge
high-achieving students while simultaneously
meeting the needs of struggling students.
“Teachers definitely need support from the
administration,” Gerardo said. “By bringing
them here, I believe they will open up to those
types of innovative ideas and start implementing
instruction that is out of the box.”
As a result of the SDP experience, Tonti will
pilot an “enrichment center” with fourth and
fifth grade students. The enrichment center will
provide an independent work space for students
to select activities that are geared toward
the next grade level standards. Gerardo sees
potential in the new approach.
“It’s an eye opener to see the possibilities and to
understand that we don’t have to continue doing
the same things – teaching students the same
way and expecting the results to be different,”
Gerardo said. “We have to change.”
Enrico TontiLOCATION
CONNECTION TO THE FUND
Gerardo Arriaga is a Fund Educator
Advisory Committee member and
Summer Design Program participant.
8

10. HEATHER DUNCAN-WHITT
TEACHER | SOUTH SHORE FINE ARTS ACADEMY
Heather Duncan is a Summer
Design Program participant
and Fund Educator Advisory
Committee member.
SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
Total Students
Low Income
African American
Hispanic
469
87.4%
97.4%
1.1%
As a teacher, Heather Duncan works hard to
create a classroom culture that works. She
teaches preschool at South Shore Fine Arts
Academy (SSFAA), where she has worked
since it opened in 2009. “Ms. Heather”
fights tirelessly to preserve an appropriate
classroom environment for young children.
“I try to make myself as accessible as
professionally possible,” Heather said. “Most
important, I reinforce to my students that we
are in all this together, and that our team can
accomplish all of our goals if we cooperate.”
Heather models this commitment to
collaboration with her colleagues at SSFAA
and beyond. For her – and most teachers –
the best ideas are “borrowed” from other
teachers, and she seeks opportunities to put
this strategy in action. When she learned of
The Fund’s Summer Design Program (SDP),
she quickly assembled a team from SSFAA.
“When we saw the opportunity to get some
assistance - both technical AND financial
- with our plan to reduce wasted time and
paper by using adaptive software, we knew
we had to apply!” Heather said. Through the
SDP, Heather’s team used education software
to integrate individualized instruction and
assessment for students at SSFAA. This
software compiled student data, allowing
SSFAA teachers to personalize instruction
without sacrificing time or resources.
Inspired by the educator-led approach of
the SDP, Heather applied to serve on The
Fund’s Educator Advisory Committee (EAC).
Launched in 2013, The EAC is comprised
of principals and teachers from traditional,
turnaround, alternative and charter schools
across the city of Chicago. All members
share a commitment to accelerating student
learning in their classrooms and schools,
and a willingness to gather regularly to share
common challenges and solutions.
“I hope to see my best ideas in the classrooms
of many, many colleagues,” Heather said. “I
know that the EAC is a step in that direction.”
LOCATION SSFAA
CONNECTION TO THE FUND
9

11. Barton Dassinger is a Teach For
America alumnus, LAUNCH graduate,
Additional Learning Opportunities
pilot participant and Fund Educator
Advisory Committee member, as well
as a Summer Design Program
participant and Breakthrough
Schools: Chicago winner.
SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
Total Students
Low Income
Hispanic
African American
936
96.9%
94.4%
4.1%
BARTON DASSINGER
PRINCIPAL | CESAR E. CHÁVEZ MULTICULTURAL ACADEMIC CENTER
Barton Dassinger began his teaching career
in 1998 as a Teach For America (TFA) teacher
in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. In 2000, he
moved to Chicago and joined Cesar E. Chávez
Multicultural Academic Center’s faculty. A
Level 2 school at the time, Chávez was already
a solid neighborhood school serving a high-
need population. Barton saw the potential
for greatness.
Inspired by his vision for Chávez, Barton
earned his master’s degree and administrative
certification from University of Illinois at
Chicago (UIC), and graduated from LAUNCH,
a Fund-seeded principal preparation program
designed to develop aspiring principals for
Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Barton was
named the principal at Chávez in 2010.
In 2011, Chávez was one of 15 schools in the
Additional Learning Opportunities (ALO)
pilot, which extended the school day by 90
minutes. With this extra time, students used
technology to further advance math and
reading skills. Fund staff worked closely with
CPS officials to select schools, train program
coordinators at each site and provide program
management. Even in this small pilot, the
results were encouraging; students’ math and
reading gains exceeded those of comparable
schools.
Since then, Chávez has slowly and deliberately
increased the use of technology in its
classrooms, with the constant input of its
teachers and students. “We transitioned from
just being an after school use of computers to
in-school use mainly because the teachers saw
how effective it was, and teachers wanted to
learn how to begin using this to improve their
instruction,” Barton said. “More than coming
from me, it came from the teachers themselves
who saw the power of these programs and what
technology can do to advance these students.”
Today, Chávez is a Level 1 school, among the
best neighborhood schools in the city, and
every one of its teachers uses technology to
personalize learning.
Under Barton’s leadership, Chávez submitted a
winning application to Breakthrough Schools:
Chicago. With this investment, Chávez will
continue to grow and expand how it uses
technology as a tool to personalize learning,
ultimately serving as an example to other
schools looking to transform instruction and
accelerate learning for all students.
LOCATION Chávez
CONNECTION TO THE FUND
10

12. ALLISON SLADE
PRINCIPAL | NAMASTE ELEMENTARY CHARTER SCHOOL
Over the past two decades, Allison Slade has
served as a teacher, professional developer,
mentor and curriculum designer in urban
and suburban settings. She is a certified
teacher and administrator, and has worked as
a literacy specialist, providing professional
development workshops and in-classroom
coaching and mentoring for Chicago Public
Schools (CPS) teachers.
Allison began her career in inner city Houston
as a Teach For America (TFA) Kindergarten
teacher. It was a challenging and rewarding
experience, and one that set her on the path to
founding Namaste Charter
School in 2004. 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.
Allison recognizes that school connectedness
is a key indicator of student success, and she
enthusiastically led a team through The
Fund’s Summer Design Program (SDP). To
support collaboration at Namaste, Allison’s
team used the SDP to create the Partners
Achieving Lasting Support (PALS) program,
wherein every student and staff member
participates in one-on-one mentoring
sessions. As a result, teachers and staff
witnessed increased self-confidence and
self-advocacy from their students, as well
as a greater sense of school connectedness.
“The SDP was an amazing opportunity to
really work collaboratively with staff to
develop a program intended to impact the
whole school,” Allison said. “It was truly
exciting to hear the ideas of staff from
various departments (teachers, social worker,
support teachers); how they thought we could
move our idea of mentoring and connecting
with students forward. As we’ve moved
through the year, watching our project leader
really become a true leader in our school, and
champion for this project, has been refreshing
and impacted our school in a very positive way.”
Allison Slade is a Teach For
America alumna and Summer
Design Program participant.
SCHOOL DEMOGRAPHICS
Total Students
Low Income
Hispanic
African American
479
84.6%
85.6%
4.2%
LOCATION Namaste
CONNECTION TO THE FUND
11

14. The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund) is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to world-class public schools for all of
Chicago’s children. We invest in talented principals and enable
effective educator teams to reinvent classroom learning. The
Fund is a longstanding catalyst for identifying what works and for
accelerating positive learning and life outcomes for students in all
of Chicago’s charter and district public schools.
For more than a decade, our investments have introduced us to the
dedicated individuals and organizations growing great public schools
across our city. We invite you to learn more by visiting our partner
schools, deepening your understanding of our model and investing in
Fund 4. Please visit our website at www.thefundchicago.org or email
us at info@thefundchicago.org.
On behalf of The Chicago Public Education Fund, thank you for your
interest, support and commitment to Chicago’s children.
ABOUT THE FUND
LEARN MORE
13

16. THEFUNDCHICAGO.ORG