AUSL blog
Featured blog posts
Chicago’s Need for Special Education Teachers
If you’re considering a career as a teacher, you might find the most rewarding opportunities in special education. Over the past decade, Chicago and the nation have experienced a severe shortage of special education teachers. Special education teachers work with students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. In 2019–20, […]
A Return to School Perspective from the Academy for Urban School Leadership
As Chicago Public Schools students head back to the classroom this month for their first full-time, in-person learning experience in 17 months, many will be grappling with significant learning and social emotional loss. After schools transitioned to remote learning in March 2020 and only partially reopened in spring 2021, an alarming number of students were […]
Twenty years of Transforming Lives in and out of the Classroom
AUSL is an equity-focused non-profit that works tirelessly with the belief that all students should have access to an excellent education. Since 2001, AUSL’s conviction for equity in education has impacted thousands of students and families who reside in under-resourced communities. This weekend the Chicago Teacher Residency celebrated the graduation of Diverse Learner, Elementary, and Middle School teachers. Hear from CTR graduate Amaziah […]
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Driving Outcomes by Supporting the Whole Child
Karen Pittman's piece in the Washington Post spoke of what she saw and heard in classrooms and from leaders that reinforced that educating the “whole child” isn’t just jargon or a fad, but a shift in the mindset of leaders and teachers.
AUSL Innovation Zone featured on Chicago Tonight
AUSL was featured on WTTW’s Chicago Tonight program in a piece by reporter Brandis Friedman. Friedman’s story features the growth of Piccolo School of Excellence over the course of the last six years.
Champions In the Classroom and On the Field
Our students are not just champions on the field. Whether its football, soccer, drama, or drumline, our students know that it’s about grades first and extracurricular activities second on the way to becoming a well-rounded student and school citizen.
Introducing Our Innovation Framework
With our first innovateAUSL digital story, AUSL begins an ongoing conversation to share who we are, how we have evolved, and how we do what we do so we can continue scaling our impact - in Chicago and beyond.
Could This Teacher and Leadership Program Be Part of the ‘Secret Sauce’ for Chicago Schools?
Education Post covers how AUSL’s approach to whole-school management and teacher preparation is fundamental to the Chicago Public Schools latest successes.
School District Innovation Zones: A New Wave of District-led Efforts to Improve Economic Mobility
Bridgespan, the world’s leading social sector consultancy, released a study on districts targeting large-scale impact through in-district, autonomous innovation (an “iZone”).
The AUSL Way: Moving from Good to Truly Excellent
Bridgespan conducts a deep dive into the history and evolution of AUSL as it became the nation’s largest and most experienced in-district innovation zone. Learn more about their perspective on how AUSL has impacted the most underserved communities in Chicago through our innovative model.
Standing Stronger Together
Earlier this week, the President of the United States decided to put an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, which allowed those who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children to openly and confidently participate in society. With this decision, he put an expiration date on the livelihood and stability of 800,000+ undocumented immigrants across our great country – signaling to them that they are not wanted here. Our schools are built on the value of equity of opportunity for all – regardless of your zip code, skin color, or immigration status. That value...