Academy For Urban School Leadership

ACADEMY FOR URBAN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP (AUSL) IS AN EDUCATION EQUITY-FOCUSED NONPROFIT THAT WORKS TIRELESSLY WITH THE BELIEF THAT ALL STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO AN EXCELLENT EDUCATION RIGHT IN THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS.

TEACHING ACADEMIES AND TEACHER DEVELOPMENT - ACADEMY FOR URBAN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP (AUSL) CREATED THE CHICAGO TEACHER RESIDENCY (CTR) PROGRAM, WHICH RECRUITS, TRAINS, AND RETAINS HIGH-QUALITY TEACHERS AND LEADERS COMMITTED TO EQUITY AND CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE EDUCATION. THE CTR WORKS TO TRANSFORM EDUCATOR PREPARATION AND DIVERSIFY THE TEACHER WORKFORCE, PARTICULARLY FOR HARD-TO-STAFF CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS (CPS) CLASSROOMS. THE PROGRAM IS A YEAR-LONG RESIDENT TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM THAT COMBINES A MASTER'S DEGREE AND SIGNIFICANT CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF A TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED MENTOR TEACHER. DURING THE PROGRAM, THE RESIDENTS RECEIVE INTENSIVE PRACTICE AND INDIVIDUALIZED COACHING WHILE SPENDING FOUR DAYS A WEEK IN CPS CLASSROOMS, OBSERVING AND PRACTICING THE SKILLS AND STRATEGIES NECESSARY TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TEACHER. THE CTR MODEL ALSO ENGAGES RESIDENTS IN GRADUATE-LEVEL COURSEWORK TO EARN A MASTER'S DEGREE WITH DEPAUL UNIVERSITY AND BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR AN ILLINOIS EDUCATOR LICENSE (IF NOT ALREADY LICENSED). AS OF JUNE 2022, AUSL HAS GRADUATED OVER 1,300 TEACHER RESIDENTS TRAINED AND COMMITTED TO WORKING IN HIGH-NEEDS AREAS OF CHICAGO.

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT - AUSL MANAGES A NETWORK OF SCHOOLS PRIMARILY LOCATED IN LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE SOUTH AND WEST SIDES OF CHICAGO. THESE SCHOOLS ARE UNDER CONTRACT WITH THE BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO. AUSL PROVIDES EXTRA SUPPORT, INCLUDING CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT, DATA-DRIVEN SCHOOL MANAGEMENT AND INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS, ON-GOING TEACHER DEVELOPMENT, SUPPORT FOR AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND CURRICULAR ENHANCEMENTS, AND ASSISTANCE WITH PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND COMMUNITY INITIATIVES. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS DURING CLASS TIME, AUSL ESTABLISHES PARTNERSHIPS WITH MANY COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND LOCAL AGENCIES THAT PROVIDE VITAL IN-SCHOOL AND OUT-OF-SCHOOL SERVICES TO THEIR STUDENTS, FROM TUTORING TO ATHLETICS AND FINE ARTS PROGRAMMING. AUSL'S LEADERSHIP COUPLED WITH EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS OFFER OUR STUDENTS AN INCREDIBLE RANGE OF LIFE EXPERIENCES TO SUPPORT STUDENTS' CONTINUED GROWTH. UPON A JOINT REVIEW OF THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSFORMATION OF THE CPS SCHOOLS UNDER AUSL'S MANAGEMENT, CPS ANNOUNCED THAT AUSL WOULD TRANSITION MANAGEMENT OF ITS SCHOOLS BACK TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CPS GEOGRAPHIC NETWORK. A TRANSITION AGREEMENT WAS ENTERED INTO BETWEEN AUSL AND CPS THAT BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2021 AND WILL CONCLUDE JUNE 30, 2024. CPS CITED THE "SUSTAINED PROCESS" OF AUSL SCHOOLS AND STATED "AUSL HAS BEEN A CRITICAL PARTNER IN HELPING SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES IN NEED OF ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, WHICH HAS LED TO YEARS OF CONSISTENT, STABLE, AND IMPROVED ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE FOR THOUSANDS OF CPS STUDENTS."

ADVISORY SERVICES - THROUGH ITS ADVISORY SERVICES AND THE LIBERATED WAY APPROACH, WE SUPPORT FORWARD-THINKING SCHOOL AND SYSTEMS-LEVEL LEADERS TO AUTHENTICALLY PARTNER WITH THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITIES IN DEFINING, CALIBRATING ON, AND IMPLEMENTING AN EQUITY-DRIVEN VISION FOR THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE THAT LEADS TO WHOLE-CHILD SUCCESS. AUSL PROVIDES SERVICES THAT INCLUDE STRATEGIC CONSULTING WITH DISTRICT LEADERS AND A VARIETY OF JOB-EMBEDDED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR THE DISTRICT AND SCHOOL-BASED TALENT THAT ARE COHERENTLY ALIGNED TO OUR PURPOSE AND VALUE PROPOSITION. SPECIFIC PROJECT FOCUS AREAS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, DESIGN OF AN EQUITY-CENTERED VISION FOR A LIBERATED STUDENT EXPERIENCE, ESTABLISHMENT OF FOUNDATIONAL SCHOOL STRUCTURES FOR CULTURE AND INSTRUCTION, FOSTER AUTHENTIC FAMILY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS, AND CREATE ROBUST AND ALIGNED TEACHER DEVELOPMENT SYSTEMS.