Organization: ACADEMY FOR URBAN SCHOOL LEADERSHIP
Mission: Academy for Urban School Leadership is a nonprofit school management organization that creates schools of excellence by developing highly effective teachers and transforming educational outcomes for students in the lowest performing schools.
Activities: Teaching Academies and Teacher Development - Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) created the Chicago Teacher Residency program, which prepares new, highly effective teachers using an innovative approach based on an intense, full-year with a mentor teacher. The program is based in neighborhood Chicago Public Schools (CPS) managed by AUSL. During the program, residents take Master's level coursework, earn a degree from a university partner, and become eligible for an Illinois educator license (if not already licensed). Upon completion of the program, as teachers in CPS schools, the graduates become part of a growing resource of specially trained teachers in Chicago Public Schools. As of June 2020, AUSL has trained over 1,155 teacher residents committed to teaching in high-poverty areas in Chicago.
School management - AUSL manages 31 Chicago Public Schools that are in low-income neighborhoods in the south and west sides. These schools are managed 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 suppports, on-going teacher development, support for after-school programs and curricular enhancements, and assistance with parental involvement and community initiatives. AUSL supports student growth and achievement by developing strong human capital with empowered principals leading highly-effective teachers. 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.
Advisory services - AUSL partners with school districts committed to building their capacity to find, grow, and retain a diverse, high-quality teacher force that transforms schools at scale by providing consistent access to equitable, high-quality learning experiences. 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 teacher residency program development, holistic teacher development program design and implementation, and school leadership coaching. Advisory services remains grounded in social justice, equality, and high expectations for every student.
NTEE category: Education
Secondary category: Community Improvement & Capacity Building