Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL)

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 2023, AUSL has graduated 1,371 teacher residents trained and committed to working in high-need areas of Chicago.

Advisory services - Through its Advisory Services and the LiberatED Way approach, AUSL supports 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 alongside a variety of job-embedded professional learning experiences for the district and school-based talent that are coherently aligned to AUSL's 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, development of strategies that foster authentic family and community partnerships and implementation of robust and aligned teacher development systems.

School management - Through June 30, 2023, AUSL managed a network of schools primarily located in low-income neighborhoods in the south and west sides of Chicago. These schools were under contract with the Board of Education of the City of Chicago. AUSL provided 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 established partnerships with many community-based organizations and local agencies that provided 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, offered our students an incredible range of life experiences to support students' continuous 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. AUSL and CPS entered into a transition agreement on June 30, 2021, and will conclude June 30 ,2024. CPS cited the "sustained progress" 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."