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• implemented full-day kindergarten for all of CPS.
• Ex,panded Early Childhood Education: Since 2011 CPS and the City have increased the
number of full-day prekindergarten slots by more than 50 percent - from 10,600 to more
than 16,000. In the last year alone, the administration has added over 2,400 full-day slots.
Full-day pre-K has proven to have a significant impact on kindergarten readiness. A CPS
analysis showed that in the 2014-15 academic year, children with full-day pre-k arrived to a
kindergarten classroom twice as likely to have a kindergarten ready reading level as those
who had either a half-day pre-K experience or no pre-Kat all. This mirrors national
research.
• Expanded International Baccalaureate schools: Since 2011 CPS has expanded this proven
program by 51 %, going from 33 schools in 2011 to 50 in 2016, Chicago now has the largest
lB network in the country. Students participating in lB coursework graduate at a higher
rate than the district average, and enroll in 4- and 2-year colleges at a rate of 81.6 percent,
more than 20 percentage points higher than the rate for the district.
• Expanded STEM schools: Since 2011, the Chicago Public Schools have grown the number of
STEM focused schools from 3 schools to 22 schools. The Mayor created the 5 Early College
STEM High Schools, focused on honing students' skills in science, technology, engineering,
and math to prepare students for success in college and in life. Students attending these 5
STEM high schools receive free tuition to City Colleges upon graduation.
• Growing Opportunities to Earn College Credit in High School. Over 8,000 students (36% of
graduates) earned at least one Early College course credit or Career credential prior to high
school graduation. A key component of this accomplishment is the significant expansion of
a partnership with the City Colleges of Chicago to allow CPS students to access dual credit
opportunities at their schools and dual enrollment opportunities at nearby City Colleges.
The program has grown from nearly 600 students in 2011 to more than 4,200 in 2016.
Mayor Emanuel has set a goal to increase the share of CPS high school graduates obtaining a
college or career credential to 50% by 2019.
• Investing in Turning Around Failing Schools: Since taking office, Mayor Emanuel has worked
to turn around failing schools with the help of the Academy of Urban School Leadership
(AUSL). AUSL manages 32 schools, 14 of which were added since 2011. In the last year
alone, the number of AUSL schools that receive the highest quality rating (Level 1 or 1 +) has
nearly tripled from 4 to 11. Overall, 41 % of AUSL schools improved their quality rating
from the 2013-14 school year to the 2014-15 school year compared to 30% of the rest of
the school district, making AUSL an important contributor to the improvement of CPS
schools.
• Transformed Libraries into Centers o[Year-round Learning: Over the past four years, the
Mayor invested in turning Chicago libraries into centers oflearning by providing 24/7
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