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homework help in English and Spanish, expanding learning opportunities in digital media
and 3D printing, and launching initiatives likes Rahm's Readers to encourage youth to read.
First launched in 2011, Rahm's Readers has grown from 56,000 children ages 0-13 in its
first year to roughly 100,000 this previous year. Participants read at least 20 minutes per
day during out of school time and participate in STEM activities to prevent the "summer
slide" phenomenon, where children can Jose up to three months of math and science
learning during summer months if they do not remain engaged in learning. According to a
study by Chapin Hall, children participating in the Rahm's Readers Summer Learning
Challenge demonstrated 15 percent greater reading gains and 20 percent great math gains
over and above their peers who did not participate in the program.
• Investing in Military and ROTC Programs: CPS has the largest number of military schools
and Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs in the country, serving roughly 10,000
students in the 2015-16 school year. Students at these schools graduate at a rate of more
than 80 percent and the most recently available data show students received an average
ACT score of 18.6.
• Launched Summer qfLearning. In 2013, Chicago launched the world's first citywide digital
badging system to recognize out-of-school student learning. As Chicago City of Learning
(CCOL) enters its 4th summer, over 160 organizations will be involved in creating learning
based opportunities that are relevant to students. This summer, the program will be
segmented into K-8 badging and workforce badging run by a new organization that received
$25 million dollars from the McArthur Foundation. There are already over 71,000 young
people with active accounts and the goal for the end of this summer is to engage 100,000
students.
• Established the STAR Scholarship: In its inaugural year, the Chicago Star Scholarship has
enabled over 1,000 CPS graduates to pursue their degree from City Colleges free-of-charge.
The creation of the Chicago Star Partnership ensures Star Scholars will have further
opportunities to pursue a four-year degree at a significantly reduced cost after successfully
completing an associate degree at one of the City Colleges of Chicago. The program includes
15 university partners that have committed to creating an opportunity that will allow Star
Scholars to continue their college education following a successful completion at CCC. These
packages range in monetary value between $2,500 and nearly $50,000 each year.
• Modernizing the Evaluation of Principals: In 2013, CPS revamped the principal evaluation
system to comprehensively address principal quality by using national benchmarks in how
principal success is measured and matching accountability for student growth and
achievement.
• Investing in Training Principals: In 2011 Mayor Emanuel partnered with ten universities
and training organizations to launch the Chicago Leadership Collaborative (CLC). with a
goal of creating a pipeline of highly qualified leaders. Since inception, more than 200 have
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