Resident Principal SY; Chicago Leadership Collaborative- Invitation

Programmatic Summary

This Resident Principal position represents both a job placement and a formal commitment to a rigorous, year‑long, leadership preparation program. Participants selected for this role commit to the year‑long residency program and to actively seek and secure a CPS leadership role immediately following the completion of the residency.

Under the direction of the school‑based mentor principal, the Resident Principal builds proficiency across the four domains of the CPS Framework for School Leaders through leading project, team, and grade level initiatives as a building block to school‑wide leadership. The Resident Principal leads continuous improvement cycles, drives instructional excellence, and manages school operations while executing a personalized leadership development plan.

Mentor Principal (School‑based):
The Mentor guides the Resident in planning, goal‑setting, and navigating local school leadership dynamics; providing day‑to‑day direction, guidance, job‑embedded assignments, feedback, and reflection that will ensure their scope is aligned to school‑wide leadership readiness.

Department of Principal Quality (District‑based):
Oversees district compliance, cohort‑based professional learning needs, progress monitoring, and strategic job search support.

Coach (Academic‑based):
Provides field coaching to support success in program and in role, programmatic evaluation in alignment with CLC and preparation provider requirements.

• Domain 1:
  Organizational Leadership
  • Strategic Planning & Continuous Improvement:
    Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of the school’s Continuous Improvement Work Plan (CIWP), and take an active role in facilitating teacher teams (e.g., ILT, MTSS) to analyze data and drive progress.
  • Operations & Budgeting:
    Partner with the Mentor Principal to manage school operations, daily logistics, and student safety while developing foundational skills in fiscal management and equitable resources allocation.
• Domain 2:
  Instructional Core
  • Instructional Excellence & Rigor:
    With guidance from the Mentor Principal, lead the planning and goal‑setting for departments, teams, and grades that teams coach, support the implementation of high‑quality, culturally responsive curricula and instructional practices that meet the diverse needs of all student populations, including English and Diverse Learners.
  • Teacher Coaching & Assessment:
    Conduct non‑evaluative classroom observations and reviews student data to provide actionable feedback, build teacher capacity, and co‑design targeted student interventions.
• Domain 3:
  Climate & Culture
  • Student Wellness & SEL:
    Support the school’s vision of excellence for student and staff culture; behavioral health initiatives to foster a safe, positive learning environment rooted in SEL, and consistent restorative justice practices.
  • Stakeholder Engagement:
    Proactively communicate and build collaborative partnerships with families, LSCs, and community stakeholders to support student success.
• Domain 4:
  Talent
  • PD & Culture:
    Contribute to a collaborative, trusting professional culture by supporting school‑wide PD and executing strategies to recognize and retain effective staff.
  • Shared Leadership & Recruitment:
    Collaborate on the recruitment and equitable selection of school staff, and actively help distribute leadership opportunities to build capacity across grade‑levels and departments. Work with Mentor Principal to ensure the identification, development and retention of diverse talent, and cultivate leadership.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Education Required
  • Master’s degree from an accredited college or university is required (or earned during Residency year).
  • Field of study – Education, Curriculum and Instruction, or Educational Leadership highly preferred.
  • Valid Professional Educator License (PEL) from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) or Educator License with Stipulations (out‑of‑state).
  • Active ISBE Principal endorsement preferred (or earned by the end of the Residency year).
• Experience Required
  • Minimum of five (5) years of professional work experience as an Elementary or High…