| AUSL (Academy for Urban School Leadership) | |
| Founder: | Martin Koldyke |
| Type: | School Management Organization and Teacher Preparation Program |
| Location: | Chicago, IL |
| Key People: | Donald Feinstein, Ph.D., Executive Director Shana Hayes, Managing Director, External Affairs Scott Macdonald, Managing Director, Strategy and Operations Jarvis Sanford, Managing Director, Managing Director, AUSL Network Schools |
AUSL (Academy for Urban School Leadership) is a Chicago nonprofit school management organization founded in 2001. Today, it manages 31 Chicago Public Schools serving more than 16,000 students. Over 1,045 teachers have graduated from the AUSL Chicago Teacher Residency.[1]
Former Chicago Public Schools (CPS) President Arne Duncan met with financier Martin Koldyke and CPS educator Dr. Donald Feinstein and developed the idea of creating a specialized training program for teachers in urban schools. That led to the development of the Chicago Teacher Residency.[2]
The centerpiece of AUSL's efforts is the Chicago Teacher Residency program, a year-long urban teacher training program in Chicago's Public Schools. The 12-month, full-time, paid training program combines teacher preparation, licensure, and a master's degree.
After the training year, graduates commit to teach in an AUSL-managed Chicago Public School for at least four years.[3]
AUSL manages 31 Chicago Public Schools serving over 16,000 students. AUSL schools operate within the CPS system.[4]
| School Name | Neighborhood | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Bradwell School of Excellence | South Shore | Pre K-8 |
| Carter School of Excellence | Washington Park | Pre K-8 |
| Casals School of Excellence | Humboldt Park | Pre K-8 |
| Chalmers School of Excellence | North Lawndale | Pre K-8 |
| The Chicago Academy | Dunning | Pre K-8 |
| Chicago Academy High School | Dunning | 9-12 |
| Collins Academy High School | North Lawndale | 9-12 |
| Curtis School of Excellence | Roseland | Pre K-8 |
| Deneen School of Excellence | Greater Grand Crossing | Pre K-8 |
| Dewey School of Excellence | New City | Pre K-8 |
| Dulles School of Excellence | Greater Grand Crossing | Pre K-8 |
| Dvorak School of Excellence | North Lawndale | Pre K-8 |
| Fuller School of Excellence | Grand Boulevard | Pre K-8 |
| Gresham School of Excellence | Auburn Gresham | Pre K-8 |
| Harvard School of Excellence | Greater Grand Crossing | Pre K-8 |
| Herzl School of Excellence | North Lawndale | Pre K-8 |
| Howe School of Excellence | Austin | Pre K-8 |
| Johnson School of Excellence | North Lawndale | Pre K-8 |
| Lewis School of Excellence | Austin | Pre K-8 |
| Marquette School of Excellence | Chicago Lawn | Pre K-8 |
| McNair School of Excellence | Austin | Pre K-8 |
| Morton School of Excellence | East Garfield Park | Pre K-8 |
| National Teachers Academy | Near South Side | Pre K-8 |
| O'Keeffe School of Excellence | South Shore | Pre K-8 |
| Orr Academy High School | Humboldt Park | 9-12 |
| Phillips Academy High School | Douglas | 9-12 |
| Piccolo School of Excellence | Humboldt Park | Pre K-8 |
| Sherman School of Excellence | New City | Pre K-8 |
| Solorio Academy High School | Gage Park | 9-12 |
| Stagg School of Excellence | Englewood | Pre K-8 |
| Tarkington School of Excellence | Chicago Lawn | Pre K-8 |
The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research and American Institutes for Research in 2012 released a summary from their independent research evaluating the effect of reform including AUSL schools[9] The study concluded the following:
A Chicago Tribune article on AUSL from February 2012 entitled "School reform organization gets average grades"[10] stated that,
Most of AUSL turnarounds score below CPS averages on the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state benchmarks on standardized testing. Those schools that beat district averages have been accused of pushing out their lowest-performing students or those with discipline problems to artificially inflate their test scores.