Annual Report 2019-2020

Great Lakes Academy 2019-2020 Annual Report

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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Dear Great Lakes Academy Supporters, This year has truly been unlike any other. We have dealt with great loss through a deadly global pandemic and made a mid-year shift to online, remote instruction for our scholars. We have seen waves of demonstrations fighting for national racial reckoning of the longstanding inequitable and racist treatment of BIPOC in our country.

In our community on the Southeast Side of Chicago, we have long dealt with the realities of institutionalized racism and inequality. To name just one example, our scholars, who all identify as a BIPOC and of whom 90% come from low income backgrounds, receive substantially less funding compared to their majority-white counterparts, indicative of deeply-rooted disparities in public education funding. Disinvestment of that magnitude is inexcusable, not to mention deeply unjust.

When our school was forced online in March, we spent the initial weeks distributing over 320 Chromebooks and iPads to scholars and supporting each of our families to ensure they all had reliable internet access. As we accomplished this, our teachers simultaneously transitioned their instruction online. Structural challenges such as unreliable internet access, lack of access to independent reading libraries at home, and lack of access to computers amplify the learning gap our scholars already experience and threaten to grow the achievement gap into a vast chasm.

It is my deep hope that this historic moment results in honest reflection across our country. Further, I hope that we finally work to change the systemic, generational disinvestment and inequality in the education of our Black and brown students.

We have a responsibility, as a school and as a community, to support our scholars and families at all times, especially in the midst of these crises. We have a responsibility to continue working to create and build a different future: one that is equitable, one that is just, and one that is empowering for all.

It is only together that we have the opportunity to impact real, lasting change.

LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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I am humbled by the work and dedication of our staff, our families, and our supporters. There is no more committed group of individuals than the GLA teachers. They come early, stay late, and are always available to their scholars and families, no matter the time.

As a school, we ended a uniquely challenging school year with incredible new opportunities: opportunities to reflect, opportunities to grow, and opportunities to learn.

We also have new opportunities through the purchase of our entire campus, including the school building, church, rectory, convent and activity center. We began the process of renovating our school building with the addition of 4 new classrooms this summer, and we will continue our expansion project over the next 18 months until we have a facility to which any family, anywhere, would be proud to send their children each morning to grow their brains.

As we continue to navigate the unknowns of this new reality, we promise to stay focused on our mission: preparing all of our scholars with the fundamental academic skills, critical thinking ability and strength of character to excel in high school, college, and a career of choice.

Thank you for your support of this critical work. We will keep listening, learning, and evolving for the betterment of our scholars and our collective futures. I am grateful to all of you for standing with us and our scholars to drive this crucial change.

Warmly,

Katherine Myers-Crum Founder & Executive Director

OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR SCHOLARS

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OUR COMMUNITY GLA was founded in 2014 with the goal of creating a high-quality public elementary school education for scholars and families in the South Shore and South Chicago neighborhoods, which have historically lacked high-quality, accessible elementary school options.

As the school has scaled from serving grades K-1 in 2014 to grades K-6 in 2020, the support of the community has been overwhelming.

GLA continues to enroll scholars primarily from the South Shore and South Chicago neighborhoods, while broadening our reach to an increasingly larger geographic area that includes several different neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side.

The opportunity to make an educational choice is a powerful one. Parents and guardians on the South Side of the city and beyond are making that choice for their scholars: the GLA choice.

OUR SCHOLARS

420 Scholars

90% 12%

Grades K - 6

Qualify for Free & Reduced Lunch Receive SPED Services

African American Hispanic & Latino Other

2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR & COVID-19 RESPONSE

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YEAR IN REVIEW & COVID-19 This past year was certainly a year of growth, change, and learning for GLA. One such change was building out our middle school to now serve grades 5 & 6! GLA also invested heavily in a new level of leadership: teacher leadership. Creating leadership opportunities for instructional staff is crucial in ensuring high-quality teachers remain in the classroom with scholars while providing space to grow in their practice. GLA’s teacher leadership model has taken the form of Content Specialists and Grade Level Leads. This investment ensures that our teacher leaders will continue to grow and develop in new ways.

During school closures in the spring, GLA swiftly responded to the urgent needs of scholars and families. The weekend before the closure, GLA teachers worked tirelessly in the building to prepare learning materials and supplies for scholars to take home during remote learning.

About 70% of scholars did not have access to technology at home, so GLA mobilized quickly, distributing over 320 Chromebooks, hundreds of books, and other learning materials.

Throughout the closure, teachers provided daily lessons and held check-ins with each scholar, each day. Teachers and staff remained closely connected to families throughout the end of the year to ensure families had access to critical resources.

One such resource was food. In early June, families reached out to teachers expressing the need for food and other critical supplies such as formula and diapers. Stores in the community were closed indefinitely and families were having a hard time accessing basic materials. In response, over a four-day period, GLA teachers and staff spearheaded a food and supply drive. The drive raised over $15,000 and provided food and supplies for over 250 families!

Another important facet of GLA’s COVID-19 response involved implementing a summer school program. Given the already-devastating impact of the spring's remote learning, we wanted to ensure academic achievement did not get lost over the summer. Teachers provided daily, virtual lessons to 150 scholars in grades 1-6 to encourage retention.

2019-2020 IMPACT & LOOK-AHEAD

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OUR IMPACT One of GLA’s foundational Anchors for Success is "Data Drives Our Decisions." Academic data is evaluated on a regular basis; teachers and staff work closely with families to ensure that each scholar’s growth and outcomes place them on a trajectory towards a best-fit high school, college, and a career of their choice.

One nationally-normed set of data GLA uses to track scholar achievement is The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). This national test measures math and literacy skills for students in grades K-8. NWEA compares where a scholar falls in relation to their peers on a national scale.

The 50th percentile marks the national average for attainment, or where the scholar falls in relation to grade level. The 70th percentile is considered “college ready,” indicating that a scholar is on track to score at least a 24 on the ACT and competitive for admission into a selective college or university.

Attainment Percentile

Middle School NWEA Data, Winter 2019-2020

GLA Reading

GLA Math

National Average

GLA's middle school scholars (5th and 6th grades) are placing well above the national average in both math and reading. GLA's Lead Class of 6th grade is "on track" for college readiness in both math and reading, as demonstrated by 70th and 84th percentile attainment in math and reading, respectively.

2019-2020 IMPACT & LOOK-AHEAD

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LOOKING AHEAD As we look to the 2020-21 school year, we are excited about the different initiatives taking place!

First and foremost is the continued buildout of our middle school; during the 2020-21 school year, GLA is serving grades K-7! With the expansion to 7th grade, GLA is also expanding our middle school teaching staff.

This expansion of staff also includes ongoing heavy investment in our leadership model. We will continue to offer teacher pathways towards leadership in the form of Grade Level Leads and Content Specialists.

As we look ahead to our lead class graduating from 8th grade in the spring of 2022, we want to make sure we’re living out our mission of preparing scholars to succeed in high school and beyond. In order to have access to college, our scholars first need to attend the high school that will best prepare them for that journey.

We are proud to announce the founding of our High School Success Program (HSSP) for the 20-21 school year! 7th grade is a critical year, as achievement in both 7th and 8th grade impacts scholars' options for high school. The HSSP illuminates a path through the selective high school admissions process for 7th grade scholars and their families.

The HSSP includes individualized guidance counseling, opportunities to visit Chicago high schools, peer-mentoring with local high school students, parent support and information sessions, and staff professional development focused on high school success.

The most recent data suggests that African-American students receive only 11% of admissions offers at the most competitive selective enrollment high schools in Chicago. By implementing this program, GLA is addressing the challenges our scholars will face on their journey toward a career of their choice by lighting the way for a more equitable education path for all.

GLA MISSION & VISION

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MISSION The Great Lakes Academy Mission is to prepare all of our students with the fundamental academic skills, critical thinking ability, and strength of character to excel in high school, college, and a career of their choice. We empower all of our students with the education today that they will need to change the world tomorrow.

VISION At Great Lakes Academy, every decision we make is based upon how to best support our students as they grow and prepare to compete with their peers in college preparatory high schools and four-year colleges, ambitiously pursue career opportunities, and positively impact their communities. We work every minute, every day to provide the best education possible for our students because we believe that education empowers people to take control of thier own destinies and to change the world.

GLA CORE VALUES

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CORE VALUES

BRAVERY. We are not afraid to take risks. We show bravery by trying our hardest, knowing that we will make mistakes, and learning from them.

ENDURANCE. We never give up. We have the courage and the tenacity to keep at a task or skill until it is accomplished or mastered.

GROWTH. We constantly grow. We are never satisfied with what exists; we are constantly looking to be our new best self.

RESPONSIBILITY. We look to ourselves to get the job done. We take responsibility for our actions, our efforts, and our words.

ENTHUSIASM. We approach life with energy, enthusiasm, and humor. We are fiercely positive and show our positivity.

ACHIEVEMENT. Outcomes matter. We focus on results and do what it takes to accomplish our goals.

TEAM. We succeed and fail as one.

succEss PARENT AND TA DA T AR SM TECHNOLOGY DRIVES COMMUNITY

STRONC SOCIAL

USE

Smart Technology Use. We embrace technology not as a panacea, but as a tool to be more efficient & effective as we promote individualized mastery­ based skill acquisition by students. We have individualized computer rotations in our core subjects that promote the building of independent learning skills and the development of technology skills.

OUR DECISIONS •

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EMOTIONAL LEARNING THROUCH PARTNER CHARACTER SHIPS AND FITNESS

Parent & Community Strength of Partnerships are Decisions.

Character Drives Vital to Student We know where each Lifelong Success.

Achievement. and every student's Students who succeed Family support is vital academic skills are develop more than to student success. based upon daily, just academic content We communicate with and skill-they possess weekly, and interim families on a daily basis exceptional strength of data collection and and provide multiple analysis. We use our character. We explicitly avenues through which develop in our students data to provide daily we engage and develop support for any both academic ability strong partnerships with and the social emotional students struggling families include parent with a subject or skills necessary for groups, monthly skill to ensure that lifelong success and workshops, Principal happiness. We offer daily no one is left behind, Breakfasts, and an open character skill building & and all standards are mastered by all students door policy. We cultivate daily meditation practices partnerships with as they prepare for high in which we explicitly community organizations teach social-emotional school and college to provide even more success during our skills, our BE GREAT support for our Bridge to Greatness values, and self­ students & families. class each afternoon. awareness.

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OUR SUPPORTERS

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THANK YOU GLA's holistic approach to educational programming would not be possible without the generous support of our community of supporters. The majority of GLA's funding comes through Chicago Public Schools. However, philanthropic dollars make up an additional 12-15% of GLA's annual budget.

Philanthropic support given by corporations, foundations, and individuals allows additional dollars to be put toward enhancing each scholar's educational experience. GLA values a holistic education, one that includes rigorous academics, well-rounded learning experiences, and the ability to grow in one's character.

This holistic educational approach provides a variety of opportunities, resources, and experiences. It includes having two full-time, fully-certified teachers in each classroom for grades K-3 and instructional coaches to ensure world-class academic rigor and instruction. It also includes providing enrichment opportunities such as after-school programs, weekly music and Character & Fitness classes, and a full-time, onsite social worker. Thank you for your support of every scholar, every day.

GLA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joshua Ackerman Andy Baker Katherine Cherry Jason Davis Alison Fragale

Chris Hoyes Katie McClay Heidi Paul Larissa Silberberg Faye P. Teller

Ken Tsang Kirsten Villers John Washington Katherine Myers-Crum, Executive Director

CORPORATIONS & FOUNDATIONS Benevity Causes Bulley & Andrews The Chicago Community Trust: Dorothy & Harry Perkins Fund D'Addario Foundation Deloitte Facebook Donations Fifth Third Bank Harry F. Chaddick and Elaine Chaddick Foundation

Irving Harris Foundation The Jacqueline K. Shay Foundation The Louis Calder Foundation McKinsey and Company NXT Capital, LLC ORBA Peak6 Investments Privilege Underwriters, INC Relativity Wired to Learn Roland Berger

OUR SUPPORTERS

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INDIVIDUALS & TRUSTS* Alex Abell & Alison Fragale Joshua Ackerman & Julia Schwartz Riva Bakal & Thomas Covert Andy Baker & Sabina McBride Philip Beck Aparupa Bhattacharya & Brad Thobe Mondira Bhattacharya & Jeffrey Trilling Jim & Kati Blalock Danielle Blass Angela Chaudhari JB & Katherine Cherry Matt Connelly Sara Corya & Doug Williamson Brady Dawson & Katie McClay Jason Davis & Tulsi Goankar Peggy & Steve Diamond Greg Elsner Eleanor & Mike Evangelides Robin & Russ Glass Daniel Greiwe & Phyllis Myers Kristen & Scott Greiwe Elizabeth & Eric Grossman Rosemary Gullikson James & Katie Haran Amika & Gareth Hayes Christopher & Lilla Hoyes Jim & Kathy Hurley Candice Johnson

Larry & Winnie Kearns Judith Kelley Eric & Megan Kuehl Thomas Mallman Rebecca Marciniak Baltazar Martinez Allison Haltom McClay & David McClay Steve & Valerie Metcalf Christine & Tom Moldauer Katherine & Keith Myers-Crum Michael & Phoebe Nitekman Brian & Heidi Paul Emily & Tom Phillips Michael Saltenberger Bettylu & Paul Saltzman Jaye & Joe Semrod Craig & Larissa Silberberg Beth Stamos Anne Taft Arthur & Faye Teller Butch Trusty Ken & Rina Tsang Francine Turk Kirsten & Ned Villers John Washington Bill Washington Jonathon Wright *Contributions totaling $1,000+

Great Lakes Academy Charter School 8401 S. Saginaw Ave. Chicago, IL 60617 (773)530-3040 www.glachicago.org