Welcome to the Excellence in Teaching Project

The Excellence in Teaching Project seeks to transform instructional practice in Chicago Public Schools through the use of the Framework for Teaching to define effective practice, encourage conversations about instruction, and identify areas for professional growth. We all want Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to be the best place to teach in the nation.

In pursuit of this goal, the Excellence in Teaching Project stands for...

Clarity: A common definition of effective teaching for all schools

Conversation: Meaningful discussion and collaboration about teaching practice

Change: Continuous advancement for all teachers and greater impact on student learning

What we’ve heard from CPS Teachers…

“Very detailed and well thought out.”

“The Framework should be required as a way to help us hone our craft of teaching practice.”

“It’s kid friendly, teacher friendly and can be incorporated into the culture for the building and departments.”

“Useful as a guide for improvement.”

What we’ve heard from CPS Principals…

“This is long overdue.”

“On the current evaluation, it’s hard not to be ‘superior,’ and it’s unclear… what it means to be ‘excellent.’ This [Framework] gives teachers a clear idea, offers uniformity, rules out gray areas and focuses more on instruction versus coming to school on time.”

“I was so glad to see this. We were planning to create something like this for our school.”

Contact Us

Interested in becoming a pilot school for the 2010-11 school year? Just want to learn more about the project? Questions and comments can be directed to:

The Excellence in Teaching Project
Office of Human Capital
Chicago Public Schools
125 S. Clark
2nd Floor
Chicago IL 60603

Email: TeacherExcellence@cps.k12.il.us