Chicago International Charter School Mission:
On January 30, 1997, urban education in Chicago changed when the Chicago Charter School Foundation (CCSF) incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, becoming one of the first charters approved by the Chicago Board of Education. Unique among Chicago charters, CCSF's objective was to open the multi-campus Chicago International Charter School (CICS). At the beginning of the 2006—2007 school year, CCSF began “doing business as” Chicago International Charter School, thus adopting the name of the campuses to avoid confusion, while building on the strength of the Chicago International name.
Rather than create its own programs, the Chicago International Board of Directors decided to partner with educational management organizations (EMOs) to run day-to-day operations at its campuses. This arrangement enables Chicago International to concentrate on real estate acquisition and development, fundraising, public relations, accountability, charter school governance, and the implementation of new programs. This model allows our EMO partners to focus on the important job of educating the 7,500 students who attend Chicago International campuses. The result: Our students have achieved solid academic gains and our graduation rates and college placement rates are among the highest in the city. Correspondingly, our dropout rate is one of the lowest in the city.
The mission of Chicago International is to provide, through innovation and choice, an attractive and rigorous college-preparatory education that meets the needs of today's student.
To accomplish this mission, Chicago International draws from an active Board of Directors with expertise in non-profit creation and management, business finance, educational research, bond investment, community development, literacy skills acquisition, marketing, legislation, school board leadership, and special education.
During the 2008-2009 school year, more than 7,500 students from preschool through 12th grade will learn and grow at Chicago International Charter School's 12 neighborhood campuses. Approximately 70 percent of our students are African American, 23 percent are Latino, and the balance is a mix of Asian, Indian and Caucasian. Most students come from homes with limited means: 75 percent of our students participate in the Federal Free or Reduced Lunch Program.
Our students come to us with varying degrees of tangible academic skills, but the common thread for these students is a willingness and desire to work hard; to learn in a caring, nurturing environment; to embrace our vision that each individual student can attain college admission; and to build on their own inherent strengths to achieve these goals.
By operating a multi-site charter school, Chicago International plays a crucial role in improving disadvantaged communities across Chicago. When children from economically at-risk families receive high-quality education, they are equipped with the vision and skills to lift themselves and their families out of poverty and to contribute to a new vision of urban life. When a successful school is located in a struggling community, that school forces surrounding schools to improve their performances. As the quality of education in a community rises, the community is able to attract families, businesses, and developers who strengthen the local economy and provide more and better choices for community members.
