Meet Chicago TAP

In November 2006, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) received a
$27.5 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to launch an ambitious professional compensation and support program. It was called Recognizing Excellence in Academic Leadership/Teacher Advancement Program (REAL/TAP). To date, it is the largest competitive federal grant received by CPS. The grant, secured with strategic leadership assistance from the Joyce Foundation and The Chicago Public Education Fund (The Fund), recommended tailoring a national compensation model to the specific needs of Chicago schools.

The REAL/TAP pilot, now called Chicago TAP, is based on the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching’s (NIET) proven school-improvement model, TAP. Its mission is comprised of two parts: it aims to increase student achievement by helping teachers and principals enhance their professional skills, and it makes teaching a more attractive and rewarding career choice.

The program includes performance based compensation, classroom observations, job-embedded professional development and school-based career opportunities for teachers and principals. Chicago TAP expands on the national model by including all adults in the building, not only the educators, as eligible for compensation.

Making It Happen

Chicago TAP is being rolled-out in four phases. Ten schools will be added each year of the pilot. The first ten schools launched the program during the 2007-2008 school year, and the next ten will begin in fall 2008. Selection of the final two ten-school cohorts will begin in fall 2008.

The program is governed by a Joint Council, comprised of representatives from Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Teachers Union, as well as a representative from The Chicago Public Education Fund.  For the pilot, CPS is collaborating with the Chicago Teachers Union, Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, NIET and The Fund.  An external evaluation of the pilot will be conducted by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., through support from the Joyce Foundation.

Read the MOU between CPS and CTU.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, schools must have at least 75 percent of their students receiving free or reduced-price lunch. In addition, at least 75 percent of a school's faculty must vote to participate. Other criteria for consideration include teacher quality, experience and turnover; student attendance and achievement, and leadership capacity. As an integral part of the program, a restructured school day allows for at least 50 to 90 minutes of weekly common planning time led by lead and mentor teachers.

Local Funding

Local funding support includes $727,000 from The Chicago Public Education Fund, $2.6 million from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and $1.2 million from the Joyce Foundation. The District has committed an additional $8.4 million.