Chicago Annenberg Challenge records, 1994-2002

Old Resource ID was ChicagoAnnenberg

The collection includes grant proposals, reports, correspondence, and financial information. It has been divided into ten (10) series, three of which have subseries.

Some items, particularly the videotapes, audio tapes, CD's, and zip disk in Series X, subseries2, may require special viewing apparatus that the UIC Special Collections may not have, or they may be too fragile to use. Patrons therefore may not be able to see such material, or the material may have to be converted to or reproduced in a user-friendly format at the patron's expense. In some cases, copyright restrictions may prevent reproducing or converting certain items.

Patrons interested in viewing these materials should call ahead before visiting to find out their options.

Series I: Network/Grantee Files, 1996-2001

Series II: Leadership Development Grants, 1997-2001

Series III: Other or Additional Grants, 1992-2001

Series IV: Breakthrough Schools Initiative, 1999-2001

Series V: Proposal Requests (Declined), 1995-2000

Series VI: Matching Funders, 1994-2001

This series has three subseries:

Series VI, subseries 1: Private Matching Funders, 1994-2001

Series VI, subseries 2: Public Matching Funders, 1996-1999

Series VI, subseries 3: Final Reports, 1997-1998 and undated

Series VII: Letters of Intent and Preliminary Proposals, 1995-2001

Series VIII: Governance, 1995-2001

This series has two subseries:

Series VIII, subseries 1: Board of Directors and Executive Committee: Minutes and Correspondence, 1995-2001

Series VIII, subseries 2: Chicago School Reform Collaborative, 1995-2001

Series IX: Correspondence and Information on Working Committees, Events, and Press and Publicity, 1994-2002

Series X: Photographs and Other Media, 1993-2001 and undated

This series has two subseries:

Series X, subseries 1: Photographs, undated

Series X, subseries 2: Other Media, 1993-2001 and undated

Some items, particularly the videotapes, audio tapes, CD's, and zip disk in Series X, subseries2, may require special viewing apparatus that the UIC Special Collections or the UIC Library may not have, or they may be too fragile to use. Patrons therefore may not be able to see such material, or the material may have to be converted to or reproduced in a user-friendly format at the patron's expense. In some cases, copyright restrictions may prevent reproducing or converting certain items.

Patrons interested in viewing these materials should call ahead before visiting to find out their options.

None

The Chicago Annenberg Challenge was born out of challenge given to the country by Ambassador Walter Annenberg in December 1993. He announced a five-year $500 million challenge grant to support school reform I the nation's largest cities. Cities wishing to receive funds were invited to submit proposals describing how the funds would be used to stimulate educational innovation and collaboration in their public school districts.

A group of Chicago school reform activists including parents, teachers, principals, community leaders, and funders organized to write a proposal to include Chicago among the cities receiving a share of the $500 million. In January 1995 the Annenberg Foundation announced a five-year grant of $49.2 million to Chicago. The grant was received over a six-year period, from 1995-2001. The grant required a two-for-one dollar match, from private donation and public funds. Upon completing of the grant project, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge helped to build a successor organization, the Chicago Public Education Fund, which focuses on principal and teacher leadership.

The Chicago Annenberg Challenge was operated by two interrelated entities. The first was the Chicago Annenberg Challenge Board of Directors. It represented community, civic, philanthropic, and business leadership in Chicago. The Board employed an Executive Director, se policy, raised matching funds, certified public funds and private grants that qualified as a match, and approved all grants.

The second was the Chicago School Reform Collaborative. It consisted of 23 members who were elected by peers who had participated in designing the Chicago Annenberg Proposal. The Collaborative included local school council members, teachers, principals, school reform leaders, funders, and members of the university community. It also included official representatives from the City of Chicago, the Chicago Teachers Union, and the Chicago Public Schools administration. The Collaborative advised the Annenberg Challenge on proposals, communicated with schools and community groups, and provided assistance and information to schools applying for grants.

The goal of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge was to improve the quality of education and enhance student learning within the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Schools and their "external partner," which was to be an agency, organization, or non-CPS institution, were invited to submit proposals for funding to support creative strategies that tackled what the Annenberg Challenge deemed to be three critical structural issues.

These issues were "isolation," "time," and "size." Isolation referred to the isolation among schools, between schools and the surrounding communities, among educators within schools, and among parents and community residents. Time referred to scheduling and internal organization of classes and before- and after-school activities within and around schools. It also referred to time for the professional development of teachers. Size referred to the reduction of school size to create smaller, more personal learning environments.

The Chicago Annenberg Challenge made grants to networks of schools and their external partner or partners. A network consisted of at least two or more schools, plus one external partner. Grants were not awarded to individual schools or to agencies without school partners.

The Challenge offered two types of grants, "planning" and "implementation." Planning grants amounted to as much as $25,000 per network for twelve-month period. Their purpose was to help schools and external partners plan the concrete steps to improve their schools. By the end of the planning year, it was hoped that the group would have developed into a working network eligible to submit a proposal for the second type of grant, the implementation grant. These grants assisted networks for up to five years, pending annual reviews. They supported initiatives that addressed the three issues of isolation, time, and size with the goal to change teaching and learning practices in the schools and in the community and to promote parent and community involvement.

Chicago Annenberg Challenge records, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago

This collection used to have a supplement, entitled "Supplement I." That supplement has been integrated into the main collection as boxes 138, 139, and 140.

The folder numbers in that supplement included duplicate folder numbers that conflicted with folder numbers in the main collection. Therefore, folder numbers 1007, 1008, and 1009 from the main collection have been renumbered as 1007a, 1007b, and 1007c, respectively.

What was once "oversized Folder 1010" in main collection is now "oversized Folder 1021," or "Folder ov. 1021." It is found in Series IX and is labeled "[Posters]."

• NamesChicago Annenberg Challenge. -- Archives
• Subject
  • Chicago Political and Civic Life.
  • Educational change.
  • Public schools.
• Geographic CoverageIllinois--Chicago.