Behind Every Amazing School… Is an Amazing Leader!
Seven CPAA principals lead schools named among Illinois' Top 25, and they're getting real about what it takes.
We already know Chicago's school leaders are AMAZING! And we love it when the rest of the world gets a reminder: U.S. News & World Report just named the 25 best elementary schools in Illinois, and seven are Chicago Public Schools: Skinner North, McDade, Keller, Edison, Lincoln, Hawthorne and Decatur Classical. All seven are led by CPAA members, and we are SO proud of the principals, assistant principals, educators, students and families who make these school communities shine.
A ranking tells part of the story. The rest of it lives in the hundreds of decisions a principal makes before lunch… the teacher who needed support, the family who needed a call back, the student who needed someone to notice. That's the work that makes a school great. So along with our congratulations, we asked these principals three questions:
What's your secret sauce?
Who helped shape the leader you've become?
What's happening in your school that no ranking could ever measure?
And they gave us the real thing… honest, heartfelt answers straight from their schools.
Seven Schools. Seven Exceptional Leaders.
Dr. Katie Magnuson | Skinner North Classical School
At Skinner North, excellence starts with educating the whole child.
"Academics and social-emotional learning are equally important," Dr. Magnuson told us. That belief shapes how her team plans instruction, with rigorous, differentiated support and real intention about how students connect, celebrate who they are, and belong.
Her favorite example? Buddy classroom time, when eighth graders lead activities that build cultural understanding and connection. "It is always joyful to see," she said.
Students are learning to succeed… and learning to lead and lift each other up.
Stacy Gray | McDade Classical School
Principal Gray says it best: "While sometimes, this can be hard work, it is always HEART work!"
At McDade, that heart comes with a plan. Teachers use student data to guide instruction, and every student from kindergarten through eighth grade sets goals and tracks their own progress. "We are a small school, and everyone jumps in where needed," she said.
She's just as proud of the moments that make McDade shine: Friday arts programming, student leadership from kindergarten on, and "a child's growing confidence, their willingness to support a classmate, or the pride they feel when trusted to lead."
And she remembers exactly where her own story started: with Ms. Helen Smith, her third-grade teacher at CPS's Ryder Elementary. "Before I ever imagined becoming a principal, she showed me the lasting difference an educator can make in a child's life."
That's the kind of impact that lasts generations.
Dr. Chalese Conley Dunbar | Annie Keller Regional Gifted Center
Dr. Conley Dunbar's formula for success fits in three lines:
"Lead with empathy.
Anchor choices in data.
Stay relentlessly pragmatic."
Simple, clear, and exactly the balance every effective school leader is working toward.
And she said out loud what a lot of principals feel: schools deserve recognition for their results AND for how they care for kids and create places where students can be their best selves.
We agree 100%… and we're proud to shine a light on that work right here.
Dr. Karen Valentine | Edison Regional Gifted Center
Dr. Valentine's approach is refreshingly honest: "We move slowly and purposefully, focus on the fundamentals, and tune out the rest."
Strong teacher teams, rigorous work, meaningful feedback and a long-term plan with "a sustainable rate of change." In her words, "These are practices that most strong schools implement — we commit to mastering the basics."
She was quick to share the credit, too: "It's an honor to be acknowledged with this ranking when so many CPS schools are doing this same great work."
What makes Edison special, she says, is a culture of belonging that makes "kids who often feel misunderstood feel seen." That same sense of acceptance carries over to the adults in the building.
"You cannot capture that kind of human connection and authentic courage on a test score or spreadsheet."
Dr. Rachael Carnacchio | Lincoln Elementary School
For Dr. Carnacchio, everything starts with trust.
"With trust, we can focus more authentically on instructional improvements. With trust, kids and families know they can count on everyone at the school."
Building it took a lot of listening and, as she put it, "igniting everyone's joy." She gives big credit to her assistant principals, AP Vander Jagt and AP Carpenter, and to Lincoln's teachers: "some of the most dedicated, professional, and intelligent people I've ever had the privilege of working with."
Trish Davlantes | Hawthorne Scholastic Academy
At Hawthorne, the philosophy is simple: "We teach kids what they are ready to learn when they are ready to learn it."
That means knowing every student as a whole person. And with students coming from 45 different zip codes, Principal Davlantes takes that responsibility to heart: "We want to ensure that we are worthy of our students and prepare them to chase their wildest dreams."
What an extraordinary way to think about school leadership.
Marisol Negron | Decatur Classical School
More from Principal Negron and the Decatur community is on the way. Stay tuned!
Leaders Lifting Leaders
One of our favorite details from this whole story: When we asked Dr. Carnacchio who helped shape her leadership, she named the Network 4 principals, "and especially my mentor principal Trish Davlantes." Yes… that Trish Davlantes. Two schools on the same Top 25 list, connected by a mentor and the leader she helped grow.
And the mentoring goes back even further. Principal Davlantes credits her own mentor principal, Tara Shelton, who has kept coaching her through all nine years she's been a principal. Shelton to Davlantes to Carnacchio: three generations of school leaders, each one pouring into the next.
And the connections keep going! Dr. Valentine and Dr. Carnacchio both named Dr. Cynthia Barron as someone who shaped their leadership. In other words… EVERY LEADER WHO SHARED THEIR STORY HAD SOMEONE IN THEIR CORNER. And every one of these principals is now the person someone else will name when they're asked the same question. That's what our union is about.
These seven principals have every reason to celebrate, and the entire CPAA Union Family is celebrating right alongside them. Let's keep it real: their success is built on trust, hard decisions, strong teams, mentors who keep showing up, and a belief in every single child. And while we're cheering for these seven today, we know they're part of a much larger community of Chicago principals and assistant principals doing extraordinary work every day.
To our honorees: congratulations! And to every school leader pouring your heart into your school community each day… we appreciate you and we're proud to represent you ALL.
Keep shining!
